Week 2

The Design Team met up and started their research for the Floating Car Project. In order to create this product they decided that it had to be broken into three major components, the frame, the floatation devices, and the sensors. After conducting research in all three of these fields, the elements will then be added together creating one functioning mechanism.

The frame will serve to house the method of floatation, likely vinyl bags, attache to a 1/10th model car, and anchor the car to the ground keeping it from floating uncontrolled and possibly causing damage. A sensor will be used to detect a damaging water level and activate a regulator attached to CO2 cartridge(s) filling the floatation bags allowing the car to remain above a damaging water level.

As it would be expensive to create a life-size floatation device for a car, the team has decided to replicate a 1/10 scale product to a normal size compact car or the so called sedan. With this 1/10 scale representation the team will not only produce a device that only represents the measurements of a car but they will also include the weight.

Project Overview

Millions of dollars worth of damage is caused by floods every year. Floods and flash floods happen in all 50 states often bringing walls of water 10 to 20 feet high.  According to thewheatherchannel.com during the time of flash floods a car can easily be carried away by just two feet of water. Strong musty odor in interior or luggage compartment¸ surface rust, dampness of upholstered components, mud or sludge build-up¸ rust on underbody and chassis components¸ mud or sludge build-up inside components, high water marks on door panels and lenses of head and tail lamps¸ deposit of debris etc are all major problems caused by floods to a car.

This calls for a new technology to protect our cars. A technology that can help the car to float over the water but still remain anchored to the ground so that the damage to the car is reduced without endangering other people’s life.

Technical challenges we face are weight distribution of the car, design of the mechanism for anchoring the car and stabilizing the car. Major tasks include design of frame, circuits and anchoring mechanisms,3-D printing and fabrication of components,assembling and testing the device..

At the conclusion of the project, a design will be simulated which will reduce the cost to damage that occurs during a flooding. A Portable flotation design frame will be created for a car with an even weight distribution. This flotation device will be activated when a certain water level is reached using sensors.

Design Team

This Design Team is composed of five team member and a technical adviser.

Members:

Micah Watson
Student in the College of Engineering at Drexel University majoring in Mechanical Engineering 
Contact: mrw83@drexel.edu








Aaron Zehm
Student in the College of Engineering at Drexel University majoring in Computer Engineering 
Contact: amz52@drexel.edu









Antonio Tartaglia
Student in the College of Engineering at Drexel University majoring in Civil Engineering 
Contact: at856@drexel.edu











Keyur Patel
Student in the College of Engineering at Drexel University majoring in Computer Engineering 
Contact: khp34@drexel.edu

Salomon Jose
Student in the College of Engineering at Drexel University majoring in Mechanical Engineering 
Contact: sj692@drexel.edu












Technical adviser:

Marco Janko; maj79@drexel.edu