|
I wish the class had gone farther, with emphasis on cost vs. strength and stiffness of various choices, etc.. Also, I wish they'd included at least perfunctory information on new technologies such as 3D printing, graphene, nano tubes, and now this wood byproduct. We did basic projects including vacuum infusion into molds, such as skate boards and longboards, as well as a 12' dory. Visited some aerospace companies on field trips, where they make jet engine nacelles, flaps and ailerons, etc.. I also wanted to explore alternate methods of fabrication, i.e., how to make stuff cheaper but of equivalent strength. F'rex, use 5 cent/square foot plastic shower curtain as re-usable sheet for vacuum bagging vs. one-time use of 15 cent/square foot stuff. Or, autoclave out of household materials. Also considered making a recumbent bicycle out of a ~4" thick piece of bamboo with composite fittings, and see how that might compare with store-bought 'bents of carbon fiber.
Anyhow, I'm convinced that starting with a clean piece of paper and using some new ideas (esp. if the wood products composites pan out as hoped), one could build a 2 seat sports car of ~<1,000 lbs. and be very fuel efficient, including electric propulsion based on that discussed in this thread. The MTSU motors have ~200 ft. lbs. of torque per Prof. Perry, who says his battery and control pack will be about the size of an airline carry-on bag. If so, dump the whole conventional propulsion system, go with upgraded MTSU version with regen braking, applied to a very light but aero efficient car.
PS: I suspect the remote control model airplane crowd is miles ahead of anybody else not paid by the Pentagon, and has found ways to get more bang for the buck. Worth monitoring.
|