SPACE X project
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Transcript of SPACE X project
Our team from Austin, TX plans to build a half-scale model of our pod with the
intention of participating in Competition Weekend. Proactive measures have
been taken to meet with part manufacturers and acquire the funds necessary
for building the pod.
Texas GuadaLOOP
1
2
“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”
Antoine de Saint Exupéry
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Team Goal: Using as simple a design as possible, prove the efficacy of the air bearing concept at speeds of up to 175 mph
Slide # Description
4-6 Pod Design & Specifications
7-11 Compressed Air System
12-16 Levitation & Suspension
17-18 Stability
19-20 Braking
21-27 Structure & Materials
28-34 Electronics & Navigation
35-36 Feedback Control
37-41 Dummy, Communications & Power
42-49 Pod Analysis + Tests
50 Press & Funding
51 Team Members
Appendices
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW 3
POD DESIGN: CAD
Full ViewIsometric internal
Bottom Internal left side
4
Pod Design: Exploded View
Valves x6
Pusher Plate
Interface
Air Cylinders x6
Air Bearings x6
NAP
t
t
Suspension x6
Secondary Stabilizer x2
Distribution Tank
Payload +
Electronics
Primary Stabilizer x2
Primary + Secondary
Braking
AirFloat Controller
Skeleton
5
Subsystem Item Weight (lbs) Dimensions (L x W x H) Cost ($) Max Power Consumption
Propulsion SpaceX provided pusher plate N/A N/A N/A N/A
Levitation 6 AirFloat 12” Air Bearing Skids 160 13.25” x 13.25” x 3” $5,304 N/A
6 Port Air Bearing Controller + servos 15 19.5” x 14.5” x 7.75” $1305 36 W
Compressed Air Tanks + components 840 55” (L) x 9.25” (D) $2,550 N/A
Stability Gas Springs, Air Bearings < 30 1.97” x 3.94” x 0.98” $1,420 40 W
Structure & Suspension
Frame, Skin, Stabilizers 1200 168” x 38” x 45” $11,155 N/A
Suspension System 40 20” x 4” x 4.5” each $1500 N/A
Braking Fail-safe Brakes 60 2.17” x 3.15” x 4.27” $4,500 30 W
Caliper Brakes < 50 4.33” x 3.19” x 2.5” $1050 N/A
Electronics, Navigation & Power
Central Computer, Sensor Hubs, Communication, Batteries
< 30 Distributed throughout pod $1,130 50 W
Total 2,425 168” x 38” x 45” $29,914 ~160 W
COST BREAKDOWN 6
Diffu
ser
Byp
ass
nozzle
Air Bearing Air Bearing
Electronics
Intercoole
r
Work tank
@ ~45 kPa
Storage tank at 12 MPa
Air Bearing Air Bearing
DC motor
• Colored Lines Indicate• Electrical• Power• Air Flow
• Originally, all of our calculations for the air bearings were based on our top level compressor design• Primary compressor was to have 〜24:1 compression ratio, with secondary stage giving 〜4.2:1.
We were shooting for a total compression ratio of at least 100:1• On board compressed air storage tank added redundancy for air bearings in case of compressor
failure and levitation for when pod is at rest
Prim
ary
Co
mp
ressor
24:1
2n
dco
mp
4.2
:1
Pressure
Valve
PRELIMINARY COMPRESSOR DESIGN 7
Jet Engine Compressor:•A 24:1 compression ratio exists only in jet engines;
“cold” stage compression reaches at most 14:1•The 5:1 compression stage can lead to mass flow
rate issues due to low absolute pressure•A lighter pod allows us to explore higher velocity
regimes for the air bearings
Cost: > $1 million•Quote from TurboCam International•Putting energy and resources into the compressor
system detracts from our primary goal
COMPRESSOR Conclusions I
GE Honda HF-120 Jet Engine
8
Compressor Motor Controller:•This a typical DC-AC battery
interface for a 250kW, 1700V motor that would run our compressor
•Dimension: 95” x 25” x 35”•Weight: 1000 lbs
Cost: $15,000-$20,000•Due to time and budget constraints
it is unrealistic to implement this motor controller, and thus compressor, for our pod
COMPRESSOR Conclusions II
-Battery-powered motor controller (250kW, 1700V)-Built by one of our power engineers on previous project
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Air Bearing
Distribution
Tank • Colored Lines Indicate• Electrical• Power• Mechanical
Pressure
Valve
Controller
Air BearingAir Bearing
Air Tank
Air Tank
Air Tank
Air Tank
Air Tank
Air Tank
Air BearingAir BearingAir Bearing
Electronics
Compressed Air Cylinder: Due to the large cost and power requirements of a compressor system, our
team plans to use onboard compressed air cylinders for the purpose of the competition and to
achieve our ultimate goal of demonstrating the air bearing concept
NEW COMPRESSORless DESIGN: AIR CYLINDERS
Stabilizers
10
PRESSURE SUPPLY
Air Tanks:
•Six 300 ft3 Industrial High Pressure Cylinder would provide a supply time of around 4.72 minutes
•This is for maximum lift (18,000 lbs), so actual time may be 7x greater
•Weight: 834 lbs
•Distribution tank to stabilizers and air bearings will be maintained at 300 psi
Cost: $2,550
COTS Air Cylinders
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Air bearings located at the base of the pod will provide lift during flight and are designed to efficiently utilize air coming from the compressed air cylinders.
In contrast to rigid, thrust air bearings, the AirFloat design incorporates a skirt (plenum) that conforms to the surface. This greatly decreases the air requirement and improves load performance.
Selected Model: AirFloat 12” diameter Air Caster shown in bottom right
• Urethane diaphragm
• AirFloat air bearing system can carry loads of up to 1.5 tons per air bearing at optimal conditions
• Minimal pressure head losses escaping from underneath the bearing plenum (less than 5%)
• Partnership with AirFloat, LLC allows us to acquire and test air bearing models at a reduced cost in order to determine efficacy at transonic velocities
Cost: $5300
LEVITATION
Air float 12” skids (top) and bearings
12
Pneumatic control system to connect air tanks to air bearings:
•6x Air Float hosing
•6-port Air Float controller for load and lift height designation
•6x servos to control lift remotely (optional, see electronics)
Cost: $900 + $264 + $144 = $1,308
LEVITATION CONTROL SYSTEM
Air Float 6-port controller Sample Air Float provided hose
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Ball Bearing system● Ball bearings on either side of each air
bearing will prevent “crash landing” while in flight, as well as aid in loading/unloading
● Ball bearings are only in contact with the floor when air bearing is deflated
● The manufacturing tolerances should be sufficient to achieve this goal
● Addresses single point of failure
Cost: $120
Inflated (operational) Deflated
enlargement
SECONDARY SUPPORT SYSTEM
Gas springs will provide additional dampening, while leaf springs provide connection to structure and bear the load from the weight of the structure
• Gas springs are effective in a vacuum because they operate off pressure differential
• Gas springs will be custom designed from manufacturer (SUSPA) to be critically damped
• $100 each
Gas Spring Cost: $1200
SUSPENSION I 15
Leaf Springs provide easy and effective means of mounting air bearings
• A flat, straight track will not require robust suspension
• 1,000 lb capacity on each bearing
• $15 each: 2X leaf springs per
• Weighs 8 lbs each
Leaf Spring Cost: $180
SUSPENSION II 16
Gas Springs and Vertical Air Bearings•Primary stability will come from rectangular air bearings•These will correct coriolis effect (3 N) and any lateral
movement•Ideal load: 250 lbs each•Spring constant: 0.63 lbs/uin•A vacuum compatible gas spring will be chosen to
provide critical damping○Air bearings also pressed against rail using the gas
springs•These air bearings are commercially used on conveyor
belts at high velocities: rated at 50 m/s, but in discussion with manufacturer about our application
○Will make our max speed be 50 m/s, or may be a non-issue
•1.97 inch x 3.94 inch•Weight: 0.65 lbs each
Total Cost: $1,220
Air bearings
AXIAL STABILITY SYSTEM Gas springs
Axis of rotation
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Wheel bearings
• Wheel system design is very simple, low cost, and will be fabricated by our UT machine shop
• This is a failsafe measure: if lateral air bearings fail, wheel bearings will prevent major crash
Cost: TBD (Negligible)
AXIAL STABILITY SYSTEM II
Air bearings
• Air bearings will provide primary stability
• Manufacturer: New Way air bearings
• Mass flow rate is minimal, so does not change our supply considerations
Cost: $1,220
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Fail-Safe Brake•2,100 lb clamping force @ 230 VAC w/ 60% adjustability•Would require separate power system (design included later)•Only two necessary for uniform load•Vacuum compatible•Built in safety: if power fails, brake is engaged•28.6 lbs each
Total Cost: $4500
primary Fail-Safe braking 19
RedunDant braking
Caliper Brake•Standard rectangular hydraulically activated
caliper brake from Mico•Will need 4 for uniform load and appropriate
stopping power, with redundancy○mu = 0.335○clamp force = 2650 lbs○max stopping force per = 900 lbs
•Also requires fluid reservoir and cylinder•Will be activated by linear actuator•Potentially not vacuum compatible, but
manufacturer is working to find one that is•Best case scenario: used for redundancy
Comprised of:•4 caliper brakes•cylinder•reservoir
Total Cost: $1,000
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Our frame will be modeled using fuselage components as a baseline. However, the “cabin” will not need to be pressurized as no humans will be placed in the pod.
Skin• Fiberglass epoxy molded around fuselage
Rings• Structural beams perpendicular to stringer• Lack of pressurization negates the need for a
cylindrical shape (no hoop stresses).• Z-shape used for rings as well• 4 spaced evenly throughout body of pod
Z-stringers• Significantly increase bending moment inertia of
fuselage• Lower manufacturing cost• Rolled shape
FUSELAGE DESIGN
Fuselage Isometric View
Ring
Z Stringer
Z Stringer Cross - Section
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Fiberglass Epoxy: Skin•Composite made of fiberglass and epoxy resin•Cheaper and easier to mold than aluminum•Under loading, fibers elongate <3%•High tensile strength
Thermal Profile•Aluminum melting temperature = 1221 °F•Fiberglass epoxy maximum temperature = 284 °F•Maximum temperature pod will reach = 175 °F
POD Thermal Profile
Aluminum 7475-T61: Z-stringers and Rings•Precipitation-hardened•Specified for fracture critical components of
high performance aircraft: Fuselage skins and bulkheads
•Superior fracture toughness•Resistance to fatigue crack propagation •Prevents catastrophic disintegration of skin•Lightweight•High strength
23POD STRUCTURE COST
Z-stringer Dimensions and Spacing• 8 stringers• 1 in legs and .0625 in thickness• Unbraced length of 3.5 ft
Z-stringer and Ring (skeleton) Cost• Material Cost: $2,800• Labor Cost: $700• Total Cost: $3,500
Note• Calculations are made using maximum
allowable pod weight in order to ensure structure is not underbuilt
Skin• Made up of fiberglass epoxy structure• Weighs only 10 oz/yd2
• Thickness is 0.015 in• To increase strength, 8 plies will be stacked
upon each other, for a total thickness of ⅛”• Laminate weighs 1 lb/in2
• This meets AMSC 9084 Standard
Skin Cost• 10 oz Fiberglass: $8.15/yd2 per ply• 100 square yards needed: $815 per ply• 8 plys needed: $6520• Epoxy resin cost: $500• Total Cost: $7,020
24
Example of stringer/rib junction
Connection design
Bolts• 16 bolts per stringer/rib connection• Total of 512 bolts• Bolts are ASTM A325 steel• ½-13x2 1/2L• Verified by FEM
Cost of Bolts• $30.25 for 25 bolts• 21 sets required• Total: $635.25
25structural design considerations
Z-stringers• Stringers were designed to resist global
buckling, local buckling, and reinforced with hoops to prevent flexural failure.
• The primary failure mode is local buckling in a stringer rather than global buckling due to compression
Truss System• Torsional-flexural buckling is not a significant
concern due to truss system in the rear of the pod.
• The truss system will consist of short (6-8 in) HSS members transmitting loads from the pusher plate to the stringers.
Connections• All connections within the pod are pin-pin
connections, as welds are more complicated and costly.
Linear Analysis• Aluminum is less ductile than other metals,
so yielding is not preferred. Therefore, linear analysis has been performed in order to ensure all members remain elastic.
SpaceX Pusher Plate• The SpaceX pusher plate will be placed near
the center of mass vertically in order to prevent large moments from developing in the structural members
• The pusher plate was mainly used to determine the way in which the forces will distribute themselves within the structural system, as well as the magnitude of these forces.
26Dynamic analysis
Natural Frequencies• Our team is currently working on a modal finite element analysis in ABAQUS to determine the
natural frequencies of each member of our pod.• Once we have determined natural frequencies for each member, we will work on computing
natural frequencies for subsystems, and then for the entire assembly.• This analysis will be constantly updated in order to ensure that our results are accurate by providing
more and more detail in our model.Structural Vibration• Upon computing the natural frequencies of the pod, we will focus on the vibration of the structure,
and how to avoid and damp it, if necessary.• A secondary objective will be to determine the fatigue effects in structural members of the pod.• Since there are no wind or seismic loads within the tube, quasi-static analysis is not necessary.• Since weight of the pod needs to be minimized, we will focus on improving the NVH (noise,
vibration, and harshness) performance without adding mass to the pod.
27Computational Fluid Dynamics
• This image shows .5 degree deviation• Skin design leads to a very small
restoring force• Drag calculated using Ansys software is
miniscule: 2.67 N• Working on CAD to eliminate separation
point towards front of the pod• CFD shows that we experience minimal
pressure drag building up in front of the pod, which justifies us not including compressor to overcome Kantrowitz limit
• i.e. by designing a smaller pod, our bypass to pod area ratio is sufficient in these velocity regimes (78 m/s, 175 mph)
• Analysis was run for 39 m/s, 58 m/s, and 78 m/s
• This will continually be updated as we move forward into the build phase
Passenger SystemCritical System
28Electronics I/O dIAGRAM
Navigation System
Sensors (IMU,
ToF, Temp, Camera)
Pneumatic Control
BrakingControl
Battery Power
Network Access Panel
CentralComputer (ROS)
Data Logging Watchdog
computer
Remote Computer
Dummy Monitoring System
Cabin control(e.g. door, humidity,
lights)
Battery Power
SENSOR LAYOUT on POD
Sensor Layout• Current power circuit can handle about
40 sensor stations using batteries
Sensor Stations•Arduino (x21)
•Levitation Height (x6) ( )•IMU (x3) ( )•Air Bearing controller (x6) ( )•Braking (x3) ( )•Lateral Stability (x4) ( )
•Raspberry Pi 2 (x2, Navigation) ( )•Image Processing •1 on either side of pod
•Cameras (x4) ( )•2 connected to each Raspberry Pi 2
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POD COMPUTER
Central ROS Node
Raspberry PiNode
ArduinoNode
ArduinoNode
IMU and respective sensorsNavigation Cameras
Data LoggingNode
Braking ControlNode
Pneumatic ControlNode
Processed Sensor Data
Watchdog computer
Pod-Stop Command
Feedback TopicCommand/Write Topic
ROS-based central computer• Linux-based central computer,
running Robot Operating System (ROS)
• Different components of the system advertise their data on topics
• Computers access this data by “subscribing” to topics
Watchdog Computer• Separate system which tells
everything to shutdown or reboot in case of emergency.
30
31NAVIGATION
Multi-Camera Detection System • Sensing posted colored stripes on tube
wall• Using optical flow and motion blur
analysis
IMU: On-board Inertial Measurement Units• Accelerometers & gyros to measure
velocity, acceleration, and rotation
How it works:• Using Kalman Filtering to determine
position along tube from all sources (IMU, Camera, Radar) Arduino
-Signal Noise Filtering+ Estimated Distance
+Uncertainty in Distance
Levitation/Braking Sensor Node
TOF Range Finder+ 8-bit distance
Camera+ 8-bit RGB image
Raspberry Pi 2-Optical Flow Analysis-Motion Blur Analysis+ Estimated Velocity
+Uncertainty in Velocity
Camera Sensor Node
IMU+ 8-bit acceleration (3)
+8-bit gyro (3)
Arduino-Signal Noise Filtering
+ Estimated Velocity & Rotation+Uncertainty in Measurements
IMU Sensor Node
Central Computer-Kalman Filtering (Pod pose)
-Monitoring pod systems+Levitation setpoints
+Braking setpoints
Braking Controls Levitation Controls
32Navigation Cameras
Raspberry Pi 2
USB
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
Camera
Camera• HD webcam, 120⁰ field of view, 60 fps
Raspberry Pi2•A Raspberry Pi 2 will process a video feed from two
webcams to determine velocity and position• The video processing will consist of a fusion of both
optical flow and motion blur analysis of viewed stripes to determine velocity
• The video processing will use position correlation from the viewed stripes in tube to the known map of stripes to determine position in tube
Why is this important:• The fusion of both optical flow and motion blur
analysis will allow us to determine velocity at both high and low speeds within the tube
• Position correlation will let us know when the pod is 1000 and 500 feet from the end of the tube
Central ROS Node
Watchdog Computer
Camera
33IMU Sensors
Arduino (Atmega328)
I2C Bus
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
9DOF Sensor
9DOF• The inertial measurement unit (IMU) has 9
degrees of freedom (9DOF)• Each 9DOF contains a gyrometer (ITG-3200),
magnetometer (HMC5883L), and accelerometer (ADXL345) that are accessed at different I2C addresses
Arduino•An Arduino will process each sensor’s data and
and send to the pod computer via a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) connection
• The bus from the Arduino to the 9DOF will be a single device master-slave I2C bus
• Data rate: 50Hz
Why is this important:• The 9DOF sensor be used to measure roll, pitch,
and yaw as well as speed of the pod
Central ROS Node
Watchdog Computer
34LEvitation & BRAKING SENSORS
Time-of-Flight Ranger Finder• The time-of-flight (ToF) range finder is a VL6180
distance sensor that uses a precise clock to measure the time it takes light to bounce back from a surface
•Resolution Range: 0-100mm
Arduino•An Arduino processes each sensor’s data and send it
to the pod computer via a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) connection
•The bus from the Arduino to the ToF will be a single device master-slave I2C.
•Address 0x29, 400KHz serial bus
Why is this important:• The ToF sensors will be placed on the top, bottom,
and sides of the pods to measure levitation height and distance from the tube rail/wall (useful for braking and stabilization)
Arduino (Atmega328)
I2C Bus
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
ToF Sensor
Central ROS Node
Watchdog Computer
35Pneumatic CONTROL
Servo Actuator•Electrically-controlled HS-485HB Servo•Need six, one for each air tank knob•Regulate air pressure flowing from mixing tank
(500 psi) to air bearings (20 psi)
Pneumatic Control System•A TM4C1294 microcontroller interfaces six
servos and passes data to central computer via Power-over-Ethernet (PoE)
•The levitation sensors and pneumatic control together work as a feedback system for the pod’s levitation on track
Testing:•Remote computer will be able to test if
pneumatic control system works by sending commands to the central computer
TM4C1294 microcontroller
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
HS-485HB Servo
PWM
Central ROS Node
Watchdog Computer
36BRAKING CONTROL
Fail-safe Brake•Requires 230VAC input voltage•Power requirement: 30W•Use an inverter to convert from DC to AC to
power the braking system using batteries
Intelligent Braking System (i-Braking):•Given feedback from navigation system, the
central computer will send control signals to determine when and how much to brake
•If there is a power blackout, fail-safe brakes will automatically activate
Testing:•Remote computer will be able to test if braking
system works by sending commands to the central computer
Arduino (Atmega328)
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
DC-AC inverter
Central ROS Node
Batteries
Watchdog Computer
37DUMMY MONITORING SYSTEM
SpaceX-provided Dummy•Attach several sensor patches to the dummy
such as IMUs and temperature sensors
Dummy Monitor Controller•A TM4C1294 microcontroller interfaces with
the sensors using any of the following pins•4 SPI pins•10 I2C pins•8 PWM pins
•The system informs the central computer how the dummy is doing in the pod
TM4C1294 Launchpad
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
Dummy Sensor Patch
SPI, I2C
Central ROS Node
Watchdog Computer
38COMMUNICATIONS
Sensors to Sensor Stations (MCU/MCC)•Sensors are connected to microcontrollers for
on-board sensor data processing
Sensor Stations to Pod Computer; Pod Computer-to-Actuator
•Feedback control data will be communicated via wired network
On-board Computers to Remote Computer• On-board computers will send data to Network
Access Panel (NAP) via gigabit Ethernet switch. The NAP will then send the data to the remote computer via a wireless connection provided by SpaceX.
Sensor Node
MCU Node
Sensor Node
MCU Node
Central Computer
Watchdog Computer
NAP
Remote Computer
*Wireless backbone
provided by SpaceX
39CUsTOM DC-DC POWER ConVeRTER
Current Circuit Specification• Input voltage range: +10V ~ +15V• Output voltages: 5V and 12V• Output power 60W
• 30W for 12V switch• 30W for 5V nodes
• Rated efficiency: 98%
To Be Added• 6-port pneumatic controller (36 W at 6 W
per servo)• 4 electromagnetic stabilizers (40 W at 10
W per magnet)
40CUsTOM DC-AC POWER INVERTER
Current Circuit Specification
• Input voltage range: 250V ~ 300Vdc
• Output voltages: 120/240Vac
• Output power: up to 2 kW
41GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE (GUI)
Web Application• Structured with HTML5 and JavaScript• Platform independent
Server•Raspberry PI or other portable server•One other backup server
Data• Use AJAX XML http request object to make
an asynchronous call to retrieve data from MCUs.
• Data is retrieved in JSON format from the central computer
Central Computer
Server
42READY-TO-LAUNCH CHECKLISTPneumatic Control (compressed air tanks): ✓ Check supply pressure: 2400 psi✓ Check pressure regulator value to be at 140kPa (20 psi)✓ Monitor flow rate at about 0.5kg/s
Levitation: ✓ Show 6 points (for each air bearing) vs Ideal
• Pod hovering at 2 mm • If one these points gets smaller (pod getting close to ground),
then GUI show the red number.Navigation: ✓ Show live camera data feed of tunnel (top and sides of pod)✓ Show Location and Distance till next checkpoint✓ Show pod current velocity and acceleration
Communication: ✓ Show Network strength, current bandwidth, current latency✓ Show Data Traffic. View and set warning limits
Sensor data: ✓ Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data, Distance sensor data, Radar
information, Dummy monitoring systemBraking & Stability: ✓ Show whether Braking is on or off; Brake Pad sensor✓ Monitor the electromagnet actuators for stability
Pod-stop Command: ✓ Show whether on or off
Internal Power: ✓ Battery Management System: Voltage, Temp per battery✓ Show Battery life remaining ✓ Show amount of Amperage being drawn. Set limits.
Fail-safe Measures✓ Check for discrepancy between navigation aids
• Camera -vs- IMUs -vs- Radar• Discrepancy in radar return signatures
✓ Redundancy with Pod-Stop Command and Watchdog Computer
43
● 800 ft of acceleration at 1.2 g yields a maximum velocity of 169.5 mph● Drag force at maximum velocity is 2.67 N
● Calculated using ANSYS software● Leads to a decrease in speed of <1 mph
● Braking commences at 850 ft left in tube to stop within 50 ft of end of tube● Deceleration will also occur at 1.2 g● Negligible thermal load
TRAJECTORY
44
● Our pod can be easily moved by using the fail-safe ball bearings attached to our air bearing skids, or by levitating the pod itself with the air bearings
● Off-board compressed air tank will provide levitation when needed during functional tests and loading/unloading
○ Will not deplete the air supply needed for our run● The SpaceX-provided forklift will be used to place our pod in the Staging Area, and the
pod will be moved by hand from the Staging Area to the Hyperloop, and from the Hyperloop to the Exit Area
○ Structures team is doing analysis to ensure that no damage is done from loading with crane/forklift
● We will ensure that all attachments (brakes, stability) to the rail will be variable and easy to align
Loading and unloading
45Functional Test phase
Test A Power-on, two-way communications
Test B Levitation
Test C Communications
Test D Levitation, internal power
Launch
Test E Safe to Remove
46
Test A (power-on, two-way communications) will take place in the Staging Area• We will provide power to our electronics subsystem and air bearings, and run a sensor telemetry check across all
subsystems. • We will ensure that pressure and mass flow gauges are reading correctly and optimally. • We will send signals to and from the SpaceX network access panel via a remote computer to confirm that two-way
communications are working at a suitable level.Test B (levitation) will take place in the Hyperloop, with Gate 1 open
• A secondary off-board air cylinder can be used for this test so as not to deplete air stored for our run.• We will provide power to our electronics subsystem and air bearings then run a sensor telemetry check across all
subsystems. • The pod will be connected to the Mechanical Propulsion Interface and Hyperloop Power Umbilical, as to not waste our on-
board resources during testing. • Switching between primary tanks and the secondary tank is as simple as disconnecting/reconnecting one valve in our air tank
controller. Test C (communications) will take place in the Hyperloop after Gate 1 is closed.
• This short test will consist of sending continuous remote signals to the network access panel at the back of the pod.Test D (levitation, internal power) will take place once the Hyperloop has been depressurized.
• At this point, the power umbilical will be disconnected and the pod will be running solely on internal power. When the primary tanks can provide lift and stability for the pod while running on internal power, launch will commence.
Test E (safe to remove- CONDUCTED AFTER LAUNCH) will take place once the pod is at the far end of the Hyperloop, once the Hyperloop has been pressurized.
• A full temperature analysis will be performed, with particular emphasis on the air tanks and power subsystem. Pressure sensors and mass flow gauges will be read remotely to ensure the pod is safe to approach. Once this has been determined, Gate 2 may be opened.
Functional Test Phase - DETAILS
47
Determine mechanisms to be used for mitigation of complete power loss in pod○ Braking system engages when power is lost (see braking slide)○ Backup batteries for critical systems
Identify Single Points of Failure (SPOFs), discuss ways to avoid SPOFs to maintain robustness○ If network switch stops working, then the entire Power-over-Ethernet network is lost. As a result, we place
the Watchdog Computer and Braking system on different power networks○ In case the network switch does go down, then each individual node will timeout and enter fail-safe mode○ Critical systems are bound by secondary communication network in case of switch failure○ All other systems are designed with redundancies that do not require power or air supply (e.g. secondary
stability or ball bearings on the Air Float skids)
How would we deal with rapid pressurization of the pod? Structural robustness is a must○ Our pod is designed to operate at near vacuum. Because there are no humans inside, the pod will not have a
pressurized cabin. The pressure inside the pod is whatever the tube pressure is. Unless there is a tube breach, this will not be a problem. Our pod is robustly designed with hoops/stringers to survive a change to atmospheric pressure from near vacuum
Develop recovery plan if pod is rendered immobile in tube ○ Off-board compressed air tank can be used for additional levitation in case our on-board air tanks go empty.
The ball bearings on the sides of the air skids can also be used to roll the pod out of the tube if the air bearings fail completely
Pod-stop command can be given manually via our remote computer if we see any alarming data during our run
safety
48
Compressor● Compressor system needed for the full-scale pod design● Cost in excess of $ 1 million - constituting vast majority of budget for full-scale design
Air Bearings● Current (½ scale) load capacity is 18,000 lbs● Adding 2 air bearings (8 total), pod could support 24,000 lbs● More than double the 11,000 lb limit
Structure● Aerodynamic coefficients change● Basic structural design remains unchanged - trivial increase in length and diameter● Different number of hoops/stringers
Braking● Caliper brakes will not be used at higher velocities
○ Most likely magnetic eddy current brakes will be, with caliper brakes taking over at low velocities and for emergencies
Miscellaneous● Computing power largely unchanged● The mechanical design would still be under $100,000, but compressor, motor, and power
requirements push that to over $1 million for a full scale pod
scalability
49PRODUCTION TIMELINE
50
Press• Austin American-Statesman• Texas Alcalde• Daily Texan• Austin Technology Incubator• CleanTX
Funding•Donors•UT Alumni •GoFundMe•$3,000 independently raised•$600 initial pledge by Flying V
Crowdfunding Asia, with further possible funding
•$2,500 pledged by Ted Lehr if we meet ⅔ funding goal.
•Total: $6,100 of $30,000
PRESS & FUNDING
James McGinniss (MS/PhD, ME)
Team Captain, Braking, Levitation
Carter Airhart (Freshman, ECE)
Communication
Natalie Atkinson (Junior, ASE)
Aerodynamics, CAD
Cem Bagdatli (PhD, ME)
Electronics, Pod Control
Josh Bryant (Senior, ECE/Math)
Navigation, Software, Electronics, Pod Control
Josh Cristol (Junior, ECE)
Sensors, Electronics
Hallie Ford (Senior, ASE)
Aerodynamics, Levitation
Nari Jeong (Junior, CS)
Software, GUI
Kevin Kim (Senior, ASE)
Braking
Eric Liang (Junior, ECE)
Electronics, GUI
Roshan Nair (Freshman, ASE)
Structure, Aerodynamics
Deborah Navarro (MS, Business)
Project Management, Biosystem
Ari Garcia Oscos (Senior, Physics/ASE)
Aerodynamics, Levitation
Vik Parthiban (MS/PhD, ECE)
Electronics Lead, Power
Krishna Patel (Freshman, ECE)
Electronics, GUI
Patryk Radyjowski (PhD, ME)
Propulsion, Design
Tyler Regan (Junior, ME/CS)
Compressor system
Robert See (MS/PhD, ASE)
Propulsion, Aerodynamics, Structure
Nishil Shah (Senior, ECE/CS)
Communications
Connor Smith (Senior, ASE)
Aerodynamics, Propulsion
Daniel Tan (MS/PhD, ME)
Aerodynamics, Structure
Arjun Teh (Junior, ECE)
Electronics, Pod Control
Adriana Vann (Junior, BBA)
Aesthetics, Project Management
Turan Vural (Sophomore, ECE)
Sensors, Electronics, GUI
Connor Widder (Sophomore, ECE)
Electronics
Enakshi Wikramanayake (MS/PhD, ME)
Design, Levitation
Ray Xu (Sophomore, ECE/Physics)
Navigation, Electronics
Xin Xu (PhD, ECE)
Electronics
Wayne Yao (PhD, Industrial)
Cost, Braking, Aesthetics
Jackie Young (Senior, ASE)
CAD, Aerodynamics, Levitation
Dr. Christian Claudel
Advisor, Civil Engineering
Team Members 51
52
Thank you for your time!