| From: | R Andrew Hayden <rahayden@*****.WEEG.UIOWA.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: VCC: outline |
| Date: | Fri, 29 Jan 93 06:01:20 CET |
>
> Here are some ideas I've got for creating vehicles.
>
> First, start with the chassis (what's the plural of that, anyway?). Split
> them up into terrain types (ground, air, water). For ground vehicles,
> chassis sizes range light bikes (dirt bikes) through trikes, subcompacts
> through luxury cars, light trucks (them little pickups) through
> semi-tractors (the trailers are separate). Water vehicles would range from
> jet skis up to maybe motor yachts (leaving the liners and tankers as mainly
> special effects). Same thing for air vehicles, from ultralights to the big
> transports. Each chassis is just that, a frame for mounting other things.
> Each chassis has a specific amount of "space" (at this point a fairly
> abstract term) which may be modifiable (with a bit of cash and a lot of
> work).
Let's see what the best way to address this paragraph is.
RE: Chassis
I used the term 'body' but chassis is interchangeable with what I meant.
I did try to divide all of the body styles into the devisions used by the
RBB (ie, truck, marine, rotor, etc). A truck has a toally different
gearing system and design than a car and I think we need to be carful not
to lump all ground vehicles into one group.
It's pretty simple, though. Trucks tend to pick up where cars leave off,
but also tend to be oriented towards hauling more cargo that people
(except for "semi" truck, which augment all engine to facilitate hauling
trailers.) Motorcycles are a totally different group and radically
different. 'Trikes' are a design concept I personally have never seen
outside of Car Wars and I don't think they need to be addressed, except as
possibly either a cer or cycle variant later on in the design process.
>
> Engines come in a variety of types: internal combustion, turbine, fuel cell
> electric, and battery/capacitor. Each has its strength's and weaknesses.
> Base engine size should be based on the kind of chassis it's being mounted
> in, and may be adjusted up or down for performance or economy. Some formula
> should be worked up to calculate size and power available for engines.
> Don't forget that IC and turbine engines will need space dedicated for fuel
> storage. And remember that fuel cell electrics and battery vehicles can
> both make use of GridLink(TM).
Engine size is based on how much power it produces. A big-honking engine
that could pull a small freight train will not fit un the hood of an
escort, and on the same principle, no escort is going to mount a semi's
engine to go for a sunday drive.
Acceleration and top-speed would be a function of the vehicle wt vs engine
power, so we have to come up with a viable way to quantify engine power.
As I was trying to point out yesterday, I don't think we need to
differentiate performance characteristics between engine types. For our
purposes, an electric engine performs the same as the one powered by
Exxon. Granted, the power source is different, but they both make the car
go and provide X amount of power to move the car.
Yes, you will have to put in fuel tanks or batteries. They take up space
and have weight. It isn't a very hard thing to do, but why burden
ourselves with individual performance characteristics.
>
> Suspensions come in 4 different types: light, normal, heavy, and off-road.
> Suspension cost is based on the chassis. Chassis type affects handling and
> payload.
It was my thinking that for normal cars, suspension is irrelevant. Figure
it as part of the cost of the body. off-road (xtra high) suspension is an
accessory that can be purchased with little problem.
---------------
Finally, and please don't take this as a flame or anything, a lot of these
suggestions smack of Car Wars. CW is a fairly decent system of vehicle
design, but the problem is that it gets too complicated. X chassis and Y
suspension with Z tires means lots of time spent typing things into the
calculator. I think we can get a much more complete and unique design
system and still keep it in such a fasion that you do not have to deal
with dozens of little details. That, IMHO, is the basis of a good system,
simplicity AND realism.
]> Robert Hayden <] [> This .signature has been made <]
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]> rahayden@*****.weeg.uiowa.edu <]
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