STPS251 – Spring 2011 – Instructors: Dr. Jamal Ahmad & Mr. Robert Craig

Reverse Engineering and Redesign of a HUMMER RC CarMoemen Taha 4034, Ranuk de Silva 4325, Ahmed Riyad 2942, Omar Mohamed 2265

Mentors: Dr. Jamal Ahmad & Mr. Robert Craig

Mechanical Engineering Program, The Petroleum Institute, P.O. Box: 2533, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Exploded assembly view of the RC car Design 01 Design 02

SolidWorks Flow Simulation of the initial product

SolidWorks Flow Simulation of the redesigned product

Environmental Impact Comparison

Main Chassis

Tire and axel

Initial material: PVC RigidInitial mass: 74.49 g

Final material: PE High DensityFinal mass: 54.55 g

PurposeThe purpose of this project is to reverse engineer a remote controlled car by dissecting it, performing systemic analyses and improving the car based on the analyses conducted.

ObjectivesImprove the performance and design of the RC car by:• Improving its aerodynamics• Decreasing its weight• Increasing its battery life• Making it cheaper to manufacture• Making it sustainable• Making the manufacture process environmentally

friendly

Analysis Performed on the RC Car• SolidWorks Flow Simulation• Weight analysis and optimization• Stress and contact analysis• Sustainability test• Fuel consumption test

Design AlternativesTwo designs were produced after the analysis. Both the designs are identical except the body shape.

Flow Simulation ComparisonDesign 02 was selected after comparing using an evaluation matrix. The SolidWorks Flow Simulationcomparison of the initial and final product is shown below.

Product Dissection• Study the RC car at the system, subsystem and

component levels to understand how it works to meet its objectives.

• Gain basic knowledge of the manufacturing processes, materials selection, assembly and disassembly.

Weight Analysis and OptimizationAfter the stress analysis, the weight of the main chassis was optimized while decreasing the maximum stress and reducing the thickness.

Original mass = 55.739 gOriginal thickness = 16.33 mmOriginal stress = 1.9601 MPa

Optimized mass = 45.3477 gOptimized thickness = 6 mmOptimized stress = 1.9566 MPa

Contact AnalysisThis analysis is done to observe the stresses and contact pressure between mating components.

Sustainability and Life Cycle AssessmentThese tests are conducted to create more sustainable designs depending on material type, manufacturing process, material use and environmental impacts.

ConclusionThe final redesigned product fulfills all of the objectives stated earlier thus obtaining a relatively better product.