Alright so I didn't live up to my word. Turns out I was quite busy over this break and didn't work on the car at all. Sad. I do however have a good deal done since I last posted and will get to that soon. I just need to get through this next patch of work.
I like to refer to work and the act of being busy with varying densities. Being very busy for the next week is a dense week. And I see the next week and a half being very dense. After this dense part I see a small clearing which I will use to my advantage.
Have a good one.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Soon To Come!
Well hello there! Why so excited? Well it just so happens that my spring break is coming up, and that means 3 things: friends, F1000, and time off. So expect a post or two over the next week for a lot has been done, but I need to talk about it. For now, I need to get back to work, a lot needs to be done between now and my time off.
Have a good one.
Have a good one.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Little Details
Hey guys, how are things cookin? Well as you maybe able to tell by the lack of posts, I am quite busy with school work, but still having a good time.
So today I want to talk quickly about a little detail that I would like to implement on my car. Its quite simple and could really improve braking performance. Let's talk hypotheticly for a moment, you are driving a race car on a hot day and really pushing the brakes. After they heat up to operating temperatures, they brake well, but if that temperature is passed, you start loosing braking power. This is why a lighter car is almost always better, the brakes don't have to work as hard. However, I am limited to a 1000 lb minimum so I can't really cut out too much weight. The idea here is help the brakes cool down even faster, with a water mist.
Dick Firtz explained this idea to us a few months ago and the team really seemed to like it. Basically you go and get a windshield washer pump, some lines, and a nozzle for each brake disk. When the system is turned on and the brakes are damn near full on, the pump turns on and mists the brake disks to cool them off. Now you maybe thinking, 'Wouldn't that warp the disks?' and my response is, 'Have you ever driven in the rain?' Yes it is possible to warp the disks, but I am not going to dump gallons on them, just a slight mist. You might also think, 'Won't that reduce the braking power when the water gets between the pad and disk?' Well yes, if it could, remember the pads are usually seated on the disk and just squeeze when the brakes are applied, they don't float 10 or 20 thousandths away and then move in for the kill. On top of that, I want to use a turn signal relay to pulse the mist and achieve just enough cooling, not too much or too little. I could put a potentiometer in line with that and by changing the resistance change how long the relay is closed. This part I need to talk to an EE for a better understanding, but the basics are there. After the system is setup its just a matter of testing how long the pump should be on.
This system also depends on what kind of brakes I decide to use, for some gain efficiency at higher temperatures, while others drop off quickly. Testing will be quite important to find what will work. To ativate the system, I will need a switch on the dashboard, and then a push button on the brake pedal. I don't want the pump to run when I'm at a stop, so the system needs to be activated by the driver. Besides the push button on the brake, I will need a master kill switch down there, but that all comes later.
So let me know what you guys think, any foreseeable problems?
And that's about all I have for now, have a good one guys!
So today I want to talk quickly about a little detail that I would like to implement on my car. Its quite simple and could really improve braking performance. Let's talk hypotheticly for a moment, you are driving a race car on a hot day and really pushing the brakes. After they heat up to operating temperatures, they brake well, but if that temperature is passed, you start loosing braking power. This is why a lighter car is almost always better, the brakes don't have to work as hard. However, I am limited to a 1000 lb minimum so I can't really cut out too much weight. The idea here is help the brakes cool down even faster, with a water mist.
Dick Firtz explained this idea to us a few months ago and the team really seemed to like it. Basically you go and get a windshield washer pump, some lines, and a nozzle for each brake disk. When the system is turned on and the brakes are damn near full on, the pump turns on and mists the brake disks to cool them off. Now you maybe thinking, 'Wouldn't that warp the disks?' and my response is, 'Have you ever driven in the rain?' Yes it is possible to warp the disks, but I am not going to dump gallons on them, just a slight mist. You might also think, 'Won't that reduce the braking power when the water gets between the pad and disk?' Well yes, if it could, remember the pads are usually seated on the disk and just squeeze when the brakes are applied, they don't float 10 or 20 thousandths away and then move in for the kill. On top of that, I want to use a turn signal relay to pulse the mist and achieve just enough cooling, not too much or too little. I could put a potentiometer in line with that and by changing the resistance change how long the relay is closed. This part I need to talk to an EE for a better understanding, but the basics are there. After the system is setup its just a matter of testing how long the pump should be on.
This system also depends on what kind of brakes I decide to use, for some gain efficiency at higher temperatures, while others drop off quickly. Testing will be quite important to find what will work. To ativate the system, I will need a switch on the dashboard, and then a push button on the brake pedal. I don't want the pump to run when I'm at a stop, so the system needs to be activated by the driver. Besides the push button on the brake, I will need a master kill switch down there, but that all comes later.
So let me know what you guys think, any foreseeable problems?
And that's about all I have for now, have a good one guys!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
