Air Pressure Car

Question:

The vehicle will move at moderate speeds, and can be controlled. I also think that it will be able to be controlled easily with no restrictions and no malfunctions during usage. I could imagine that it will travel the fastest on wood flooring because it is the surface with the least friction, which will help it to slide without anything holding it back. To wrap it all up I believe that this model can prove that in the future, vehicles of all types may use this type of design to travel from place to place on all types of different terrains.

Hypothesis:

Conclusion:

My hypothesis was correct, not only did it live up to its expectations, it exceeded my thoughts. It went faster, and not only did it move effectively but it can drift, and the controls are very precise. The model’s best result showed that over a 10 foot distance, it was able to get to its destination in average seconds. The highest result was tested on carpet, and it clocked about 2.40 seconds over the 10 foot distance. This data proved it would move without any major problems on the asphalt, concrete, wood, carpet, and tile. My observations to this project were that it takes a long time to perfect something. I tried and tried but the materials I was using to inflate the vehicle were not inflating enough or the materials had too much friction between it and the surface it was rubbing on. I started of with a foam packaging material, and it inflated but did not have the flexibility I wanted. Another problem I encountered was the friction coming off of this material with all the surfaces I attempted to test it on. I also originally had malfunctions with the propeller hitting the tower used to hold the propeller high enough. After I first saw it hitting the frame extending the propeller, it needed some corrections. Since the propeller is sitting on a servo, when the RC controller gave it signals to turn, the servo would turn the fan , and while that was happening the propeller would flex and hit the frame. In order to fix it I had to elevate it by adding more washers to the bottom screw. I could improve my model by taking more time to perfect its appearance and potent. I could also made it bigger and added a more powerful battery.

Abstract:

Futuristic Car

Every once in a while I run into a sketch of a futuristic car that uses its abilities of hovering and power to create an illusion. There is no way I could’ve created a futuristic car with the supplies and safety precautions I would have to go by, so I put my own spin on it. Can some type of air power be used to create futuristic cars, and how effectively can they be made? I predict that the car will be able to go fast, drift, and be able to be controlled. I will be making an air powered vehicle model, to test and see if it could be an effective innovation for future preferences. This hypothesis is supported by scientific experiments testing possible future cars, and the data I collected. I chose for multiple reasons, most importantly i am very curious about what and how the future will appear, and how things will be innovated. Models of futuristic cars are already being designed and i thought that this design might have a chance to be used as a car.

The following will include the precautions I had to go through for this experiment to turn out correctly. Since this will be a model, the project will be using R-C controls.The linking of the project and the controller will be from past remote control vehicles, so wiring will need to link up to both the air fan and the power fan. I started by taping down the wirings and plugging the computer fan into the wires connected to the remote controller. Secondly, I will need to take out a propeller from a highly powered airplane, this also will be linked up with the same cord. I will cut my aerodynamic shape out of black styrofoam board. After finishing the wiring and cutting, I will then test this model on which surface it will run more effectively on. I will have tape and chalk to indicate the starting and finishing point which will be over a ten foot distance. I will repeat it three times on each surface to make sure my data would be accurate.

I tested how long it would take from start to finish over a 10 foot distance. I tested this on four types of surfaces, wood, carpet, cement, and asphalt. It performed the best on wood, and the it performed worst on carpet. I tested the model on each surface each time and took the averages of each for each surface also. The time on wood rounded, was on average 1.60 seconds, and that was starting at no speed. The carpet tested the worst out of the four surfaces, testing 2.07 seconds. My results proved two things that this model could work on most materials, and that there wasn’t much change in time from the different surfaces.This was testing the models acceleration and speed, and the model’s test results turned out to be a success.

I learned from this experience that sometime in the future every car possibly could have a similar design to the model I built. My hypothesis was proven correct, but the results would have proven it wrong in certain weather conditions. My car model was able to gain in speed, was able to turn effectively, and was quite easy to control. This project needed time and precision because one mistake could have affected the outcome of the product. This project was accurate in the concept of a hovercraft, but a larger scale of this model would fail. Certain materials on my model would not be suitable for usage of humans. My vehicle tested flawless throughout the usage and taking of data. My data showed that this vehicle could perform well on mostly every surface.

Procedure:

1. Gather duct tape, foam board, two cooling fans, an RC controller, a receiver, a servo, motor and propeller for RC airplane, two 11.1 voltage batteries, a motor speed control chip, a black plastic trash bag, and an exacto knife.
2. Cut out a rectangle out of the foam board 20 inches wide and 29 inches long.
3. Get very powerful propeller and receiver from a RC airplane, and build the propeller on top of a tower, and make sure it is linked to the servo.
4. Cut the area of the the two cooling fans inside the foam board and place them on top of their holes, and bolt them in.
5. Link the two 11.1 volt batteries to the two fans .
6. On the tower that the propeller was built on and link that to the motor speed control battery to the servo so it can collect the signals sent from the transmitter.
7. The receiver is connected with the transmitter (Remote Controller), that would have to be connected to the motor speed control, and the servo.
8. Make sure that there is no plug not plugged in, because all of this are connected to each other in some way.
9. Lay the black trash bag and cut it out so that it can come over the foam board and can be tapped down.
10. Where the fans come through cut an X out so that the air can come through and help the model to be moved easier. (works like a air hockey puck)

Collect data and have fun with your new handmade futuristic vehicle.

Data Table:

Graph:

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