Rat trap boat evaluation - Essay Example

? Rat Trap Boat By Your Your School May 28, Rat Trap Boat Most of the time when a rat trap is pictured it isusually in association with cheese, or peanut butter, being set out to catch a pesky home invader. All though some may also envision the all too famous Tom and Jerry episode where Tom’s tail gets caught in the trap he has “cleverly” laid out for Jerry. In today’s ever changing, always inventive, society, however, the rat trap has come to serve a different, unique purpose than perhaps was ever intended. Many students of engineering and design have found that the powerful force and motion created from the trap can be harnessed and used to power mini vehicles of all sorts. From rat trap race cars to boats, students, and professors around the globe are embarking on the exploration of rat trap inventions of all kinds. In an attempt to take part in this growing trend our class has decided to participate in a rat trap boat creation. After taking a look at the evaluation plan, evaluation design, evaluation results, and the test plan for this Catamaran rat trap boat, the reason for the rave of rat trap powered machines may become more clear. Our initial focus will be to discuss the evaluation plan for the construction of the rat trap boat. The evaluation plan will cover the following areas: background, purpose, limitations, questions, methods, instrumentation, time line, and budget. The assignment for the creation of said rat trap boat was initially given in an Engineering and Construction course. The purpose of this project is to create a moving water vehicle that is powered only by the energy stored in the spring from a mouse trap. The following limitations will be set in place: a standard mousetrap (1 ? * 3 7/8), the spring on the mousetrap will be the sole power source, the spring on the mousetrap will be cut and bent, but no heat-treated or chemically alteration will occur, the maximum length of the boat will be 18’ (this does not include the lever arm), all materials used will be non-hazardous, and the vehicle will be self-starting and steer itself. One of the main questions that will need to be addressed through this assignment is; by what method of design can one create a moving, self steering boat, from the force and motion distributed from a mouse trap lever? Another important question is; how far and quickly can a mouse trap boat go? In an attempt to answer these questions the following methodology will be used to create a rat trap boat. First I will cut the balsa wood into a ten inch by five inch rectangle. Then I will cut one end into a point, making a boat shape. I will then cut a four inch by two and a half inch notch into the other end. Next, I will make four three inch by one and a half inch rectangles out of the balsa wood for paddles. I will then cut the dowel down to six inches. I will then hot glue the paddles to the dowel, making sure they are centered and evenly spaced. I will then allow paddles to cool completely. The next major step will be to wrap wire around the dowel on one side of the paddle and twist with a wire cutter. I will then trim it to about one fourth of an inch to make an axle pin. Now it is time to attach a one inch wire in a loop to one side of the back of the boat shape by hot-gluing one end to the top of the wood and the other to the bottom. I will then slide the end of the dowel through the loop and attach the second one inch wire to the other side, around the dowel. It is now important to place the mousetrap on top of the boat shape on the same side as the axle pin. I will then hot glue the mousetrap in place. Then I will tie string to the axle pin and turn the dowel until I have about two feet of string wrapped around it. I will then tie the end of the string to the “jaw” of the mousetrap securely. I will then set the trap and tighten the string around the dowel. The final step will be to place the boat into the water and release the trap. The jaw should slowly begin to close, pulling the string and causing the paddle to turn, which will in turn, move the boat forward. The instrumentation, therefore which will be required for the successful completion of this project will be: hot glue gun, mouse trap, balsa wood, wire cutter, string, and wire. The time line for the completion of this project is roughly two and a half weeks. The budget for this project should be under ten dollars. To evaluate the design of this evaluation plan, there will be test procedures in place to insure the functionality of the boat. The major test areas will be speed, time, and distance. This evaluation will take place at a community pool, which I have at my disposal. I will use pre-drawn measurements to indicate how far the ship is able to sail on it’s own accord. I will use a stop watch to indicate the amount of time it can sail and also to calculate how quickly it makes it from point A to point B. I will perform at least three test procedures with the ship to find the average for each of the three major test areas. Some other side notes to indicate will be the ships ability to dispel water, and the amount of weight it can carry. The results of any of the evaluation measures will be averaged together to answer the questions of how fast, how long, and how far the rat trap boat design can go. The results should also answer the questions of if it is possible to create a moving, self steering boat from the force and motion distributed from a mouse trap. The evaluation plan outlined above could work with any of the three major boat design categories: Catamaran, Mono-hull, and Semi-Sub. I chose to specifically test the ship design with the Catamaran style of boat. To accomplish this I will simply add two pieces of wood to the bottom of the boat design indicated above. Then I will proceed with the test design indicated. I chose to proceed with the Catamaran design due to its unique hauling capabilities, and I feel the design will increase the speed, and distance the boat can obtain. Before adding the design features to create the Catamaran I will also proceed with testing the ship as a Mono-hull to calculate the difference the Catamaran design makes. After taking a look at the evaluation plan, evaluation design, evaluation results, and the test plan for this Catamaran rat trap boat, it is easy to see why these mini rat trap creations have become so popular. They teach lessons of harnessing force and motion along with engineering and design aspects that go into creating a boat proto-type. Now all that’s left to do is make and test the rat trap boat! Read More