LOUISIANA TECH - 1987

Objective:

The design competition, which will be held during the 1988 ASME Regional Student Conference at Louisiana Tech University, will be to design an amphibious vehicle powered by dry cell batteries. The contest will be one race consisting of movement over land and water.

Course:

30 feet across land - speed test
8 feet up a slope that ends up - power test
3 feet above water level (slope-8:3)
8 feet across a horizontal platform
3 foot drop to water surface - balance test
60 foot straight course to the - accuracy and other side of the pool
speed test
8 foot ramp out of pool (slope=4:1)
(plywood will be wet) - traction test

Regulations:

• Each vehicle may run the course twice. Two vehicles will race at one time
• Vehicles must arrive at finish line intact, no part of the vehicle may be jettisoned during the race
• The vehicle must travel a minimum of 20 feet while on or in the water
• The land course and ramps will be made of plywood with 3.5 inch high guiderails to limit vehicle size
• The water course will be 10 feet wide and will be marked by 2 parallel buoy strings
• Maximum dimensions: 20 inches H x 20 inches W x20 inches L
• No weight restrictions
• Power source: Dry cell batteries
• Maximum cost: $75 retail value of materials, receipts must be retained
• Batteries, motor(s), and drivetrain must be accessible for inspection
• No remote control devices
• All motors must be electric

Scoring:

Points will be awarded on the basis of rank in the following scoring categories:

• Time to cover land course
• Time to cover water course
• Overall course time

Points will also be awarded for accuracy of finish and creativity. The formula used to compute the final score will be:

25% water time + 25% accuracy of finish + 30% land time + 10% overall time + 10% aesthetics = total score

• The vehicle must complete the course to receive a score.
• Scoring will be based on the best of the two races

Contest Ethics:

The purpose of this contest is to give you design experience. Modified toys or vehicles built from kits are not acceptable as contest entries.