ME 101

Group 41 Project Report

Fall 2013

Group 41:
Mark Ronning
Michael Tran
Jake Calhoun
Matthew Hale
Brian Russell
Travis Kroska
Caleb Shunatona
Parker Little

Introduction:
Over the past few months, Group 41 has gone through the trials and tribulations of trying to
build a vehicle that can be powered by a drill. Its been a bit of a troubling matter, as several
attempts have failed to create a working solution. Additionally, for every solution found, a
problem arose that needed to be fixed before more progress could be made. It was a two-stepsforward-one-step-back scenario.
However, after a great deal of work and time, Group 41 finally came up with a solution that can,
albeit, slowly, displace a rider.
Executive Summary:
Group 41 is attempting to solve the problem of powering a vehicle using an electric drill utilizing
a bike frame and a chain system that uses the torque from the drill to power the bike. This
design was chosen after a series of other designs were suggested and either modified or thrown
away. From hoping to store energy in a watch spring to considering the idea of stretching the
back seatstays and chainstays to turn a bike to a trike, the brainstorming sessions produced
many possible options. However, the group, after tinkering with the bike and sprocket options,
came to the result of linking the drill with the main pedal gears via another chain and sprocket
that required less torque to power and was located within the frame of the bike.
Problems have arisen with this design, however, which all seem to be potentially fixable. In test
runs before mounting the drill securely, the chains would hit together and caused the chains to
be kicked off of the gears. Additionally, before this problem could be solved, it was realized that
the perpendicular force on the drill was causing the drill bit to be bent downwards, ruining the
drill. These problems caused the group to have to purchase a longer spindle to add a second
sprocket on the left side on of the bike.
The team initially put together a budget that involved each member donating ten dollars to the
group to purchase materials. A more detailed breakdown of the materials purchased list can be
seen later in the report. These materials include items like sprockets, a bike chain, brackets to
mount the drill, etc. More problems arose, however, and so the group ended up collecting more
money in order to cover these extra costs. The budget has been fairly tight, even with the
money from the group. Money is inevitably wasted as solutions are attempted that fail. Then the
group is both back to square one as well as without however much the parts cost for the failed
plan.
Group 41 did, however, come up with a successful solution. It included the sprocket, spindle,
and casing from a kids bicycle that was initially designed to be the brake mechanism. However,
with some welding, this was modified so that the spindle and sprocket rotated together.
Therefore, the drill powered the sprocket via the spindle. This used a chain that wrapped around
an added sprocket at the pedals (though the pedals were removed). This turned the back wheel
via the original gears and the rotation of the drill.

Based on the Gantter chart created by the group in October, the project remained mostly on
schedule. The initial structure did not quite work. Some misdirections also delayed the
completed project. The project had to be worked on through November, which was initially not
anticipated. However, in the end, it all worked out considering it was completed on time.
Problem Statement
The challenge that was presented to Group 41 was to power a
vehicle solely on an electric drill. In a world where society is trying
to conserve energy the best they can, this project reflects the
worlds demands of finding alternative energy options. The many
issues that come with this challenge vary, from figuring out what
needed to be done as well as coordinating as a team. Being
freshmen in college, setting up a budget was an issue as well as
brainstorming together to come up with a the best possible
solution. Because the drill has been specified, the group must design the vehicle around that
device instead of choosing a drill that works well with a vehicle that could easily be built. With
that in mind, most of the budget had to be focused on purchasing parts for the vehicle that
would allow our drill to properly power the vehicle. Getting a group to also work together is
another issue, as such a large group often cannot coordinate a meeting time that works for all.
Having only one semester adds a time constraint in which the project must be completed and
progressively worked on so as to not get behind.
Potential Solutions Concepts:

Initially, the ideas proposed were scattered, unreasonable, and far too time consuming than
would be logical to tackle considering the time constraints of the class and the complexity of
engineering required. Ideas such as utilizing wind power, capturing the heat lost to friction, and
storing energy in springs were mentioned. As time progressed, however, the difficulties from
these ideas became very apparent and suggestions from the brainstorming session were
thrown away. The design settled on by the beginning of October involved directly attaching the
drill to a watch spring attached to the pedals using the brake cable to operate the trigger.
However, this idea was disregarded when the current solution
was proposed: Attach the drill above the pedals and put a bolt
in the drill that holds the sprocket and its respective chain
above the pedal sprocket. The drill will turn the gears using a
chain that wraps around an added gear on the left side of the
pedals, which, in turn, will spin the original sprocket and turn
the back tire . The drill can then be powered by the user via the
detached gear shift.
The Design, Explained:
The current design involves a brace resting within the frame and
holding up the drill above the gear sprocket located where the
pedals once were. The spindle at the pedals were replaced so
that another sprocket could be added to
the left side of the bike. The drill is
mounted on the spindle of an old childs
bike braking mechanism. A chain has been
wrapped around the sprocket of the brake
mechanism and wraps around the left
sprocket at the pedals. The original chain
on the bike wraps around the gears at the
back wheel. The powering of the drill turns
the back wheel from this design.

Timeline of The Project:

Group 41 is well on schedule in terms of completing the bike on time. Although problems have
been arising, the bike is nearly complete, with minor problems causing no unplanned setbacks.
According to this schedule, the bike should be completely finished by mid to late November,
leaving time for the final review, for the driver to practice riding the bike, and to take any other
necessary measures to ensure the project is properly completed by the racing date.
Budget

With a budget of $160, the group had to keep from spending too much money. However, this
was challenging, considering it was impossible to determine how well a solution would work
without trying it out. Consequently, some money ended up being wasted unintentionally.
However, each member only had to donate $20, which kept the whole project relatively cost
effective per member.
Results of Testing:
Through brief demonstrations of the product, it has been shown that the bike powered by a drill
will definitely work as a solution to the stated problem. Without a rider, the drill, with its seven
foot-pounds of torque, can really spin the bike wheel quickly. However, there is a real struggle
between the drill and the back wheel to gain significant spin when the rider is driving. A concern
of the groups is, when the back wheel breaks the static friction initially, the momentum is so
slow it is easy to fall over. So making sure that the rider is well balanced is very important. No
problems arise from the chains, as both are secure and reliable as a method of torque transfer.
Conclusion:
Group 41 has successfully created a vehicle powered by an electric drill. From the beginning of
the project, when the brainstorming sessions produced unreasonable and unnecessary ideas, to
the end, the group has really matured in the ability to create such a vehicle as the bike-drill
hybrid machine that has been brought forth.