NIATT Formula Electric Vehicle Powertrain Team

The NIATT Formula Electric Vehicle (FEV) Powertrain team is a senior design project, our purpose is to design mechanical and electrical braking for the new all-electric formula electric vehicle. The vehicle will be powered by in-hub linear induction motors and we are also responsible for attaching the motors to the chassis of the vehicle as well as testing.

The Design Problem
Jaz Veach, a graduate student in the electrical engineering department is currently designing in hub motors for an all electric vehicle. The motors will be new in that she is using linear induction motors as the wheel as well as the drive system which will be much more efficient. However because the only rotation part of the motor is the rim, it makes braking and connecting the motor to the car difficult. The electrical engineers on our team are working on a regenerative braking system as well as a battery charging system for the vehicle. Both from a mechanical and electrical standpoint we must be able to design an build a testing apparatus for the motors.

'''Linear Induction Motor (LIM):
 * Rotating rim/rotor
 * Static center/stator made of laminated metal plates with fins and wire coils wrapped around the fins
 * Projected operating speed (straight line) - 35mph
 * Projected power - 25hp
 * Inside diameter - 4 inches
 * Outside diameter - 9 inches
 * Width - 4 inches

Objectives

 * '''Mechanical Braking
 * 1) The vehicle must be able to stop the vehicle in a reasonable amount of time
 * 2) The brakes must be able to lock up the wheels at speeds of ~40mph in competition
 * '''Regenerative Charging
 * 1) The motors should be able to act as generators to save energy as the vehicle is braked electrically
 * 2) The system should be able to charge the batteries from 120 VAC 240 VAC and 500 VDC
 * '''Wheel Attachments
 * 1) The wheel attachments should be able to take the force of the motors as well as the weight of the vehicle
 * 2) The wheel attachments should be easy to attach to a test apparatus as well as the suspension of the vehicle
 * 3) The rim of the wheel should be removable to accommodate for wet or dry tires at competition
 * 4) The wheel/motor assembly should be as light as possible and less than 40lb
 * '''Test Apparatus
 * 1) The test apparatus should be able to simulate the LIM
 * 2) The test apparatus must be able to accurately measure braking forces under reasonable loads
 * '''Bearings
 * 1) The bearings must be able to keep a clearance between the stator and the rotor of the LIM
 * 2) The bearings must be able to hold the rotor on the stator given side to side dynamic motion

Concepts
Design concepts to fit the objectives and the rationale:

Other Information
The Formula Electric Vehicle (EV) is a new project that is currently in the design phase. The hope is to have a working car in time for the competition in the summer of 2015

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