Friday, October 21, 2011

The 2nd Annual Cardboard Canoe Challenge!

OUR TEAM EARNED ELEVEN ACHEIVEMENTS TOTAL
DESIGN ACHIEVEMENTS Define and Brainstorm the Design:
We need to create a boat made of completely cardboard and duct tape that will float in a body of water.
Brainstormed Ideas: Flat bottom, longer length, high walls, low walls, shorter length, v-shaped bottom, pointed front, angled front, pointed back, flat back, completely covered in duct tape, duct tape only covering cardboard exposed to water, wide bottom, narrow bottom, oars, pull with a rope, push with swimmers, paddle by yourself, one person in boat, two people in boat, lay down flat, sit up on butt, kneel in boat, stand in boat
Big Brain: I think I had the most brainstorm ideas WRITTEN DOWN; however, our whole team contributed to the entire brainstorm list
Criteria:

- Build a watercraft that allows you to traverse the CHS swimming pool.
- Your "boat" must float at least one student through the course of the competition.
- Implied: Keep your workspace clean
Constraints:
- You may only use Cardboard and Duct Tape for this event.
- All Staples or other foreign material must be removed from your cardboard. If we trash the pool, we will not be invited back for other activities during the year (yes, we have other activities in mind for 2nd semester).
- Cardboard must meet our quality standard and be approved by the instructor (more info to follow)
- Each boat must have a minimum of a 3" tall "sidewall" (no completely flat designs).
- All exposed cardboard must be covered in duct tape (this will reduce cardboard disintigration in the pool).
- Each team will be provided one "versa table" cardboard box piece and two 60yrd rolls of duct tape. Any materials beyond this (likely need more cardboard) need to be resourced by your team.
- Implied: The boat must fit out of the doorway
- Implied: The boat must be able to be transported from the classroom to the pool
- Implied: The boat can not pose any threat to the students in or around the boat while it is in the water

SKETCH:
First Idea:
Second Idea:
Third (Final) Idea:

PROTOTYPES:
First Prototype:

Flat Bottom
- Curved, pointed bow
- High Walls
Second Prototype:
- V-Shaped Bottom
- High Walls
- Short Length
Third (Final) Prototype:
- Flat Bottom
- Not so high of walls (easier paddling?)
- Rectangle with a pointed front (stable)
DESIGN SELECTION:
First Idea:
+ - flat bottom for stability
Change - High walls
? - What is the optimal boat length?
! - Shorten the walls and make it longer
Second Idea:
+ - V bottom for straightness
Change - High Walls
? - Should a flat bottom or v shaped bottom be used?
! - Use a flat bottom and shorten the walls and make it longer
Final Idea:
+ - Flat bottom and optimal length
Change - Final Idea- no need for a change
? - How should we propel the boat? (pulling or paddling)
! - Pulling could be faster and easier for the pilot to keep the boat stable
MATRIX:
First: short, high walls, flat bottom, one point in front, curved bow
Second: short, high walls, curved bottom, two points, looks a lot like a regular canoe
Third: longer (optimal lengthe between speed and handling), shorter walls, flat bottom, one point in front, point is slightly curved
We will use the third and final prototype for our cardboard boat.


BUILD ACHIEVEMENTS:
1. Build it!:
Finished Cardboard Boat

Cardboard Boat in the Water

TEST ACHIEVEMENTS:
1. The Fastest: We won the speed challenge
2. The Farthest: We won the distance challenge
3. The Longest: We won the time challenge
4. Videographer:

1 comment:

  1. Nice job with your boat's design and implementation. You guys had a really effective solution.

    This appears to be the same write up as Joes so take a look at the comments I just left him, they're relevant here. I'm glad for my engineers to share content (pictures, tables, etc.) within teams but need to make sure everyone makes an effort on synthesizing the experience. Please keep that in mind for future efforts.

    Please figure out how to embed your youtube video. A video is the quickest way to supercharge a post. It's easy to sort out. Please ask me for advice if you can't quickly resolve it.

    Also, please "claim" the total number of Achievements you've earned (and follow up with me so I can score you). It's much easier for me to verify a count than try to count for myself. I always miss one or two!

    Good job, thanks.

    ReplyDelete