December Results

For the Fall semester, the clutch design team completed its final design for the new clutch assembly. The assembly, seen at left, is ready to have most of its parts ordered. Parts are seen below in the bill of materials. Minor adjustments such as choosing the belt tensioner sheaves still need to be made, but this will be done once the belts are ordered and the components can be analyzed in person so that the correct selections are made.

Creating the final versions of the code for the controller will be done early next semester when the clutch will be tested with the code using a dynamometer. This will allow for the empirical adjustment of the PWM signal that causes the soft start of the clutch.

Once the above tasks are completed, the final assembly of the system will take place and it will be tested on the dynamometer in situations that mimic what the clutch assembly will experience during competition. The next step for next semester is handing the coding side of the project to the appropriate pulling team members, supporting its transcription into the tractor's software, and helping install the assembly into the competition tractor. Attending the 1/4 - Scale Tractor Competition will be the final step for next semester to verify the performance of the system and to provide necessary support in the event of an unlikely failure.