Design Exercise
2018 ENG 252 Dynamics – Mouse Trap Car: Specification
Background
This project will demonstrate the application of basic dynamics concepts of kinetic and potential
energy, power, force, friction and torque in design of simple vehicle powered by the spring of a
mouse trap.
This document is a specification for the Mouse Trap Car project. As with all engineering
specifications, failure to follow all requirements will result in adverse consequences for the
engineer.
Specification
The task is to design and build a mouse trap car (vehicle with wheels or runners) that is powered
ONLY by provided standard-size mouse trap. The mouse trap car must be capable to transfer (push
or ca
y) the provided object (plastic glass) for 4.5 meters, leave the object and then return back to
the start line as fast as possible.
All students are responsible for their safety during the design, production and testing.
Materials
One mouse trap, 2 m of string and one object will be provided to each student. All other materials
to build a vehicle are allowed but must be provided by the student.
Specification Requirements
Vehicle must be activated and powered only by the provided mouse trap mechanism. No
other energy source can be used.
The provided mousetrap (or any part of it, including the spring) cannot be altered or
disassembled except for the mouse trap snapper arm and holes that can be drilled only for
mounting the mouse trap to a car frame. The provided object cannot be altered in any way.
For external students : Track should be on non-carpeted area (i.e. building hallway, gym floor
or similar), track should be 2 meters wide and at least 4.5 meters long with edges, start and
4.5 m lines marked with tape along the track. 4.5 meter or longer measuring tape should be
used to show the track area. Make a video of vehicle performance that clearly shows
measuring tape and vehicle crossing over the start line, driving along the track, leaving the
object and returning to the start position. If any part of the video is edited or cut, the
Performance will be marked with 0.
Rules
Each vehicle will be inspected before the start. The lecture has a final decision as to
appropriateness of design or materials used for the vehicle build.
The vehicle must start from the rest, and be activated only by mouse trap mechanism;
student will be responsible for starting the vehicle.
Students are not allowed to touch or influence the vehicle movement in any way once the
mouse trap is activated.
Provided object or any part of the vehicle must not cross the start line before the activation
of the mouse trap. The whole object must be left over the 4.5 meter mark (without touching
the mark line) before vehicle returns to the start/finish line.
ENG252 Mouse Trap Car Project 1
Time for each vehicle will be recorded; the maximum performance score will be given to the
student with the fastest mouse trap car that co
ectly completed the task.
Performance (max 15%):
Team Performance =
Winningcar time
TeamCarTime
∙15
If the vehicle does not go at least 4.5 m and return to the start line there will be a second
try. If the vehicle fails twice to complete the task, the performance mark will be 0.
Report Specification
A formal engineering report is required. Report requirements are given below:
Length
No more than 4 pages of text, plus diagrams sketches and photographs as appropriate.
Content
Your name
How you decided on your design
What materials did you use, and why
Description of the Dynamics concepts used to increase performance of the car (reach the
co
ect distance, change the direction and increase the speed of the Mouse Trap Car)
Can you estimate the distance your car can reach from the length of the mouse trap
snapper arm and/or string. Show the example of your calculation (What other factors can
influence the results?)
For vehicles which were not tested at the university, video evidence of your vehicle
performance (see the section Specification Requirements)
Brief description of how your Mouse Trap Car performed under test
Possible improvements to your vehicle
References
Do not include
Information already given in this specification
Testing
Internal students will have their vehicle tested on campus during the afternoon workshop of Week
10. External students able to come to the University can also have their vehicle tested then.
Otherwise, external students should include video in the report to demonstrate compliance with
specification requirements and show the performance of their Mouse Trap Cars.
Report Submission
The report must be one electronic document only in PDF format. Submission is through the link
under Submit Here on Learnline. Extensions cannot be given, and reports not in PDF format will not
e marked.
ENG252 Mouse Trap Car Project 2
Background
Materials
Specification Requirements
Report Specification
Testing
Marking ru
ic 2018.xlsx
Student name:
Group members:
Mouse Trap Car Weighting Score (0‐5) Total 0‐1 XXXXXXXXXX
Design and build/
Originality 10 0
Poor design and build
quality. Parts of the
vehicle are barely
staying together.
Design meets minimum
equirements. Vehicle is
driving without
intervention.
Adequate design and
construction to meet
equirements.
Some originality in design.
Good application of
materials and good quality
of construction.
Original design beyond
equirements. High quality
construction. Innovative
use of materials and
methods.
Performance 15 0
Report Weighting Score (0‐5) Total
0‐1 XXXXXXXXXX
Choice of design and
materials description 15 0
Little information or
description provided on
design and material
choice.
Some information
provided regarding
design and material
selection.
Adequate description of
materials and design
selection.
Good description of
design and material
selection.
Clear and detail description
of design and material
description.
Theory (Dynamics
concepts) 20 0
Concepts are not clearly
described or given
description is not
adequate to given topic.
Basic concepts are given
and described.
Theory concepts are
adequately presented.
There is some connection
etween theory and
design of the car.
Good presentation of
theory with connection to
practical applications on
car.
Excellent description of
theory concepts with detail
presentation of application
on mouse trap car.
Distance estimation 10 0
Little or no effort made
to estimate the
distance.
Basic distance calculation
is given.
Theory concepts are
applied to calculate
distance travelled by the
car.
Good assumptions are
stated and dynamic
theory concepts are
applied to calculate
distance travelled by the
car. Results of estimation
are compared with car
performance.
Excellent assumptions are
stated and dynamic theory
concepts are applied to
calculate distance travelled
y the car. Results of
estimation are co
elated
with car performance.
Description of performance
and possible improvements
of the vehicle 20 0
Little or no description
of the car performance
during the test. Little or
no suggested
improvements.
Some description of the
performance and limited
improvements
suggested.
Adequate description of
performance and ideas
how to improve the
performance.
Good description of
performance and some
original ideas how to
improve the performance.
Excellent description of
performance with numbers
of original ideas how to
improve the performance.
References, spelling,
grammar, structure of the
eport 10 0
Numerous spelling and
grammar mistakes,
poor structure of the
eport. There are no
eferences. Plagiarised
or unacknowledged
work.
Many spelling and
grammar mistakes, little
structure of the report.
Some relevant references
are used but with
inconsistencies with
acknowledgement.
Acceptable structure of
the report. Some sources
are used and
acknowledged to achieve
objectivity.
Good structure. General
acknowledgment of
esources.
Application of
organisational methods to
facilitate understanding.
Sources fully identified and
connected to ideas.
Sum XXXXXXXXXX
Project Marks XXXXXXXXXX
ENG252 Mouse Trap Car Project
Score
Team car time (s) Winning car time (s)
1 0
Score