My CO2 Dragster By: Schuyler Coulson
HISTORY IF DRAG RACING
Drag racing has been around for a long time, with roots stretching back to 1939s Southern California. Back then, the dry lakebeds of Southern California were open to anyone who dared to go that fast. Then in 1947, the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) was formed. And the, in the late 1940s, the idea of side by side racing became known as "Drag Racing." From there, a whole new sport was born.
PRESENT DRAG RACING
Today, drag racing is a sport where two vehicles compete side by side in a race. Both drivers race in a straight line. Today, you don't need any special skills to become a drag racer. In fact, kids as young as eight compete in the Junior Drag Leauge Event. Many people do it, but there are still many things that people want to change about it.
THE FUTURE OF DRAG RACING
In the future, more and more people will probably star using electricity as a source of power. Though it sounds crazy to the average person who still thinks that electric vehicles are rascals on golf carts, electrics make for a fantastic drag racer. Electrics allow you to have power right when you step on the accelerator. So, essentially, an electric car can take off super fast, which is what drag racing is all about. Who knows, maybe we will keep it the same and maybe we will change it, but whatever the future may hold, drag racing is an awesome sport.
3 CONTRIBUTING FACTOS WHEN DESGINING YOUR CO2 RACECAR
1. THRUST
Isaac Nwton's third law of motion states that for every action, their is an equal and opposite reaction. CO2 cars are propelled by CO2 rapidly escaping a CO2 cartridge. As the car accelerates, inertia (mass) is pushing against it. So, as the car begins to move, it's inertia is overcome. The rearward force of the escaping gas is the initial action described by Newton. The reaction part of Newton's law is fulfilled by the car's movement.
2. FRICTION
Depending on the dragster's design, friction could occur between the wheel and axel of the axel and body material. Friction can also occur between the wheels and the track. In a normal car, friction occurs between the wheels and the track. That would give you traction, which is a good thing. But regular cars aren't CO2 propelled. CO2 cars need the least amount of traction (between the wheels and the track) because the wheels aren't propelling the car, CO2 is.
3. DRAG
As a dragster moves through the air, it is met with air resistance as the speed increases. The air resistance pushes against the CO2. That means that the car would not go as fast as if there was no air resistance. This is called drag. Although you can never completely eliminate it, you can Duce it by creating a more aerodynamic car.
3 CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WHEN DESIGING
1. THRUST
Isaac Newton's third law of motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. CO2 cars are propelled by CO2 rapidly escaping a CO2 cartirdge. As the car accelerates, ineertia (mass) is pushing against the car. So, as the car begins to move, it's inertia is overcome. The rearward force of the escaping
DIGITLA ENGINEERING JOURNAL
Friday, February 3rd, 2017
Think: Today I am working on the 5 basic sketches and designs. I think that I will (hopefully) finish them. Maybe even get them approved!
Do: I have just about finished them, though I can't draw for the life of me... :)
Monday, February 6th, 2017
Think: The picture above is actually from today. Today I think that I will edit the drawings.
Do: I made some edits, and I will get them approved tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 7th, 2017
Think: Today I think that I will get the drawings approved and at least start on the top, side, and front views.
Do: I got my drawing approved and I got my paper and wood block. I chose a design (number 2 in the pic above) and I am looking forward to starting tomorrow!
Wednesday, February 8th, 2017
Think: Today I think that I will get started in my final draft.
Do: I got started on my final draft.
Thursday, February 9th, 2017
Think: I think that I will area lot of headway with the final draft.
Friday, February 10th, 2017
Think: I think that I will finish my final draft
Do: Today I had to change my desist just little bit to accommodate the axels.
Monday, February 13th 2017
Think: Today I think that I can get my final draft approved and ag least start, if not finish, tracing.
Do: Today I had to wait for Coach Spodick. He was helping people with the drills aw, so I didn't really get much done. But, I did get my drawing Approved!
Tuesday, February 14th, 2017 (Valentine's Day!!!)
Think: Today I think that I will cut out my drawing. I need to cut it out and tape it to the wood block. Then I need to trace it onto the wood.
Do: Today I cut out my picture. Then I taped it to the wood block. I grabbed a pencil and traced it as neatly as I could.
Wednesday, February 15th, 2017
Think: Today I have to take my wood block to be cut. I finished tracing yesterday so I need to cut along the trace lines. Then I need to trace axel holes and drill them. Hopefully I will get to that today, but I might have to sand out some rough edges.
Do: Today I had to wait a little while while Coach Spodick was helping other people, before he could help me. But I got my wood block cut out and the axel holes drilled.
Thursday, February 16th, 2017
Think: Today I have to start sanding. Yesterday I got my wood cut. Now I need to sand out the rougher edges, but I will only sand the tip of the dragster a little bit because it was built to be pointed. So today I may or may not get sanding done, but hopefully I will! If I get that done, I will start painting. I want to paint before I put in the wheels.
Do: Today I started to sand.
Friday, February 17th, 2017
Today Coack Spodick wasn't here and so we didn't work on the project.
Monday, February 20th, 2017
No school - President's day
Tuesday, February 21st, 2017
Think: Today I need to continue to sand the body. Hopefully I can sand my car enough with the 100 sandpaper so that I can use the 400 sandpaper, but I'm not sure that I will need to sand that much more. Then I need to start planning how I'll paint my car.
Do: Today I moved up to the 400 sandpaper and I am almost finished sanding, I just have one more edge to go.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Coach Spodick wasn't here today so I didn't get told anything.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Think: Today all I have left of sanding is one edge, so I should be able to get that done with the 400 sandpaper that I acquired on Tuesday. I think that I am going to go for a natural wood finish instead of paint, so I will most likely get to that today.
Do: Today I finished sanding and did my first coat of primer.
Friday, February 24th, 2017
Think: Today I came in and my car was finished drying. But, it is super rough so I am going to sand it down with the 400 sandpaper before I can go on to the next coat.
Do: Today I sanded and then did the second coat of varnish.
Monday, February 27th, 2017
Think: Today I have to do a third coat of varnish and maybe sand the car a little bit more. I'm not sure how many coats of paint I need to do, but I still need to put in the wheels and axels.
Do: I didn't need another coat! So, I just put in the axels and my car is now finished!
Monday, March 20th, 2017
As you can see in the video above, my car crashed! (Sorry I couldn't get it to load.) I think that it's because the pocket lab was taped to the side, and it tipped the car. It went to the left, (it's left, our right,) but then the eye hook kept it from coming off of the fishing line. So then it launched kind of like a catapult, and the mass of the car plus the speed was too much for the eye hook on the other side and it was shot into the wall.
Credits:
Created with images by clickphoto - "top fuel dragster motorsport" • zombieite - "Dragster" • zombieite - "Dragster" • MichaelGaida - "ford auto vehicle"