Split Second (IC Engine Car Competition)

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Introduction

“Life, like rockets, doesn’t always take off on time. The trick is to always keep the engine running.”

The locomotive engines are one of the best inventions ever produced by the genius of man. The engine has been converting force into motion since prehistoric times never once ceasing to improve the quality and quantity of output achieved.

Considering the omnipresent nature of the automobile engine in an engineer’s life, this year we’re asking you –

Do raw power, high speed and ear deafening exhaust notes rev you up? Does your adrenaline surge when looking at V8’s and V12’s? If your answer to that is a yes (of course it is), then gear up for the burst of horsepower at our mega event this Technovanza! It’s Mini-Monster Truck Madness as you build your own radio-controlled, IC powered road terror and prepare for mayhem in this high octane event.

Task:

Participants have to make a wireless remote controlled machine, powered by only an IC engine, which can race against other opponents on an obstacle filled and treacherous race track. The engine capacity should not be more than 4.6cc.

Prizes worth INR 45,000 to be won.

Gameplay

ROUND 1:

This round is divided in three parts.

1st part: DRAG RACE

Indicative Arena:

This task will check how fast your IC car can run. Your car will run on straight track of length 50 meters with no obstacles. Your time will be calculated via stop-watch. There will be no checkpoints. If a team is not able to complete the track in the 1st attempt, then 2nd chance will be given but again if it fails in completing the track then that team will be penalized with a pre-specified time penalty.

2nd part: HILL CLIMBING

Indicative Arena:

In this task your IC car’s control and stability will be tested. Your car will be made to climb a hill of sufficient height to test your driving skills and engineering technology of your car. Time taken by your car in climbing the hill will be calculated via stop watch. Three chances will be given to each team and best of three will be considered. Team which is not able to climb the hill will be penalized with time penalty.

3rd part: TIME TRAIL

Indicative Arena:

Probably the most exciting part of Round 1. IC cars will run on all terrain track filled with obstacles, sharp turns and big jumps. One team at a time will be made to run on the decided track. Each team will be given 2 laps and the best of the 2 will be considered. The team which fails to clear even one check point in this task will be eliminated from the competition. The team which is not able to finish the track in both the attempts will be penalized with a time penalty depending upon the number of checkpoints completed by the team.

Total time of each team will be the addition of the time taken in part 1, part 2 and part 3. The team with the least time will be given ranked 1st. The top 8 teams will be displayed and they are the teams who will qualify for round 2. In case if there are teams in the top 8 with same points, then the team with lesser time in the time trial part of round 1will be awarded the higher rank.

ROUND 2: ONE-ON-ONE RACE

QUARTER FINALS:

Two IC cars will race against each other on an all terrain track. The car should be able to cross bumps, jumps and other obstacles on the track and outrun the opponents' car while maintaining its stability and not compromising on its pace. Teams will be lined up in this manner.

Rank 1 vs. Rank 8

Rank 2 vs. Rank 7

Rank 3 vs. Rank 6

Rank 4 vs. Rank 5

Winning teams will qualify for the play-offs.

PLAY-OFFS':

In the play-offs', each team will race against the other three teams. Teams have to win a minimum of 2 matches out of 3 to qualify for the finals. In this manner, two teams will qualify for the finals and the remaining two teams will compete with each other for the third spot.

FINALS:

The top two teams from the play-offs' will enter finals. They will race against each other and the winner will be awarded the 1st Prize and the losing team will be the Runner-Up.

For deciding the 1st, 2nd and 3rd position, the race which will be conducted will be a 2 lap race. Time penalty for different parts of Round 1 will be shared with participants on the 1st day of the event. Exact schedule will be put up on the website soon.

Rules & Specs

GENERAL RULES:

1. A confirmation mail will be sent to the Team leaders of the registered teams.

2. All teams must be present on specified date for inspection. This is to ensure that the machine has been made according to the given specifications. The eligible teams will be given their practice slots.

3. The number of practice slots will be limited and the slots will be given on a first come first serve basis, but every team is assured of having some time to practice. The teams will be permitted to use the track only during the time of their practice slot. Any requests for using the track at any other time will not be entertained.

4. Any team that is not ready at the time specified to them will be eliminated from the competition automatically.

5. Teams are not allowed to purposefully damage the machine of the opponent's team. Failure to adhere to this rule will lead to immediate disqualification.

6. Every team should have a team name and are permitted to display it on the machine.

7. The track will have check points at regular intervals. If a machine tumbles, or halts, or goes off the arena at any point on the track, one of the team members is allowed to lift it up and place it at the previous checkpoint. The time shall still be running in the meantime.

8. Team members are not permitted to touch either their machines or those of their opponents once the race begins (unless there is need to lift the machine as stated previously).

9. The machines are not allowed to leave any loose parts on any part of the arena. Any machine found unsafe for the track or disintegrating during the race will be immediately disqualified.

10. If any of the machines starts off before the flag is waved, the counter would be restarted and the machines will get a second chance. However, if any machine starts off before the waving of flag (or countdown) for a second time, then a penalty will be awarded to the team.

11. The vehicle must remain intact throughout the race.

TEAM SPECIFICATION:

A Team may consist of a minimum 2 members and maximum of 5 members.

All team members should have valid college ID card.

Students from different educational institutes can form a team.

Only the operator shall stand on the controlling ramp and only one team member on the arena.

Each member can be a part of one team only.

Only one car per team is allowed.

There is no restriction to the number of teams participating from the same educational institute.

VEHICLE SPECIFICATION:

Engine:

The use of IC Engines for propulsion is essential. Use of any other sources such as chemicals, compressed gas, rockets etc. is not allowed. Motors should not be used for this purpose. However DC motors and servos can be used for steering mechanisms or any other mechanism apart from propulsion.

There is no restriction on the type of IC engine (either glow or diesel cycle engine), but the engine must have throttle control.

Only one IC engine should be used in the vehicle. Use of any other sources such as chemicals, compressed gas, rockets etc for propulsion is not allowed. The maximum allowed capacity of IC engine to be used is 4.5 cc (i.e. Participants can also use 4.2cc, 3.5cc, 2.5cc, or any other IC engine with less power).

Vehicle Dimensions:

Machine should fit in a box of dimensions 800mm x 600mm x600mm (depends on the feasibility and size of cooling system) (l x b x h) at any moment of time during the race.

The external device which is used to control the machine is not included in the size constraint.

Antennae (if used) are exempt from the height restriction.

The car must have a minimum of 4cm. ground clearance when suspensions are fully compressed.

Other Components:

The machine must not be made from Lego parts, or any ready-made assembly kits other than the parts mentioned below. Readily available chassis layouts are not allowed. Any machine found having a ready-made chassis will be disqualified.

*The machine may be roughly classified into structural and functional parts:

Functional parts – Parts which can be used as available in the market or can be procured from toy cars:

1. Gear box assembly, Differentials (if used)

2. Suspension springs, Shock absorbers

3. Drive-line and rods

4. Tires and wheels

5. Clutch system

6. Brake system

7. Servo motor (for non propulsion purpose)

8. Carburetor

Structural parts - Have to be built by the participants themselves.

1. Chassis

2. Steering mechanism

3. Shock towers

4. Suspension (Excluding upper suspension arm)

**Judging for the same will be strict and the participant will be immediately disqualified if any of the above structural components are found to be ready-made.

Tires:

The tires used must have a minimum diameter of 3 inches. You are advised to use tires of good width for better performance on dirt tracks.

Mecanum wheels are allowed.

Use of rails is not allowed.

Brake Mechanism:

It is compulsory to incorporate braking mechanism in the car. Participants can fabricate the brake pad as well as brake disc as a part of the braking mechanism or the braking mechanism can be ready-made.

Wheel Hub:

Any part rigidly attached to the wheel hub will be considered as a part of it and hence can be ready-made, like a ball stud.

Steering Mechanism:

Any part which is connected to the steering rod rigidly, that is, has no degrees of freedom with respect to the steering rod (example: heim joint), will be considered as part of steering rod and thus has to be fabricated by participants.

Suspension mechanism:

Any part rigidly connected to suspension arms or one with no degrees of freedom with respect to suspension arm will be considered as its part and has to be fabricated by the participants, except the upper suspension arm. For example: Both the heim joint for the upper suspension arm and the stud rigidly connected to the wheel hub can be bought from the market.

If there are parts used in the concerned joint which are neither rigidly connected with the suspension or the hub, steering system or hub; they can be used ready-made from the market.

Fuel:

The fuel should only have these constituents, methanol, castor oil/synthetic oil; nitro methane percentage of nitro methane should not exceed 20% by volume in the fuel.

Atmost one filter can be used in the fuel line.

Clutch ( Strongly advised for maneuvering but not necessary):

As some of the races will be held on loose sand, it is very likely that wheel speed will vary to a large extent. The engine may die out if the rpm goes below a certain limit. Therefore, participants are strongly advised to incorporate a clutch in their designs.

Control Rules:

The machine should be controlled by a wireless remote control mechanism throughout the race.

Participants are required to use a remote control of frequency of band spectrum 2.4 GHz.

The above rule is to ensure that there is no frequency clash during the competition and participants are not allowed to use any other remotes with frequency other than 2.4 GHz.

Note: The teams will have to control three components of the car viz. the engine throttle, steering and brake system.

Control Space:

An elevated podium will be provided for the control of the machine. The podium will ensure good visibility for the controller.

Exhaust:

All vehicles must have an exhaust system that directs the exhaust parallel to the ground or directly at the ground. Silencers must be intact while the vehicle is running.

The vehicle is allowed to have a reverse mechanism.

Propulsion & Steering:

The machine must use only mechanical power generated by an internal combustion (IC) engine for propulsion. Only one IC engine should be used in the machine.

Power supply:

The machine must have an on-board power supply to provide power to any mechanism requiring electric power. The maximum voltage across any two points on the vehicle should not exceed 12 volts. In case if DC motor powered vehicles, the motor used for propulsion should not be supplied above 12 V.

Participants are advised to use sway bars for better control and stability.

The participants are advised to use proper air filters as dirt might cause damage to the engine.

The machine will be inspected and if found to be dangerous, the team will be disqualified. This decision rests solely with the judges and the organizers.

Participants are advised to use robust suspensions with large travel and ensure adequate ground clearance owing to the off-road nature of some of the races.

Note: It is absolutely mandatory to completely cover the chassis, gearbox, etc. of the vehicle.

A separate award has been reserved for the best design and bodywork and points for the same will be awarded in the Design category.

Abstract Submission

The written abstract should be prepared on the following lines:

1. The steering mechanism, suspension mechanism, braking mechanism, the chassis layout, should be explained in detail, along with proper diagrams. These have to be fabricated by participants themselves (excluding shock absorbers and springs in suspension mechanism). Ready made kits are not allowed. Picture(s) showing all the three should be attached.

2. Photographs of empty chassis have to be attached. The chassis has to be built by the participants themselves. If participants have already proceeded building their chassis, they are requested to take photographs of their machine in current state. These photographs are required for verifying that the machine has been indigenously built.

3. Description of any unique/advantageous mechanism used.

4. The specifications of ALL the components used, including engine, suspension springs, remote controller etc. have to be mentioned.

5. This abstract can in form of PDF file or in Word format and mail it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

6. Each team is allowed to make one submission only. In case of multiple submissions, the last submission before the deadline will only be used for judging purposes.

Video Submission:

The video should be an unedited clip, at least 1 minute long, showing the machine running at least 10-15 meters and performing a U-turn on an off road dirt area. The clip should be uploaded on YouTube and mail the link of your video to email ids mentioned above.

It is not necessary to explain the mechanisms in video.

The last date of submitting the abstract is 1st February, 2012.

Technovanza takes the responsibility that no information will be made available to any third party. The portfolio of your machine will be helpful everywhere in future as an evidence of your hard work.

**Abstract and video submission is not mandatory but extra points will be awarded to the team which submits it.