Kiffin s Crazy Coaster By Orazi s Angels Tyler Kiste, Cory Winters, Michael Dehart
Abstract 1 This experiment looked to develop our abilities to work as a team and pushed us to apply the concepts that we have learned in EF classes this semester. We were challenged to design and build a roller coaster that could be no more than.5 x.5 x.5 meters in dimension and complete its run in as close to 15 seconds as possible. We set out with only vague design concepts so as to not be bound to any single idea and maximize our creative potential. By using flexible pipe insulation anchored to a Styrofoam base, we were allowed to experiment with several different configurations; working by trial and error. In the end, we used a series of turns, drops, jumps, funnels, and even a Rube Goldberg-esque device to complete a functioning roller coaster with a 15-second runtime. The biggest obstacle we faced throughout the project was adhering to that strict 15-second mark. In hindsight, the one aspect that made this roller coaster a success was our choice of materials, which allowed us ample amounts of unique ideas and configurations.
Objectives: Introduction 2 The objective of this project was to design and build a roller coaster that transports an object from a start point to an end point in 15 seconds. Any materials could be used, however there was a spending limit of $40 on materials and the roller coaster could be no bigger than.5m x.5m x.5m. Additional objectives of this project were to learn to work together efficiently as a team while applying concepts learned in EF classes this semester. Design Process: Our design process began with a brainstorm meeting. During this meeting we decided to build a roller coaster that would use a marble as the object being transported and foam pipe insulation as the track. This decision was based on a project that one of our group members had previously completed in which the same materials were used to build a similar type of roller coaster. We also decided that using wooden dowels stuck into a thick Styrofoam base would be the best way of constructing the supports for our roller coaster. Pictured below is a table summarizing the cost of all the materials we used during the construction of our roller coaster. Table1. Cost of Materials Object Purchased Quantity Cost per Item Total Cost of Item Styrofoam Base 1 $6.00 $6.00 Foam Pipe Insulation 5 $1.00 $5.00 Wooden Dowels 7 $0.50 $3.50 Bag of Marbles 1 $1.00 $1.00 Duct Tape - FREE FREE Hot Glue - FREE FREE PVC Pipe - FREE FREE Scrap Wood - FREE FREE Total Cost $15.50 Not sure what was going to work and not wanting to be limited to any one idea, the next step our group took was to begin building the roller coaster. The main method behind constructing our coaster was trial and error. We would try several track designs until we found one which we liked and which consistently worked. Some design elements that we were not able to incorporate into our roller coaster for various reasons included a loop, a pulley and counterweight system that lifted our marble to the start of the track, and a jump into a basket to end our track. During the construction of our final track we ran into several problems, our greatest battle being with time. Halfway through the construction, we realized that our existing track wasn t taking up enough time. So as a way to add more time, we incorporated the ramps pictured below in figure 3 and the funnel in figure 5. Another problem we encountered was the section of jumping track in figure 2. It took many small adjustments in order to make that particular piece of track consistently work. The last major issue we battled with was making sure that once the wooden dowels were in place, they did not move. To ensure their stability we used duct tape, scrap wood, and a lot of hot glue. Despite these problems we were still successful in constructing a working track with a runtime of 15 seconds which is described over the following few pages.
3 Description of Coaster: Our rollercoaster begins by someone releasing a marble at the top of our track. The marble then goes down a slight decline into a large banking turn. Figure 1. Beginning of coaster The marble then makes a small jump into a tube, rolls up a steep incline until all of its momentum is lost and then begins traveling in the opposite direction. The marble then falls into a different tube. Figure 2. Double jump and steep incline This tube begins with a steep drop into another large banking turn with a slight incline. The marble then makes another jump from the large banking track onto a long straight ramp with a very slight decline. This ramp then makes a ninety degree turn into another long and straight ramp with a small decline. Figure 3. Curves and ramps
4 With its remaining the velocity, the marble rolls into a box knocking it off the Styrofoam base. A string attached to the box is pulled, releasing a small wooden dowel which allows a second marble being held back at the top of the PVC pipe to now move freely. \ Figure 4. Marble releasing setup The newly released marble rolls down the steep decline of the PVC pipe into a funnel. The marble rolls around in the funnel for several seconds until reaching the bottom, at which points it drops into another tube. Figure 5. PVC pipe and funnel This piece of track consists of a steep decline into a small jump onto another section of track which forces the marble to travel in the opposite direction. The marble rolls down a slight decline to a flattened portion of track and into a wall which serves as the ending of our roller coaster. Figure 6. End of Roller coaster
5 Calculations mgh=(1/2)mv^2 Our theoretical calculations for then energies and velocities of both marbles were done on a separate excel worksheet, which we have uploaded as well. The excel sheet contains a chart for each marble which includes the height, potential energy, kinetic energy, and speed of the marble for various points along the track. It also includes charts for the change in energy of marble 1, the change in energy of marble 2, and the speeds of both marbles. As for the actual calculations, they were impossible to compute, because there are just too many variables to account for including, energy loss due to friction, energy loss due to track movement, energy loss due to movement of marble within the track, etc. However we were able to measure the amount of time it took on average for the marble to complete each section of our track, which is displayed in the table below. Description of Track Section Beginning to end of first large curve (figure 1) Double jump and steep incline (figure 2) Drop off to end of second large curve (figure 3 bottom) Two long straight ramps (figure 3 top right) PVC pipe and Funnel (figure 5) Last sections of track to hitting the wall (figure 6) Total Time Average Time to Complete 2 sec 1 sec 1 sec 3 sec 7 sec 1 sec 15 sec Conclusion
6 To conclude, our roller coaster made a successful 15-second run down the track. We learned that a simple object such as a marble can roll down a track and complete multiple tricks as long as it has the right amount of energy and velocity. We also learned that 15 seconds is in fact a very long time and that hot glue is very helpful when building a miniature roller coaster. A main problem we had with our coaster was the consistency with any jumps our marble made. We were forced to test and calibrate jumps multiple times as construction progressed to ensure that they still functioned properly. Another major issue we faced was the battle with time. Many of our final design concepts revolved around the idea of adding more time in order to achieve our goal of 15-seconds. As to what we would have done differently, we should have realized how small a box with.5 meter dimensions is. The limited space forced us to abandon several of our original ideas, and is also what made it difficult for us to achieve our 15-second runtime. Knowing this, we would have scaled down the size of our materials to allow us more room to work with within the given size parameters. Despite these issues, team work and the knowledge gained in EF this semester helped us complete a successful roller coaster project. References November 17, 2008. http://www.wikihow.com/design-a-roller-coaster-model November 18, 2008. http://paperrollercoasters.com/gallery.html November 20, 2008. http://www.rollercoastermodels.com/