PROJECT

Mini-Design Project

A project I worked on for a mini-design course was about designing and building an electric go-kart. We were given a made-up scenario as our guide and a set of tasks that we have to achieve. The scenario is as follows.

Our task was to create a secure and practical Go-kart for children as part of the proposed expansion of Canada's Wonderland. Our goal was to design a kart that aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals by using renewable energy sources. Additionally, we aimed to build a kart that can transport a load of two kilograms on flat or inclined surfaces in both forward and reverse motion. We also aimed to make the kart easy to dismantle quickly.

Design Process

Our team made multiple concept ideas totalling 4 unique and amazing ideas. Ultimately, we chose the best and most feasible idea which is shown below.

This is the design we selected as it met the highest overall score, but we have decided to change some parts that would make it better overall. We opted for a wheel system to aid in the transmitted torque from the gear train layout. Additionally, we decided to try to use a gear-shifting gearbox to simplify the ability to change between the driving options during the test. This allows our design to be more modular as the gear will remain inside a protective casing.

Our go-kart was designed in a 3D CAD Software SolidWorks. It is made up of trusses, wheels, a motor, a battery, the gearbox, axle, axle supporters, and the top and bottom plates (not shown in the image).

When it came to CAD modelling, the largest challenge was making parts that were easy to modify. This challenge hit with full effect during gear design. The default gears offered by SolidWorks were annoying to modify to fit our specific needs in terms of face-width, bore size, and module. It was impossible to make any real changes to these gears without ripping in to the equation section of the model in SolidWorks. This resulted in slow development and iteration of the gearbox as a significant challenge to overcome.

Overall, the vehicle came to a final size of 31cm wide and 31 cm long when full assembled. Without the wheels, it comes in at 19cm wide and 30cm long. The final mass without battery or motor came out to 1.846 kilograms. The full mass with battery and motor is approximately 3 kilograms. With load added, the gross mass is 5 kilograms. Despite the car’s extreme weight and size, it was extremely nimble when fully encumbered, pulling a wheelie on a flat surface and launching up the 15 degree incline like a ramp.

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