Technology

Engineering the Future

Greenpower Challenge

Over the last 6 months Y10 (now Y11) Engineering students have been preparing a car to take part in the Greenpower challenge. The national competition challenges schools to build an electric car using the same batteries and motors to cover the greatest distance in a 6 hour race.

For our 2005 car the team has been helped greatly by a donation from the Friends of Dowdales to buy specialised components, Bernies Gym who helped with welding and BAE System Sheet Metal Shop who built our smart body.

Race Day: 15th September. Croft, N. Yorkshire

An early start and a 2 hour drive across Northern England brought us to a wet Croft circuit. The team passed scrutineering and lined up in the pit lane for the Le Mans style start (top left). Steady, reliable running saw ‘Blue Lightening’ stay mid field in the race (top right). Pit stops took place to replace batteries and drivers (lower left). The racing continued for 6 hours in, at times, very heavy rain. The team managed 10th overall, with a total of 55 miles covered, and went away rightly pleased with their achievements.

The project has offered the team a fantastic insight into working as part of an engineering team and the car has made a big step forward over the 2004 car both in terms of reliability and build quality.

We plan to return next year with revised gearing and a much lighter car to give us greater speed.

Starchaser-Your Future in Space

On Thursday 10 th November 15 year 10 and 11 engineering students attended a lecture on Starchaser Industries at Forum 28. Starchaser is a company that designs and makes rockets in the UK. The company started off with little toy-type rockets and made them bigger as they went along. The company has made 3-4 successful rockets since they started their company; the last rocket they made was tested just off Morecombe pier.

The aim of this company is to be able to send people into space for a holiday which they said would cost about half a million.

I would like to be one of the people to go to space for a holiday if they lowered the price.

Gavin B, Year 10.

TVR Lecture

A group of GCSE engineers attended a talk about the TVR car company on the 17 th November at Barrow 6 th Form College. The speaker was Neill Anderson TVR’s chief chassis engineer. The talk began at 7.30 and outside there was a brand new top of the range TVR Tuscan in race trim. It incorporated many unusual design features such as: no door handles, dry sump inline six cylinder engine, automatic (no clutch) flap and paddle gear shift and manual stick shift and rack and pinion steering (to save weight). The car also had some features that are more style orientated than racetrack orientated which include: 5 spoke alloy wheels, huge disc brake calipers, rear lights and extra low profile tyres which are impractical for track use.

We heard about how TVR’s are no longer designed by engineers solely for speed and handling but now stylists are involved in the design as well. This is the reason why some design changes like the brake calipers and the tyres actually impair the cars’ race track abilities. This mix of the practical and stylish is what TVR are hoping will boost their sales in future.

Ben and Harry, Year 10.