DESIGNING A VEHICLE TO CARRY AN EGG SAFELY DOWN AN INCLINED SURFACE INTO A WALL
(ASME Region V Student Conference, Design Competition, 1982, Gannon University)

OBJECT

The object of the competition is to design a vehicle that will roll down an inclined surface into a well without disturbing the payload. The payload will be a medium size egg. It must sit in the vehicle on a metal ring of a specific inside diameter. Nothing else can touch the egg, only the ring and the egg must stay on the ring after the vehicle comes to rest. The incline of the surface will be increased until no vehicle can travel it safely. The vehicle that can safely transport the egg at the steepest incline will be the winner.

ELIGIBILITY

All schools attending the 1982 ASME Region V Student Conference may participate. Only one entry from each school will be permitted. It is suggested that the individual schools hold their own local competitions to determine which of their vehicles should enter. The host school, Gannon University, is allowed to participate but will not be eligible for prizes.

AWARDS

There will be three prizes awarded. First place will receive $25, second place $15, and third place $10. If there is a tie, the prize money corresponding to the tied positions will be summed and divided equally among the tied contestants.

VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS

a) The vehicle may be any weight or height desired, but must be no bigger than 40cm in width and 40cm in length.

b) The ring must be made out of metal such as steel, iron, brass, aluminum, etc. and must have an inside diameter of 3.55+ .01 cm. The ring must be made so that only the top of the inside of the ring touches the egg. The ring cannot be contoured in a concave manner to better fit the egg. There are no restrictions on the weight, height, or the outside diameter of the ring.

c) The ring may be placed anywhere on the vehicle.

d) The vehicle must be built and the ring placed so that nothing can possibly touch the egg except the ring.

e) Any device for transferring energy such as shock absorbers are permitted except for those devices that provide energy that can be used such as rubber bands and electric motors. The only energy that can be used is the potential energy from the vehicle being at the top of the incline. Any device may be used that will transfer this potential energy into heat, motion, lift, stretch, etc. No other energy can be applied to the vehicle.

f) Nothing can be attached to the incline. Only he vehicle itself can touch the incline.

PAYLOAD SPECIFICATIONS

a)  The payload is a raw white medium size egg. They are available at any grocery store.

b)  Nothing can be applied to the egg (nor ring) such as flue.

c)  The thickness of the shell of the egg has no specifications since it is not necessary for the egg to crack for a vehicle to be disqualified.

d)  At the beginning of the competition, each school will have the choice of one egg from a group of twelve official eggs. These eggs will be marked and are the only eggs that can be used during the competition. They will be inspected by the judges prior to the competition so that no egg will have more desirable features over others. Should any group need another egg, they will be allowed to choose again. No group can have more than one uncracked official egg at one time.
 

RAMP SPECIFICATIONS

a)  The ramp surface will be a grade A plywood. It will be bare wood in an "as received" condition. It will be wiped with a sponge and water before each trial to provide fair competition in case an egg breaks on the surface.
b)  The rail boards cannot be used to slow the vehicle. They are only for keeping the vehicle on the ramp
c)  A black starting line will be placed 180 cm from the wall.
d)  See Figure 1 for drawings of ramp.

COMPETITION PROCEDURE

a)  All entrants will be required to privately submit the angle of ramp inclination they wish to make their first run on. This is to avoid having vehicles make trivial runs. The initial angle requests must be multiples of 5 degrees. These starting angles must be submitted no later than 15 minutes before the competition begins. During this time all vehicles will be inspected by the judges. Any vehicle that is found not under specifications will be allowed to participate, but will not be able to win any prizes.
 
b)  If any vehicle fails its chosen initial ramp grade, that vehicle is disqualified. Later on if a vehicle fails on a steeper grade, it will be given a second trial. If it fails the second trial, the vehicle is disqualified.
 
c)  A successful run will consist of a vehicle running down the inclination a distance of 180 cm and coming to a stop against the wall with the egg still sitting on top of the ring. The egg must not touch anything except the ring during the run.
 
d)  When a vehicle is up, the contestants are to place the vehicle so that the front-most part is behind the starting line. The contestants can merely let the vehicle go. Only one car will run at a time.
 
e)  The order in which the vehicles are run will be determined by both a random drawing and the initial angle requests. Those contestants choosing the smallest angles will go first in the order that they were drawn.
 
f)  When an entry is called to start a run, it will have 2 minutes to get on the ramp. If the vehicle is not released when 2 minutes expires, the vehicle will be disqualified.
 
g)  If any vehicle experiences a mechanical failure prior to the run, that vehicles pit crew will be given 10 minutes to make repairs. If repairs cannot be made in that time, the entry will be disqualified. Official eggs will be available throughout the event.
 
h)  If any mechanical failures that renders a vehicle motionless occur while a vehicle is making a run, it will be disqualified.
 
i)  As the competition progresses, the ramp slope will be gradually increased by increments of 5 degrees. Vehicles unable to make successful runs will be eliminated until three vehicles remain. These three will continue the competition in the same manner until first, second, and third place is determined. There will be a maximum of one run per vehicle at each angle.
 
j)  If less than three vehicles are able to successfully travel a given grade (which will be a multiple of 5 degrees) the ramp will be lowered to 1 degree above the last successful angle. Thereafter, 1 degree increments will be made until the first, second, and third place are decided.
 
k)  Should any eggs break on the surface of the ramp judges will clean it with a sponge and water.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

If anyone should like an early breakfast, a frying pan will be available after the competition.