Testing

The purpose of this project was to design a remote-controlled car that could withstand certain amounts of force that would mimic competing in the 2018 Baja Car Challenge. After the design and construction, several tests were constructed to evaluate the success of these parameters.

The first test performed was simple. The goal was to make sure the suspension arms did not bend when dropped from a height of two feet.

Once this success was established, the car was measured for deflection at the time of impact. The second and third tests were performed at the same time. The first requirement being tested was that the car could not deflect more than 1.25 in at the time of impact. As shown in the graph below, the deflection never went below 0.5 in.

The third test addressed the requirement which stated that the car chassis could not be more than 6% off balance. With the measurements taken from the deflection data, balance can be assessed. The graph below shows the highest deflection was 0.5 in. This would create a 14% slant on the chassis. These measurements were taken again after a time period of 5 seconds. At that point, all deflection had returned to the original height with no imbalance.

The fourth test involved hitting the wall at full speed. The "Ram" test demonstrated that the suspension system would not buckle, bend, or break when hit with a force of the top speed of 8mph. . This test was only performed once and success was decided upon a visual check.