HYPERXITE POD VII
STATIC STRUCTURES
Static Structures develops the chassis, or the mainframe of the Hyperloop pod, with a focus on modularity so that all Pod’s components can be securely mounted. The chassis is built using aluminum extrusions that are connected by corner brackets; aluminum provides a lightweight frame without compromising on structural integrity. Components from the other subsystems were created on SolidWorks and have been integrated into the chassis. Mechanical simulations have been run on the integrated chassis to ensure there is stability of the pod throughout the run and space efficiency with all components onboard. A carbon fiber fairing is placed on top of the chassis to minimize aerodynamic drag,sustain the pod’s velocity for greater lengths, and lower overall power consumption. Static Structures is currently developing and refining the carbon fiber fairing for the pod to have an aerodynamic drag coefficient of approximately 0.25.
DYNAMIC SYSTEMS
The Dynamic Systems subteam is responsible for designing and optimizing the suspension and propulsion systems on the pod, ensuring that it will remain stable despite perturbations encountered on the I-beam track. This subteam uses dynamic simulations in Simulink to source springs and dampers that will yield optimal vibrational responses when faced with a deflection. Additionally, this subteam has developed a pod trajectory simulator in Python, capable of taking motor parameters as inputs to calculate the ideal position to begin braking given a fixed track length. This trajectory simulator was used to source a motor with specifications that would yield the highest top speed on a track length of 300ft.
BRAKING
The braking system is a pneumatically-actuated, friction braking system that can apply up to 2G of braking force. This year, the braking system is developing our first fiction-based fail-safe in the case of pneumatic failure and will bring the Pod to a complete stop regardless of its current state.
One innovation from the braking subsystem is the failsafe. This is the first year where we will have a fail-safe friction-based braking system. A failsafe is a mechanism that ensures that the braking system will always generate braking force. Past designs relied on an air supply to generate the braking system. This year we will be using gas springs to generate the braking force which allows the braking system to "fail safely". Some of the work that we are doing behind the scenes is developing a braking test rig that will help us validate our design and manufacturing the braking subsystem.
PNEUMATICS
The pneumatics system utilizes an electronic pressure regulator to step down pressurized air stored in an air tank. The electronic pressure regulator is composed of a pressure transducer that directly interfaces with a control valve to establish closed-loop pressure control and utilizes feedback control to account for any pressure fluctuations and adjust the downstream pressure accordingly. A braking test rig will be used to test the functionality of the pneumatics system and test that the system functions in the event of rapid pressure depletion.
POWER SYSTEMS
It is the responsibility of Power Systems to design, generate, and verify an electrical system that allows for the powering and inter-communication of all electronic components on the pod. This is implemented through two main sub-systems: the Low Voltage System (LVS) and the High Voltage System (HVS). The LVS is responsible for powering and controlling all low-power components on the pod including sensors, relays, micro-computers, etc. The principal component within the LVS is a central printed circuit board (PCB) which holds the protective circuitry and all other low-powered components within the pod. This minimizes debugging time as well as simplifies the connection of various components. The HVS’s main purpose is to power the pod’s motors and motor controllers using high voltage batteries. Safety features such as a dedicated pre-charge protective circuit and manual disconnect switch will be present in the HVS to allow for the safe operation of sensitive components as well as mitigate risks posed to students while working on the pod.
CONTROL SYSTEMS
The Control Systems subteam monitors the state of the Pod and its components with various sensors. They use Ubiquiti Rocket M900s to set up a wireless TCP/IP communication between the Host computer and the pod. This network sends information about the state of the pod to the host computer, and the host computer can send commands to the pod to execute (brake, start-stop, etc). Additionally, three pressure transducers gauge the PSI levels in the base station and inform the host computer if the pod is going to a low-pressure state or a high-pressure state. If the air pressure in the pod is not within a certain acceptable range, the host computer can be notified and the pod can be brought to a halt immediately due to safety concerns. A CANdapter interfaces the Orion BMS 2 with the Raspberry Pi so the Raspberry Pi can consolidate useful information about the battery (pack current, temperature, pack voltage, etc.) and send it to the host computer.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Research & Development is working on HyperXite's next generation pod propulsion system. HyperXite’s pods have historically used various types of rotary motors for wheel-based propulsion; our sub-team aims to develop HyperXite’s first linear induction motor, as this is a critical technology to achieve the speed and efficiency envisioned by the Hyperloop concept.
R&D of next generation pod propulsion system with the aim of utilizing a linear induction motor.