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RC Car Suspension

CSEF · 2013 Applied Mechanics & Structures Honorable_mention Award

Steven A. Silverglate · Pacific Collegiate School, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County

Overview

Objectives/Goals My objective was to find which type of shock oil gave the optimal absorption rate for a remote controlled car. Methods/Materials An accelerometer was attached to a remote controlled car and driven over a small bump at constant velocity for three trials per shock oil weight. Nine different weights of shock oil were tested from 20 through 100 weight increasing in increments of ten. The average G force across three trials for each oil weight was calculated from data collected by the accelerometer. Results The 30 weight shock oil provided the optimal dampening rate for the remote controlled car. The graph produced by the accelerometer for the 30-weight shock oil had neither reverberating peaks nor did it have a large spike that quickly returned to zero. This showed that 30-weight shock oil optimally dampened the car#s suspension movement. Conclusions/Discussion My conclusion is that 30-weight shock oil is the best oil weight because the car did not reverberate excessively nor did it have a hard impact then quickly return to zero.

Summary statement

My project is about finding the best shock oil viscosities for a remote controlled car so that optimal shock absorption and dampening of the car can occur while driving over a road bump.

Help received

Dad and science teacher helped me create graphs on Excel and find an accelerometer; Mom purchased the different types of oil that I told her I needed; Tutor helped me write the report while I dictated my thoughts to her.

Awards (1)

  • Honorable Mention

Competition history

  • CSEF 2013 Applied Mechanics & Structures · Entry J0324

Resources

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