Many Faces of Joe

This is Joe on the Computer....

This is also Joe on the Computer........

Still more Joe on the Computer.......
He's still there.

Joe is into computers.

Funny side note:

Some of these pictures were taken on different days and he still has on the same clothes. I can't figure that one out

Awesome Jump Pics

Here are some pictures of some awesomely dangerous jumps we have made. Remember that these are only the ones we got with a camera. Enjoy.....

1.) Joe Jumping in Ackerman parking lot.

One time we went testing, and we decided to set up a ramp in between parking lots. Joe decided he was going to jump it at full speed with no seatbelt on. You cant see it in this picture, but when he hit the ground, he almost flipped and fell out and a fire extinguisher went flying across the parking lot.

2.) Chris jumping at the OSU Airport

People say this picture looks photoshopped, but it wasnt. I actually took this picture, and he almost hit me in the chest with the front tire.

Design Pictures

So here are some pictures of our car when it was designed.

Like I said earlier, the whole car was modeled on the computer before anything was ordered or made. The designs were for functionality, so it may not look pretty.

Here goes.....

Back of car

Front of car

Side Front of car

Side back of car
Side of car

This may not look like alot, but it takes alot of time, each of these parts was designed, analized, and then fit into the car. Now we just have to make it.

Design stage

So many people ask me " Hey Devin, how do you design these things?". Well, I cant explain the whole process, but it mostly focuses around magic. Oh, and there is this stuff below.

Step 1.) Research
Before we even begin anything, we do tons of research. We identify the weak spots in cars run previously by us and other teams and areas to improve on. We then conceptualize on ways to improve these areas.

We think about weight, cost, manufacturability, performance, durability, and tons of other stuff. Basically, there is no perfect design. There are tons of variables, and in many cases, improving for one variable means sacraficing on another.

Step 2.) Concept
After we identify weak spots and look into ways to modify, we come up with concept ideas that we present to one another. Many times, this step is skipped and we go right into design since we are on such a time crunch. But if we do get the chance to do this, it usually helps. Generally, the first design is not always the best.

Step 3.) More research
Once we have a concept, we have to then make it apply to the car. We research materials, strength, performance, and just about everything you can think of. This step involves lots of calculation, and can sometimes be overwhelming. You would be surprised how many factors go into making a car part work properly, let alone well.

Step 4.) Initial Design
After we have an idea, and it has been researched, we have to design it in a solid modeling program. We do this to make sure it fits, and so that we can design the rest of the car around it. We also do this so that we can use the solid model to build the part, whether by hand or on a CNC machine (computer controlled machine that makes something automatically based on computer programming).

Step 5.) Put it all togather and present
When a design if finished, we assemble the whole car on a computer. Every critical part is put in to make sure that everything will mate up correctly. We then present this to the team and get more input. Basically, we point out weak spots to improve on before we start making this.

Step 6.) Manufacturing
Once the car is modeled, we need to build it. This can be very difficult. It mostly depends on the design. If anyone has ever made anything, they know that you can not ever make something perfect. We have to take this into account when designing and building the car. With so many parts that work togather, one mis-alligned part can destroy the whole car.

Step 7.) Drive the damn thing
This is the funnest step, but also one of the most important. Once the car is built, we drive the hell out of it. Some of this is for fun, but mostly we do it for testing. We can tune some parts of the car for better performance, and we can also see week spots in the car that need to be fixed before it races.


These are the steps that we go through within 9 months to make a car. This process can be very time consuming and frustrating at times, but it is worth it when you get one of these cars about 10 feet in the air and it doesnt brake. I will try to post pictures of the design phase later on.

What We Really Wanna Do

Just so you guys know.....

If OSU allowed us, we would be doing this instead!

WELDING

Here is some shots of welding/welds. Welding is awesome.

Random Competition Jump and Flip Videos

If you have never been to one of these competitions before, here is what you're missing. These are some of the jumps and flips from teams at competitions the past few years.

1.) This is a video of UW jumping over another car that was also jumping. The judges were pretty pissed over this one.



2.) This is a video of an awesome flip coming over a jump.


3.) This guy flips, sticks the landing, and keeps going. (until he hits a wall).

4.) The Grand Fanale: LaTourneau University flip at SAE West 2007


I will post more when I get the chance.

This Portion of the Blog is going to be filled in by other team members. It is still in progress, but it will get there.