January 31, 2018
In the 2017 Fall semester, our team designed the new track iteration for the Spartan Superway. This year's track will utilize a double rail system to prevent the bogie from dropping during turns; a problem last year's team had. As you can see from Figure 1, our double rail design will envelope the older track. This design was chosen so that both models can be displayed at Maker Faire 2018. Overall, our track will utilize modular parts, which will speed up assembly and disassembly time. In total, there will be 15 straight sections, 4 curve sections, and 2 switch sections.
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| Figure 1: 2017-18 Spartan Superway Track Design |
To assemble the modular sections of our track, modular hanger brackets were also needed. These brackets would stay mounted onto the modular sections, as seen in Figures 4 through 7; mounting the brackets this way would save the team more time on track assembly. To help join the brackets together, our brackets utilized a Lego design; this would help align the brackets, as well as relieve potential torque concerns when connecting the brackets. The bolt will connect the bracket at the center holes at each side. The rails connected to these brackets will produce a 1.5 inch track width.
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| Figure 2: Side 1 of the Hanger Bracket |
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Figure 3: Side 2 of the Hanger Bracket
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The straight section of the track (Figure 4) comprises of 4 ft long aluminum bar stocks, and 3 hanger brackets. The length of these section allows easier transportation to Maker Faire. In total, there are 15 straight sections.
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Figure 4: Straight Section of the Track
The curved section of the track (Figure 5) has a center line radius of 25 inches. This section utilizes 2 hanger brackets because the team wanted to avoid drilling angled holes on this portion. In total, there are 4 curve sections.
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| Figure 5: Curved modular section of the track |
The final modular section of our track is the switch section, shown in Figures 6 and 7. The switch has a third rail to support the pod car as it goes through the clearance gap. The third is inserted into the switch attachments, show in Figure 8.
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| Figure 6: Isometric view of switch section |
As can be seen in Figure 7, the third rail will be supported by a half bracket. A wedge is used to hold together the third rail because we wanted to avoid welding aluminum.
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| Figure 7: Third Rail Angle of Switch Section |
As stated above, the third rail support (Figure 8) will help support the third rail. It will be mounted onto a set of two hanger brackets, and will be held in place with bolts and nuts.
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| Figure 8: Third rail support component |
To smoothly transition onto the third rail, a wedge was designed ontothe third rail support component (Figure 9).
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| Figure 9: Bottom view of Third Rail support |
The entire track will be supported utilizing the support structure in Figure 10. The L-bar on the support will use a lead screw to adjust the height of the designated modular section. Finally, to allow orientation changes, a cross configuration was incorporated into the design, as seen in Figure 11. Lead screws will be inserted into the ends of each steel bar to change its angle. This was needed because the terrain of Maker Faire will most likely be uneven.
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| Figure 10: Support section for Superway |
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| Figure 11: Bottom of Switch Section |
Overall, with these designs, our team is confident that we will be able to create a functional track by Maker Faire 2018.
