Take It Apart! Challenge

Break it Apart!

For our first Senior Stem Engineering project we were asked to bring in a simple object that we had access to from our home and take it apart to learn it's inner workings and reverse engineer it. The object i decided to bring and take apart for this project was a wheel brake cylinder. The reason for me choosing this object is because it is a simple object that plays a big part in a cars braking system. The question I wanted to answer was how the pistons worked to provide the pressure to the braking system.

For the disassembly, I began by removing the rubber boots on both sides of the brake wheel cylinder. I was able to take them off simply by pushing the pistons inside towards the opposite side which allowed enough space for the boots to release and proceeded with the same step on the other side. From there, I pushed out all the inside components from one side until they all came out through the other side. After having it apart, I was able to make a detailed sketch with measurements.

Content

Terms

Mechanical Energy: The sum of potential and kinetic energy.

Kinetic energy: The energy possessed by an object due to its motion.

Friction: Resistance when two items or more when items collide while moving

Components

Spring

Piston cups

Pistons

Rubber boots

Housing

Bleeder screw

After taking the wheel brake cylinder I was able to learn how simple it is and how such a simple object is able to be such a big part of a vehicles braking system. All these components work together when brake fluid is pressurized to push out the pistons and actuate the braking system. After the pedal is released the springs on the rest of the breaking system push the pistons back in sending the pressure back to the brake pedal.

Reflection

After completing my first Senior STEM project, I was able to see how the skills we were taught the past three years have become very useful. I mostly saw an improvement in putting effort into my notes, which is a skill that I have been looking to work on for quite a bit. Reflecting on the 6 Cs, I was able to work on my critical thinking skills. I have never made a drawing with details or descriptions before, and I was taught the steps and procedure to do so. Applying this skill to the project required me to do things differently and consider all aspects of the project.

Although this project went well, it is helpful to be able to look into the things that could need some more improvement. The area in which I need to work on more, is managing my time better. Even though this project was not difficult, I fell behind because I did not work on it at home. Learning new skills and sharpening those skills is a valuable thing to develop. Overall, I am happy with the results of this project and hope do more reverse engineering projects throughout the year.