Project

Report 2

Senior Design 2014-2015

http://redoctane.uni.me

Revision 2.0

Team Members

Roberto Guerra

Giovani Guzman

Alberth Chavez

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Table of Contents 1. Scope ..................................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Objective ............................................................................................................................................... 2

3. Goals ..................................................................................................................................................... 2

4. Shell Eco Marathon ............................................................................................................................... 3

4.1. 2014 Competition ................................................................................................................................. 4

4.2. 2015 Competition ................................................................................................................................. 7

4.3. Rules ...................................................................................................................................................... 7

4.3.1. Driver Requirements ..................................................................................................................... 7

4.3.2. Vehicle Design ............................................................................................................................... 8

5. Fuel ...................................................................................................................................................... 13

5.1. Result calculations for Fuel ................................................................................................................. 15

5.2. GTL Gas Oil (Gas-to-Liquid) ................................................................................................................. 16

5.2.1. Basic info on Diesel Cycle ............................................................................................................ 17

5.3. CNG (Compress Natural Gas) .............................................................................................................. 18

5.3.1. Basic info on Otto Cycle .............................................................................................................. 19

6. Component ......................................................................................................................................... 20

6.1. Engines ................................................................................................................................................ 20

6.2. CNG Engine ......................................................................................................................................... 20

6.2.1. CNG Engine Selected ................................................................................................................... 21

6.3. GTL engine .......................................................................................................................................... 23

6.3.1. Engine Options ............................................................................................................................ 24

6.4. Transmission Options .......................................................................................................................... 25

6.5. Frame Material.................................................................................................................................... 26

6.6. Tires and Body ..................................................................................................................................... 30

7. Frame Analysis .................................................................................................................................... 34

8. Body Fabrication ..................................................................................................................................... 45

9. Project Management .......................................................................................................................... 51

9.1. Cost Estimates ..................................................................................................................................... 54

10. Outreach ............................................................................................................................................. 55

10.1. Vehicle Body Outreach................................................................................................................ 55

10.2. High School Outreach ................................................................................................................. 59

11. References .......................................................................................................................................... 61

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1. Scope Team Red Octane is in the pursuit to compete in the 2015 Shell Eco Marathon in Detroit

Michigan. The team will be entering in the CNG (Compressed-Natural-Gas) and GTL (Gas-to

Liquid) sub-category for the Urban-Concept competition. Both vehicles are to be designed to be

highly energy efficient. It is a critical element for initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and

assessing the project. This report will demonstrate as a progress report about the project

management, analyses, and obstacles on the vehicles.

2. Objective The objective of Team Red Octane is to design, analyze, and build two competitive

Urban Concept vehicles for the 2015 Shell Eco Marathon competition. One will be of a new sub-

category CNG (Compressed-Natural-Gas) energy system and the other of a GTL (Gas-to-Liquid)

energy system. Both vehicles will be built to achieve the goals.

3. Goals Team Red Octane has set a set goals in order to compete and win for the CNG On-Track

award.

Goals Description

Complete CNG car Complete the team’s primary car by March 1st for testing and troubleshooting.

Complete GTL car Complete the team’s secondary car by March 15th for testing and troubleshooting.

Create Aerodynamic Body Create an aerodynamic body for the CNG car with the joint of Industrial and Architect students.

CNG MPG Equivalent To achieve a 130 MPG equivalent in the CNG car.

GTL MPG Equivalent To achieve a 130 MPG in the GTL car.

Maximum weight of 450 lb. Reach a maximum weight of 450 lb. for both cars.

Pass inspection Pass inspection in the first day of the competition.

Win Award Win the CNG On-Track 1st place award.

Drive consistently To drive in all three days to improve results.

High School Opportunity To guide High School students in creating the GTL car

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4. Shell Eco Marathon The 2015 Shell Eco Marathon is a competition held in Detroit, Michigan that challenges

teams of young engineers to build the most energy efficient vehicles. The Shell Eco-Marathon is

held in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. These teams will compete from over 50 countries to

show their building ideas and methods of efficiency. The events are entered by a range of

participants from high school students to university students. The event's history stretches back

over seventy years. In 1939, a group of Shell scientists based in a research laboratory in Wood

River, Illinois, USA, had a friendly bet to see who could drive their own car furthest on one

gallon of fuel.

The competition is broken into two categories, The Prototype group and The Urban

Concept group. Both categories have sub-categories that define their energy sources of

efficiency that include: gasoline, diesel, 100% Ethanol, battery-electric, solar, hydrogen-fuel cell,

GTL, and the new CNG. The Prototype group focuses on maximum efficiency on a small three

wheel vehicle. However, The Urban Concept group not only focuses on efficiency but carries

the design of urban vehicles.

The vehicles drive a fixed number of laps around the circuit at a set speed. Organizers

calculate their energy efficiency in which names a winner from each category and for each

energy source. Off-track awards recognize other achievements including safety, teamwork and

design. The competition inspires the engineers of the future to turn their vision of sustainable

mobility into reality, if only for a few days. It also sparks passionate debate about what could

one day be possible for cars on the road.

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4.1. 2014 Competition The competition in 2014 was held April 24-27, in Houston TX in Discovery Green

In 2014, 123 educational institutions entered the competition.

Out of those 123 schools, only 68 of the schools completed the race.

Out of all the teams that completed the race 50% of those schools were High School

55%

45%

TEAMS FINISHED VS DID NOT FINISH

FINISHED DID NOT FINISH

50% 50%

HIGH SCHOOL VS UNIVERSITY THAT FINISHED

TOTAL HIGH SCHOOL TOTAL UNIVERSITY

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The more popular category is the Prototype category at 75%

The following is a breakdown of the categories of fuel category

75%

25%

TOTAL TEAMS COMPLETED

Prototype Numbers Urban Concept

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

GASOLINE DIESEL BATTERY HYDROGEN GTL ETHONAL

TEAMS ENTERED VS FINISHED RACE

ENTERED FINISHED

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The following is a breakdown of the prototype teams that completed the race and what fuel category were they paced in. Notice that Gas-To-Liquid Category had 0 teams to finish the race

The following is a breakdown of the Urban Concept teams that completed the race and what fuel category were they paced in. Notice that Gas-To-Liquid Category had 0 teams to finish the race

[PERCENTAGE]

[PERCENTAGE]

[PERCENTAGE]

4%

0% 8%

PROTOTOYP THAT FINISHED

Gasoline Diesel Battery Hydrogen Gas-To-Liquid Ethonol

[PERCENTAGE]

[PERCENTAGE]

[PERCENTAGE]

12%

0% 6%

URBAN CONCEPT THAT FINISHED

Gasoline Diesel Battery Hydrogen Gas-To-Liquid Ethonol

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4.2. 2015 Competition The 2015 Shell Eco Marathon competition will be held in Detroit, Michigan in April 9-12.

With GTL being a new energy source from the 2014 Shell Eco Marathon and CNG being new

energy source for the 2015 Shell Eco Marathon. Team Red Octane’s winning strategy for both

categories is to complete the race. The team will be entering both vehicles in the latest fuel

categories.

4.3. Rules Shell Eco Marathon requires every team to follow a set of rules for the aim of safety and

to challenge the young engineers into design. Below are the most important set of rules that

will be used to analyze, build, and design the vehicles.

4.3.1. Driver Requirements

Weight – 70kg

Driver license

Gear – Helmet, Racing Suit, Gloves

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4.3.2. Vehicle Design

4.3.2.1. Dimensions

The total vehicle height must be between 100 cm and 130 cm.

The total body width, excluding rear view mirrors, must be between 120 cm and

130 cm.

The total vehicle length must be between 220 cm and 350 cm.

The track width must be at least 100 cm for the front axle and 80 cm for the rear

axle, measured between the midpoints where the tires touch the ground.

The wheelbase must be at least 120 cm.

The Driver’s compartment must have a minimum height of 88 cm and a

minimum width of 70 cm at the Driver’s shoulders.

The ground clearance must be at least 10 cm with the driver (and necessary

ballast) in the vehicle.

The maximum vehicle weight (excluding the Driver) is 225 kg.

4.3.2.2. Body

Teams are requested to submit technical drawings, photographs or animations

of their entire vehicle design to the Organizers for approval at their earliest

opportunity. This is strongly recommended to avoid upsets by failing the

technical inspection at the event on grounds of design non-compliance.

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The body must cover all mechanical parts whether the vehicle is viewed from the

front, the rear, and the sides or from above. However, the wheels and

suspension must be fully covered by the body when seen from above and up to

the axle center line when seen from front or rear. The covering for the wheels

and suspension must be a rigid integral part of the vehicle body.

It is prohibited to use any commercially available vehicle body parts.

Access to the vehicle by the Driver must be as easy and practical as typically

found in common production type passenger cars. The “door” opening must

have a minimum dimension of 500 x 800 mm. This means a rectangular template

of this dimension must be able to pass through the door opening in the vertical

plane.

Any access opening mechanisms (e.g. doors) must be firmly attached to the

vehicle body, (e.g. by means of hinges, sliding rails, etc.). Adhesive tape, Velcro,

etc. are not permitted for this purpose.

The vehicle must have a roof covering the Driver’s compartment.

A windscreen with effective wiper(s) is mandatory. Please refer to Article 52:

Luggage space must be available for a rectangular solid box with dimensions of

500 x 400 x 200 mm (L x H x W). This space must be easily accessible from the

outside and must include a floor and sidewalls to hold the luggage in place when

the vehicle is moving. The luggage must be supplied by the Participant and must

be placed in this space during the competition. The luggage compartment and

luggage must be able to safely contain the ballast without moving around or

coming loose during competition.

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Vehicle bodies must not include any external appendages that might be

dangerous to other Team members; e.g. sharp points must have a radius of 5 cm

or greater, alternatively they should be made of foam or similar deformable

material.

A towing hook or ring is mandatory at the front of the vehicle. It can be rigid or

flexible (cable or strap). If it is rigid, it must be placed fully under the body for

safety reasons. Alternatively, it may be retractable or removable as in a regular

car but should be easily accessible. It must be used to tow the vehicle in case of

breakdown on the track. It must have a traction resistance equivalent to the

weight of the vehicle and have an opening width of at least 3 cm.

4.3.2.3. Lighting

Two front headlights

Two front turn indicators

Two rear turn indicators

Two red brake lights in the rear

Two red rear lights (may be combined with the brake lights)

The center of each headlight unit must be located at an equal distance and at

least 30 cm from the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

The mandatory red indicator light for the self-starter operation must be separate

from any of the above.

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4.3.2.4. Braking

a) The vehicle must be equipped with a four-disc hydraulic brake system, with a

brake pedal, which has a minimum surface area of 25 cm2.

b) The brakes must operate independently on the front and rear axles or in an X

pattern (i.e. right front wheel with left rear wheel, and left front wheel with right

rear wheel).

c) A single master cylinder may be used, provided that it has a dual circuit (two

pistons and dual tank).

d) The effectiveness of the braking system will be tested during vehicle

inspection for both Drivers.

The vehicle must remain immobile with the Driver inside when it is placed on a

20 percent incline with the main brake in place. Moreover, a dynamic inspection

may be performed on the vehicle-handling course.

e) A parking brake function is required in order to keep the car stationary during

technical inspections and fuel measurements. It must provide a brake force of at

least 50 N.

f) Wet weather capability is mandatory.

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4.3.2.5. Turning Radius and Steering

Vehicle steering must be achieved by one system operated with both hands

using a turning motion. It must be precise, with no play or delay.

Steering must be achieved using a steering wheel or sections of a wheel.

Steering bars, tillers, joysticks, indirect or electric systems are not permitted.

The turning radius must be less than 6 m. The turning radius is the distance

between the center of the circle and the external wheel of the vehicle. The

external wheel of the vehicle must be able to follow a 90° arc of 6 m radius in

both directions.

A vehicle handling course may be set up in order to verify the following when the

vehicle is in motion: driver skills, turning radius and steering precision. In

particular, Inspectors will verify that steering is precise, with no excessive play.

4.3.2.6. Wheels & Tires

The rims must be between 15 to 17 inches in diameter.

The wheels located inside the vehicle body must be made inaccessible to the

Driver by a bulkhead. Any handling or manipulation of the wheels is forbidden

from the moment the vehicle arrives at the starting line until it crosses the finish

line.

The choice of tires is free as long as they are fitted on the type and size of rims

recommended by their manufacturers and have a minimum tread of 1.6 mm.

The tire/rim assembly must have a minimum width of 80 mm, measured from

tire sidewall to tire sidewall. The width is measured with the tire fitted on its rim

at its rated pressure.

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5. Fuel The fueling that we’re going to be using for the shell eco marathon 2015 are two

byproducts of natural gas, GTL (Gas to Liquid) Gasoil and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas). Which

would make both cars NGV (Natural Gas Vehicles).

This is an important fact because for the past couple of hundred years, the world have

come to rely more and more on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels have powered the industrial revolution

and helped to turn the Western world into what it is today. However, it is becoming

increasingly obvious that our reliance on fossil fuels is causing us problems that we are going to

have to address. The fact is we are running out of fossil fuels, it won’t happen tomorrow but

eventually we will no longer be able to rely on them to power our economy. For nearly half a

century American presidents have told us we must end our dependence on imported oil. Today

we are more dependent than ever, with a total oil bill that has mushroomed to over $700

billion a year. Half of that goes to pay for foreign petroleum.

The need for alternative fuels have become more mainstream lately and developments

to alternative fueled vehicles have improved. Natural gas vehicles are a cleaner alternative to

fossil fuels and have proven to help reduce global emissions. Unlike petroleum for gasoline,

natural gas can be used to fuel demand in multiple ways to suit the market and consumer

preferences.

The United States is the world leader when it comes to Annual Natural Gas production,

unfortunately most of the natural gas used in the U.S. is going to homes and businesses, and

not much of it goes to the fueling NGVs. The country Iran is shown to produce a fraction of the

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natural gas that the United States does, yet they are shown to have the highest numbers NGVs

in their fleet.

The following chart shows the top producers of natural gas in the world

TOP TEN COUNTRIES NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION OF THE WORLD

(MILLIONS)

RANK COUNTRY ANNUAL NATURAL

GAS PRODUCTION (M³)

Global %

1 UNITED STATES 681,400,000,000 16%

2 RUSSIA 669,700,000,000 15%

3 EUROPEAN UNION 164,600,000,000 4%

4 IRAN 162,600,000,000 4%

5 CANADA 143,100,000,000 3%

6 QATAR 133,200,000,000 3%

7 NORWAY 114,700,000,000 3%

8 CHINA 107,200,000,000 2%

9 SAUDI ARABIA 103,200,000,000 2%

10 ALGERIA 82,760,000,000 2%

— WORLD 4,359,000,000,000

The following chart shows the top producers of natural gas in the world

TOP TEN COUNTRIES WITH THE LARGEST NGV VEHICLE FLEETS

(MILLIONS)

RANK COUNTRY FLEET Global %

1 IRAN 3.5 19%

2 PAKISTAN 2.79 15%

3 ARGENTINA 2.28 13%

4 BRAZIL 1.75 10%

5 CHINA 1.58 9%

6 INDIA 1.5 8%

7 ITALY 0.82 5%

8 COLOMBIA 0.46 3%

9 UZBEKISTAN 0.45 2%

10 THAILAND 0.42 2%

WORLD 18.09

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5.1. Result calculations for Fuel

For the competition, the way the ranking will be determined will be determined from an

equivalent consumption of Shell Fuel Save Unleaded 87, regardless of the fuel used. A

calculation will be perform using the net calorific value NCV, which represents the quantity of

energy released per unit mass or volume of fueling during complete combusting yielding steam

and carbon dioxide.

Typical NCV values (mass basis) for different fuels are given in the table below. The NCV values (vol.) at 15 °C are calculated on the day of competition by multiplying the actual mass-based NCV by the fuel density at 15 °C ENERGY TYPE

NCV BY MASS (kJ/kg)

ENERGY TYPE NCV BY MASS

Shell Fuel Save Unleaded 95 (Europe and Asia), Shell Regular 87 (US) Petrol/Gasoline

42,900

Shell Fuel Save Diesel (Europe), Shell Diesel (Asia and US) 42,600

Ethanol E100 26,900

Gas to Liquid 44,000

Hydrogen 119,930

CNG 50,016

The fuel provided by the competition for the CNG category will be pure Methane

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5.2. GTL Gas Oil (Gas-to-Liquid) Gas to Liquid is a chemical conversion process in which a hydrocarbon feedstock

undergoes several steps to transform into a higher quality fuel. After the gas is extracted from

the ground and transported to the refining plant it can undergo its chemical transformation.

The first process is a natural gas reforming process in which the gas from the plant is combined

with oxygen that has been reformed from air in an air separation unit and then reformed to a

synthesis gas consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This synthetic gas, known as syngas,

is then passed to a fixed bed reactor where the syngas is passed under high heat and high

pressure over a catalyst that is typically iron or cobalt based producing a long chain paraffinic

hydrocarbon. The next step is the product upgrading where the long chain F-T hydrocarbon

product is hydrocracked to produce the finished product. After the hydrocracking, the products

sit in a distiller where the products are separated.

Shells Shell’s Pure plus Base Oils that produces generates have many functions.

GTL Naphtha is used as a chemical feedstock for plastics manufacture.

GTL Kerosene can be blended with conventional Jet Fuel (up to 50%) for use in aviation – known as GTL Jet Fuel – or used as a home heating fuel.

GTL Normal paraffin’s are used for making more cost-effective detergents.

GTL Gasoil is a diesel-type fuel that can be blended into the global diesel supply pool.

GTL Base oils are used to make high-quality lubricants.

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5.2.1. Basic info on Diesel Cycle In Diesel Cycle the heat addition is Isobaric (constant pressure)

The ideal Diesel cycle follows the following four distinct processes

Process 1 to 2 is isentropic compression of the fluid

Process 2 to 3 is reversible constant pressure heating

Process 3 to 4 is isentropic expansion

Process 4 to 1 is reversible constant volume cooling

Thermal efficiency of Otto cycle is given by

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5.3. CNG (Compress Natural Gas) Compressed Natural Gas is a mechanical process in which the standard natural gas is

compressed into a tank in order to be mobile. The process to compress the natural gas is a

more common process and as the demand of the gas is becoming more commercial that

companies are creating home units for personal use. After the gas is extracted compressed to

the tank, the gas is can be sent directly to the engine. Due to the lack of infrastructure, car

manufactures are trying to shift some of their vehicles into a Bi-Fuel gas system where the car

can operate on both gasoline fuel and CNG. Due to the high popularity of this emerging fuel,

standards have been made to ensure that safety can be held at utmost importance.

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5.3.1. Basic info on Otto Cycle In Otto Cycle the heat addition is Isochoric (constant volume)

The ideal Otto cycle follows the following four distinct processes

Process 1 to 2 is isentropic compression from V1 to V2

Process 2 to 3 is addition of heat Q23 at constant volume

Process 3 to 4 is isentropic expansion to the original volume

Process 4 to 1 is the rejection of heat Q41 at constant volume

Thermal efficiency of Otto cycle is given by

.

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6. Component

6.1. Engines The following are some of the requirements that the organization requires from

participants. The type and design of the internal combustion engines are not restricted,

however they must run only on the fuel provided by the Organizers and must not consume any

engine oil (2 stroke engines are not allowed). Fuel tanks (with the exception of hydrogen &

CNG) must be equipped from the organizer. An electric starter may be used during the

competition, provided that it can operate only when the ignition and fuel systems are activated.

The CNG system must be designed as follows:

Methane cylinder/cartridge Pressure regulator directly attached to the cylinder Emergency

shutdown valve directly attached to the outlet of the pressure regulator hoseinjector

6.2. CNG Engine Homogenous mixture of fuel and air formed in the carburetor is supplied formed in the

carburetor is supplied to engine cylinder.

Ignition is initiated by means of an electric spark plug.

Power output is controlled by varying the mass of fuel-air mixture by means of a throttle valve in the carburetor.

The fuel can use a GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) system to combust

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6.2.1. CNG Engine Selected The team has currently purchased the CNG engine.

Jonway Predator 250cc

Type = 4 stroke, single cylinder, water cool

Price = $350.00

Weight = TBD

Continuously variable transmission(CVT)

Carburetor with auto choke

Electric start and remote start

13.4 HP @ 7,500 RPM

6.2.2 CNG Fueling Configuration

The CNG fueling configuration requires the carburetor or injector system in the engine to accept

the fueling through a compressed system in which the fuel is in the compressed tank. Safety regulations

require the CNG system to have pressure relief valves, vent fittings, regulators to reduce pressure,

gauges to show working and tank pressures, manual valves and automatic valves that be accessed by

driver.

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Below is a a schematic set up of the CNG set up to be tested on the gas engine.

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6.3. GTL engine No additional engine modifications necessary to run GTL

No carburetor is used. Air alone is supplied to the engine cylinder. Fuel is injected directly into

the engine cylinder at the end of compression stroke by means of a fuel injector. Fuel-air

mixture is heterogeneous.

No spark plug is used. Compression ratio is high and the high temperature of air ignites fuel.

No throttle value is used. Power output is controlled only by means of the mass of fuel injected

by the fuel injector.

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6.3.1. Engine Options The team has been donated the GTL engine.

Yanmar L40AE

Type = 4 stroke, single cylinder

Price = Donated

Weight = 56.2 lbs.

No transmission

Electric start and pull start

3.4 HP @ 2,800 RPM

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6.4. Transmission Options The team currently has 3 options for the transmission. This transmission will be used on the GTL engine

due to it not having a transmission. The decision on which transmission we will pick will respect the

most efficient method to the vehicle.

TORQUE CONVERTER CVT CLUTCH 3/4" COMET TAV2 30-75

PRICE 87.75+26.7SHIP

Direct Drive Transmission

Manual Transmission

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6.5. Frame Material The market research that was conducted to come up with the best three options for our frame

materials started with three options: aluminum, stainless steel and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). As of today

we have eliminated the PVC options and are now in the process of deciding between steel and

aluminum. Both steel and aluminum have their pros and cons and Red Octane has created a grading

scale to grade each major category and breaking it down to five different components to grade from.

Red Octane is creating two vehicles with the same frame and body design but with two different

types of engines: Gas-to-liquid (GTL) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Although both vehicles

competing in the Shell Eco Marathon competition will have the same frame and body design, the

challenge is designing a frame and body that will be effective for two different types of engines.

A car frame to any vehicle is important because the frame is the primary structure of the

chassis. All of the primary components to the vehicle will be attached to the frame and the frame has to

be designed to support and accommodate that aspect. Although a frame is usually not in sight for the

viewer to see, it is the most important part of the designing phase of the vehicle. In order for the frame

design to be further effective before designing the design, the proper material has to be chosen. With

the frame being significantly important to the success of Red Octane, we have continued to research to

ultimately come down to the best choice between aluminum and steel. The comparison of these two

will be between density, ultimate tensile strength, yield tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity and

can be seen in the table below:

Aluminum Stainless Steel

Density (g/cm3) 2.70 0.190-9.01

Ultimate Tensile Strength (MPA) 124.00 31-3000 Yield Tensile Strength (MPA) 55.20 42.4-2400 Modulus of Elasticity (GPA) 68.90 77-317 Approximate Price Per Pound ($) 0.92 1.50

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In the table above the mechanical and physical properties are displayed for aluminum and stainless steel

and out of their respective properties Red Octane will determine the best choice based on need,

advantages and budgetary reasons. In order to come up with the best choice the group must first

understand each physical and mechanical properties.

We will start off with the property of Density. Density is a physical property that is fundamental

to any material. Density is the ratio of an object’s mass to the volume of the sample. All designs made by

engineers are for example almost always limited by either size or weight, and that is why density is

always a property that is taken into consideration. Out of aluminum and stainless steel, stainless steel

has the greater variation where aluminum has a specific density and may be easier to decide since there

would not be the variation difficulties that stainless steel might have. Density is typically measured in

g/cm3, and it is the function of the mass and atoms that make up the material and the distance that

exists between them. In the case of aluminum the atoms are relatively distant and compose low density

material which are light in weight. On the other hand, steel has the atoms closely packed and having a

much higher density which in return gives greater weight, which is something that Red Octane has to

take into consideration since we have a weight limit that we put on our goals: 450 lbs.

The mechanical properties that are going to determine the best choice out of aluminum and

stainless steel include ultimate tensile strength, yield tensile strength and the modulus of elasticity. The

ultimate tensile strength of the material is a type of tensile strength that can be calculated by dividing

the max load on the material that it is under by the initial cross sectional area of the sample. The

ultimate tensile strength value can give use information about the material’s toughness, which is the

material’s resistance to fracture, and can be critical to how well the frame will perform when multiple

components of the car are being mounted onto the frame. Aluminum has an ultimate tensile strength of

124 MPA and has a lower UTS than stainless steel although has a greater range, most stainless steel is

stronger than aluminum. Aluminum however is cheaper and the strength of the aluminum can be made

up by heat treating the aluminum. The yield tensile strength of a material is the max amount of the

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tensile stress that the material can take before it experiences failure. Once again steel has the highest

value in the yield tensile strength and is reflected on its price per pound which can perhaps limit our

chances to get it later on in our phases. The yield strength of aluminum is less than that of stainless steel

as can be seen in the table above. However since we are considering aluminum and heat treating the

aluminum to increase UTS the YTS will increase as well.

To further make our selection of the frame material more accurate Red Octane has made a

grading scale consisting of five components: safety, weight, cost, availability and difficulty. Each

component will be ranked from importance scaling from 1-5 with 5 being the best. The higher the

importance the higher that component is multiplied by, for example safety is the number one

component and in result it will be multiplied by 5. On the other hand difficulty is the factor that we will

least consider of the five and in result it will only be multiplied by 1. The ranking of the importance in

the components changed order in the tire and body material selection which will be further discussed in

the report. To come up with the total and best choice will be multiplied by a number that is based on

the importance, the model that is being used is below:

COMPONENT RANKING OF IMPORTANCE MULTIPLIER

SAFETY 1 X5

WEIGHT 2 X4

COST 3 X3

AVAILABLILTY 4 X2

DIFFICULTY 5 X1

Using the model and grading scale displayed above we graded the aluminum and steel and arrived at

the conclusion that steel is the better option between aluminum and steel by a margin of 4 points where

aluminum scored a total of 51 points and steel scored a total of 55 points. Although our grading scale is

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favorable to steel we have to understand that circumstances that are favorable to our success might

come up such as weight and availability factors and thus changing our choice. For example, weight is a

constraint that Red Octane has to consider greatly and if cost is available and weight needs to be

increased steel might be an option. Another reason that steel will be chosen over aluminum is that steel

is more readily available and it is easier to weld. Safety is an important factor that we must consider and

since steel is stronger it is safer than aluminum in the case of an accident. The final results of selection

between both materials are displayed in the frame material selection grading scale below:

COMPONENT ALUMINUM STEEL MULTIPLIER

SAFETY 3 5 X5

WEIGHT 5 2 X4

DIFFICULTY 2 4 X3

AVAILABILITY 2 4 X2

COST 4 2 X1

TOTAL 51 55

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6.6. Tires and Body The tire options that Red Octane has come down to are a scooter tire, and a traditional tire. The

option that has been eliminated is the Michelin tweel because it is not realistic to our goals and

competition. The 2015 Shell Eco Marathon limits the tire size to be between 15 and 17 inches. The

properties that were focused on for the choices that the group came up with were durability, the

approximate weight, required inflation pressure and the approximate price. The options are displayed

below:

Scooter Tire Traditional Tire

Durability (Miles) 6,000-13,000 35-80,000 Approximate Weight (lbs) 20-25 10-30 Inflation Pressure (psi) 30-34 30-36 Size (in) 10-17 15-17 Approximate Price ($) 54.99-150.00 60-235.00

With the table above, it is apparent that the durability of the traditional tire is significantly higher than

that of a scooter tire. Although the traditional tire is has a higher life it is not something that would be

the primary deciding factor since the mileage that will be put on our two vehicles will not be near the

range that a traditional tire can take. The traditional tire has an approximate durability of anywhere

between 35-80,000 miles depending on the quality of the tire. In terms of price the scooter and the

traditional tire are the most affordable. Despite the fact that scooter tire and the traditional tire are

great choices, Red Octane will consider using spare/donut tires in case of time challenges. Spare/donut

tires can drive at an average of 50 miles per hour on the road for a mileage range between 50-70 miles.

The mile durability might be a conflict since Red Octane will compete in the laps at the competition and

will also have a testing phase to test drive the vehicles.

The material that will be used to make our two vehicles will be chosen between carbon fiber

and fiber glass with the following deciding factors shown in the table below:

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Carbon fiber Sheet Metal Fiber Glass

Density (g/cm3) = 1.7 Density (g/cm3) = 8.0 Specific gravity= 2.49

UTS (MPA) = 890 UTS (MPA) = 585 UTS (MPA) = 3,033

Shear strength (MPA) = 55 Modulus of elasticity (GPA) = 193 Modulus of elasticity = 69

Approx. Price = $15 per ft2 Approx. Price = $10.24 per ft2 x .36” thick

Approx. Price = $2-2.65 per yard

To decide between these two a grading scale was also created for both the tire selection and the body

material selection where the grading scale has the same components in the grading scale that was used

to decide for the frame material. Although the same components and same method is the same in both

the grading scales the components that were used to grade the tires and body material were in different

order and had different importance.

The grading scale that Red Octane made for the tire and body material is displayed below:

COMPONENT TRADITIONAL

TIRE

SCOOTER

TIRE

CARBON

FIBER

FIBERGLASS MULTIPLIER

WEIGHT 3 5 4 3 X5

AVAILABILITY 3 2 2 5 X4

COST 4 3 2 5 X3

DIFFICULTY 3 2 3 4 X2

SAFETY 2 4 4 2 X1

TOTAL 47 50 44 60

As can be seen in the grading scale above the rank of the components is in different order than the one

used for the frame material: weight, availability, cost, difficulty and safety. For the tire selection scooter

tire scored a higher score than the traditional tire with a score of 50. The scooter tire would be the ideal

choice between the two because the scooter tire will most likely be less wide than a traditional tire and

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thus having less contact with the road and increasing our efficiency. However, despite the fact that the

traditional tire scored less than a scooter tire, the traditional tire’s score had more consistent scores

than a scooter tire. The scooter tire had the big advantage in the weight and safety aspect. The

availability of both tires is important to our team since we are working to meet our deadlines and the

scooter tires availability is lower than a traditional tire. Overall, the best choice between the two would

be the scooter tire.

The other half of the grade scale that was made for these two components was for the body

material selection between carbon fiber and fiberglass. The higher score between the two body material

selections was for the fiberglass with a score of 60 against a score of 44 for carbon fiber. Although the

score favored fiberglass, carbon fiber is the better material but the availability, cost and difficulty were

the deciding factors between the two. The availability of carbon fiber is significantly lower than

fiberglass since it is a material that much lighter and has a higher cost. If Red Octane had the proper

amount of funding and advice on how to properly work with carbon fiber, team Red Octane would

definitely use carbon fiber with a mold of fiberglass which will be further discussed in the body

fabrication section of this report.

Wheels:

The wheels that will be considered for our two vehicles include aluminum alloy/magnesium or

steel. Aluminum alloys wheels are typically the number choice for most wheels since they are lighter

than steel wheels and is reflected on its higher price. During the search of the right and proper tires for

our two vehicles, at the same time the team will be looking for tires that are in our interest that might

come with the wheel already. That would save the team money and will be able to acquire two major

components for the price of one rather than buying them separately. If that may not be the case then

the team will have to decide based on the table that is shown below:

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Wheel Option 1 Wheel Option 2 Scooter Tire Wheel

Approximate Price ($) 51.99-750.00 64.99-109.99 60.00-135.00 Material Aluminum

Alloy/Magnesium Steel Aluminum/Steel

Available Size (in) 13-17 13-17 10-16 Approximate Weight (lbs)

15-17.1 18-25.4 7.5-13

Wheel manufacturing companies tend to focus on the production of aluminum wheels and it reflects on

the high price range that exist. The scooter tire wheel has an advantage in the fact that it is the lightest

of the three and since our group has weight limitations, max weight cannot exceed 496.04 lbs., it can be

a good deciding factor when it comes to choosing the right tire for our vehicle.

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7. Frame Analysis The team has approached the design of the frame with the use of Finite Elemental Analysis. We wanted

to run two main analysis that will determine the optimal design for the frame. For the designs we

wanted to focus on solely the design so for the analysis we constrained the bodies with the same

material of steel with a yield of 30,000 psi and cross section of 1in sch 40 pipe.

7.1. Frame options Below are three options of frames in which the studies were applied to consider the safety of the frame

during the loads and a collision.

7.1.1. Frame 1 This frame is considered the biggest frames “tank” due to design is supposed to fully cage in the driver

for maximum safety.

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7.1.2. Frame 2 This frame is considered to be the “middle of the field” frame design as it was designed to not fully

encompasses the driver , but have enough steel surrounding so that the driver is protected in case of an

emergency.

7.1.3. Frame 3 This frame is to be considered the lightest design of them all. We wanted to do a “bare bones” approach

to this frame and have just enough material to hold the vehicle in place.

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7.2. Frame Study 1 On this study we are considering that the frame will roll over and that the roll bar will handle most of

the forces.

7.2.1. Study Loads & Constraints Force = Max weight * Safety Factor

o Max weight = Max Weight of vehicle + Max Weight of Driver

o Max Weight vehicle = 500 lbs.

o Max Weight of Driver = 250 lbs.

o Force = 750 * Safety Factor

Maximum Load = Force = 1000 lbs.

Constraints are placed in the ends of the vehicles as to represent the maximum stresses

on a fixed end.

7.2.1.1. Frame 1

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7.2.1.2. Frame 2

7.2.1.3. Frame 3

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7.2.2. Results Study 1

7.2.2.1. Expected Results The results expected may not exceed a von misses stress of over 30,000 psi as so that

the stresses do not exceed yield.

7.2.2.2. Constraints and Loads for Frame 1

Max Von Misses = 25,000 psi

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7.2.2.3. Constraints and Loads for Frame 2

Max Von Misses = 20,000 psi

7.2.2.4. Constraints and Loads for Frame 3

Max Von Misses = 47,000 psi

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7.3. Frame Study 2 For this analysis we are studying the effects on the frame in case of a head on collision.

7.3.1. Study Parameters Force = Mass * Acceleration

o Max weight = 1000 lbs. (as per study 1)

o Acceleration = -20 mph (max speed)

o Force = 1000 lbs. & 29.3 ft lb/s^2

o Force = 29,333 ft lb/s^2

Load on analysis = 30000 lbf

Constraints are placed in the ends of the vehicles as to represent the maximum stresses

on a front end.

7.3.1.1. Frame 1

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7.3.1.2. Frame 2

7.3.1.3. Frame 3

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7.3.2. Results Study 2

7.3.2.1. Parameters The results expected must be the minimized as possible

7.3.2.2. Constraints and Loads for Frame 1

Max displacement = 0.068 in

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7.3.2.3. Constraints and Loads for Frame 2

Max displacement = 0.065 in

7.3.2.4. Constraints and Loads for Frame 3

Max displacement = 0.142 in

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7.4. Finite Element Analysis Conclusion In conclusion the three options of frames were analyzed in two different scenarios. For the sake of

design, we used the software Solidworks to fine tune the designs we wanted. Once an engine was

finalized we ran another Finite Element Analysis on a more reputable software Creo Parametric. The

following results from Creo solidified the conclusions we made in Soildworks which gives our team

confidence that the frame meets the wanted criteria.

7.4.1. Study 1 Frame 1 Cero

Max Von Misses = 21,420 psi

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8. Body Fabrication Team Red Octane has set the bodies to be one of the primary goals. The team has

considered building both bodies with a three-step process. First will be building a plug, which is

the most important step that determines the shape of the vehicle. Second, a male mold is made

from the shape of the plug. Both the plug and the mold will be sacrificed in order to create the

bodies. Finally, the body will go through a vacuum bagging process over the interior side of the

mold. This will to remove imperfection and give a perfect body as designed on Solidworks.

Plug

The shape of the body is strongly determined by the form of the plug. It will require an

assembly of plywood, stringers, foam panels, fiberglass, resin, and finishing chemical products.

The team is considering an economic build, but also a process that will have high quality body.

Once the design of the body has finalized in Solidworks, the body will be spliced into

various long pieces with a thickness in a parallel and perpendicular direction. These pieces will

replicate the plywood in which will help the process of the plug. Dimensions will be extracted

from the splices, in which can be used to build a plywood skeleton body. The greater number of

splices will reflect the quality of the body. The team has the option to extract G-codes from

Solidworks that can be used on a CNC router to build the skeleton. This method is precise, but

far costly to build due to the hourly cost to operate. The manual construction of the plywood

will require a woodshop in which the team has access to with the architecture students.

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To consider a stable and solid body, the plywood will need to bolt onto the frame to

reduce movement that can cause any deformations once the fiberglass is applied. The figure

below shows an example to how the skeleton will result in.

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To build the body over the skeleton, pieces of foam panels will cover the plywood with

the use of stringers. Stringers will guide the foam into its shape and cement will bond each

foam ends together. Modifications on the foam will be required to meet the design of the body

such as bending and cutting to its desired shape. The figure below shows stringers guiding the

foam panels over the skeleton.

Once the foam panels have complete covered the skeleton, the foam pieces will be

layered by a thin piece of fiberglass. The number of layers over the foam reflect the quality of

the plug and the sanding time for a smooth dried fiberglass plug. Finishing chemicals such as

bondo will be added over the dried fiberglass to cover imperfections and create a smoother

texture. This texture will allow the interior of the mold and important factor to the vacuum

bagging process.

Fleece can be used as an affordable method instead of foam panels. It will act as

fiberglass over the skeleton, but it may cause imperfections on the body. Also, it will be

challenging to form the body smoothness. However, the fleece will be required to be tightened

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according to its shape as shown in the figure below. Layers of fiberglass can then be layered

over the dried fleece to form the body.

Team Red Octane is considering a higher quality build. Pursuing the panel foam method

to create the plug will be the best option as far as flexibility to achieve the goal.

Mold

A mold will also be constructed as a sacrificed male component to the process of

building the bodies. It will be used for building two bodies during the third body phase. The plug

will need to be given a week to completely dry and harden from the fiberglass. To being, a thin

chemical release wax will be applied over the plug. The release wax will easily and safely

remove the mold from the plug after the molding process.

The molding process will require the same fiberglass layer method as the plug build.

Based on our goal expectation, the team has decided to have a minimum of four layers of

fiberglass to have a stable body for the next vacuum bagging process. Additional finishing

products such as bondo, sanding, gel coat will be applied. Below is a figure of an example of a

mold from a plug.

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After a week of drying, the vacuum bagging process can take shape. Vacuum bagging is

a technique that uses atmospheric pressures to hold the resin, adhesives, or chemicals of the

composites in place until they have cured. Vacuum bagging will require a mold, body composite

material, films keep the resin in place, a sealed bag serving as a vacuum, and a vacuum pump.

Body

Before starting the vacuum bagging technique, a composite must be determined by the

team. Layers of the selected composite will be laid inside of the mold. A chemical release wax is

highly suggested to avoid any cracks when separated the body from the mold after the bagging

process. Currently, the team is leaning into building one vehicle with a carbon fiber body and

the other of fiberglass. Carbon fiber requires an epoxy resin that is also a concern to the team

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due to its high cost as compared to polyester resin which is used on fiberglass. Team Red

Octane will decide on the final composite for the body as the building body phase approaches.

Furthermore, the composite weaves will be laid inside of the mold by the desired layer

count. Films will be laid over the composite to keep the resin in place. A sealed bag will be

clamped to the edges of the mold over the composite to secure the forming location. Once the

vacuum pump is connected to the bag to operate, the air pressure in the bag reduces causing

the bag to form into the mold. Each member will be required to move the bag into place as it is

forming into the mold. This effect removes all imperfections such as air bubbles. The time of

the process to cure will depend on the amount of hardener used.

Finally, after the cure time has been determined, the body can be removed from the

mold slowly. Any additional finishing chemicals can be added to the body. The figure below

shows how a body can be perfected through the vacuum bagging technique.

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9. Project Management Team Red Octane is in Phase 2 of our Work Base Structure and is close to being fully

completed with phase 2. Phase 1, market research, is completely finished and it consisted of

five parts: project definition, fuels, Shell Eco Marathon Rules, research components, and

website. Phase 2, which is the design phase of our project, consists of the design for the body

and frame, fueling systems, and the vehicle components. Overall, phase 2 is about 51-75%

completed and of the four components that are in phase 2 our team is about 24-50% being

done with the acquisition of the vehicle components. Through phase 2 we have encountered

the challenge of dealing with some of our vehicle component’s availability and cost. Despite the

fact that availability and cost may be a determining factor in the final selection of our

components, Red Octane is prepared for this case.

One of the biggest challenges as mentioned, is the vehicle component acquisition. There

are two main factors contributing to our challenge: availability and cost. The availability of

carbon fiber for example, Red Octane has found through their market research, is a material

that is low on its availability which is reflected on its high cost. Cost, in addition to availability, is

a challenge that the team is currently facing when searching and deciding on the proper

components to both of our vehicles. One of the problems is the funding that our team has

received. Ideally, our team would be greatly benefited if all help and contributions offered

where in the form of money. The reason is because if all contributions were in the form of

money, the team would benefit greatly since our team would be able to hand pick the perfect

component to our vehicles. Although the team has not received many help through money, the

team has received an important amount of help through donated vehicle components of our

CNG, GTL engine, and through connections and services they are willing to help out with.

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Through the help that the team has received thus far, the team has learned to adjust

and accommodate all contributions especially if they are not in the form of money. We have

found through our search for donations and funding that some companies are not able to help

financially, but are willing to help our in the form of advice, contacting us to other companies,

or offering their services that would help us complete our project.

At the beginning of phase 1 when the team was planning and breaking down each phase

everything was in a way perfect and expected it to stay that way for as long as possible. In the

current phase we are on today, the team has learned that not everything will go according to

plan and the team has to adjust to the circumstance and challenges that come our way, which

in our case is vehicle component acquisition and cost. At the moment according to our risk

matrix, fabricating the body, plug and mold is our greatest challenge because it can be sever to

the success of our project. Another major challenge the team might encounter is insufficient

funding to successfully complete our project which would force us to adjust and rather than

purchasing our components, the team would have to search for components that are not new.

Other challenges include, making the bodies aerodynamic, communication, outsourcing

services, technical inspection not being passed, and GTL vehicle not being completed.

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9.1. Cost Estimates Below is an estimate of the component costs for both vehicles. Few CNG components

are to be determined due to Shell not having a finalized rule on the CNG set up.

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10. Outreach

10.1. Vehicle Body Outreach In the 2014 Shell Eco Marathon competition, the appearance of the vehicle was the

attraction to the visitors even if the internal energy system exceeded a high efficiency. Team

Red Octane knew that this goal needed a high resource of knowledge. Each team member

lacked the knowledge and application of building a vehicle body. From previous competition,

Team Primer from Cullen Engineering was able to create an eye catching body for the Prototype

category with the help of Industrial and Architect students. This challenge allowed the team to

plan in repeating the outreach with Industrial and Architecture Program students. We were

able to contact Professor Kim Kimbrough who is a design instructor for the Industrial Program.

Professor Kim Kimbrough asked his students for the opportunity to create a vehicle body for

the 2015 Shell Eco Marathon competition with the join of our team. Jesus Garate was

encouraged enough to help the team into design and learn to create a vehicle body with the

decided composite. The team was able to meet with Jesus in which he toured the Architecture

lab to us.

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The picture above shows the layout of the Architecture lab with the machinery provided

to the students.

The Shear Cutter above will be a tool used the most into building a firewall or floor pan.

The students are also allowed to use a 3d printer that can be used to preview products.

In order to use these machines, we are required to attend a Lab Orientation set by the Lab

manager.

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Also, Professor Kim Kimbrough led us to Professor Adam Wells who mentored Team

Primer in creating the prototype body. Professor Adam Wells is willing to help in the progress of

mentoring Team Red Octane to achieve the goal.

10.1.1 Body Update Jesus Garate has given the team amazing design options into building the vehicles. His design

process aspect is to physically have a model using foam. This helps Jesus visualize the body and consider

a comfortable entry to any drive. Most importantly, the design will need to be fairly possible and not

have difficulty into shaping difficult shapes. Below are two foam model Jesus Garate has created

according the final frame design.

Option 1

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Option 2

The team is considered option two, due to it having more of a realistic approach into building

the plug. At the moment, Jesus Garate is designing option two into Solidworks. After the design has

been completed on solid works, the model will be modified to achieve an aerodynamic body using

Computational Fluid Dynamics software (CFD).

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10.2. High School Outreach Team Red Octane has officially joined to guide Elsik High School into building the Gas-to-Liquid

(GTL) vehicle. Elsik High School was excited to agree the offer from the team into registering into the

Shell Eco-Marathon for 2015.

For the first meeting of the selected students, the team was able to assign roles to the students

into the project managing aspect of the project. Each student has an important role such as a team

leader, leader assistant, media leader, and welding leader, design leader, and automotive leader. These

roles have encouraged the students into the importance of the competition into which they can feel

confident in registering for the upcoming competitions. Each leader has a group of students within their

skills. For example, the leaders are held responsible to inform their teams about upcoming events such

as Saturday workshops, afterschool visit from Team Red Octane, or report problems to all teams in the

project.

Team Red Octane has set Saturday workshops to demonstrate leadership skills, project updates,

design process, engineering studies, and problem solving. These workshops are helping the students the

responsibilities of the project and also encouragement into registering into a four year university. Below

is a picture of Roberto Guerra demonstrating the importance of a Gantt chart.

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With the acquired gasoline engine for the CNG vehicle, the team was able to disassembly the

engine together from a scooter. The students were able to understand the fundamentals of project

guidance with the use of a work base structure. The structure is important to complete phases in an

orderly manner as an engineer.

The team is continuing the Saturday workshops with Elsik High School into building the GTL

vehicle. At the moment, steel material has been donated to the high school, and Is ready to build the

frame under their welding students. Team Red Octane is honored to be an example to the students as a

mentor into building the GTL vehicle.

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11. References "Rules and Regulations." - Shell Global. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2014.

"Discover the Processes at Pearl GTL." - Shell Global. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.

"Gas-to-liquids (GTL)." - Shell Global. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.

Internal Combustion Engines – Mak 49. "Ideal Standard Cycles." Internal Combustion Engines –

MAK 493E Ideal Standard Cycles (n.d.): n. pag. Istanbul Technical University. Web.

"Online Materials Information Resource - MatWeb." Online Materials Information Resource -

MatWeb. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.

"What Is the Difference between Otto Cycle and Diesel Cycle?" Answers. Answers Corporation,

n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.