RC Battleship

David Cha – Project Manager

Nathan Caliendo

Tsogjavkhlan Khaliunbaatar

Glenbrook South High school

Mr. Michael Sinde

February 23, 2024

Table Of Contents

Brainstorming……………………………………………………….………………………… 3

Decision Matrix…………………………………………….…………………………………. 4

Project Description………………………………..…………………………………………... 5

Design Brief……………………………….………………………………………………….. 6

Research………………….………………………………………………………………….7-8

Concept Sketches………………………..……………………………………………………. 9

Physics Principles……………..……………………………………………………………... 11

Gantt Chart…………..…………………………………………………………………...….. 12

Budget……………………………………………………………………………...………... 13

Tools and Equipment………………...………………………………………………………. 14

Safety Concerns………………………...……………………………………………………. 15

Bibliography……………………………..…………………………………………………... 16

Brainstorming

        To begin our project, we explored numerous different ideas for our Maker Faire project. To finalize our decision, we utilized a decision matrix (below), and measured each project’s strengths and weaknesses.

1. Musical Instrument – A new instrument with a unique timbre, where sound is produced using a physics concept.
2. Rube Goldberg Machine – A machine that features energy transfer that follows an object through a course.
3. RC Plane – A model plane that can be maneuvered through radio controls.
4. Windmill Generator – A windmill that converts energy from the wind into electricity.
5. RC Battleship – A boat that can be maneuvered through radio controls that also features a remote controlled turret that shoots plastic pellets.

Decision Matrix

        To aid us in our decision for our Maker Faire project, we created a decision matrix. It ranks the ideas based on multiple categories, such as the difficulty of creation, physics principles, budget, etc. A link to the matrix is here.

Project Description

        After utilizing the decision matrix, our group settled on the idea of creating an RC Battleship. The hull of the ship features 3D printed frames connected with wooden dowels, sealed with waterproof tape. Attached to the ship is a turret that fires plastic pellets using compressed air. The battleship has a battery and receiver onboard so that we can communicate with it wirelessly. An electronic speed controller allows us to throttle the motor, and servos will allow us to turn the rudder and turret.

Design Brief

        Research

The goal of our research was to find out how to build a stable and efficient ship. To make a boat stable, the center of buoyancy should be high, and the center of gravity should be low. The center of buoyancy is mainly influenced by the shape of the hull, but the center of gravity can be changed easily. To get the center of gravity as low as possible, all of the heavy electronics will be attached low in the hull, and the top of the ship will be as light as possible. Battleships are some of the widest military vessels. Their widest point is at their center, and it is tapered continuously towards both ends of the ship. Battleships use a V-shaped hull which allows them to slice through rough seas while maintaining stability. Since our ship won’t be sailing in the waves, there are also several other options to look at. A round bottom hull increases the internal space of a ship while sacrificing some stability, the flat bottom hull is efficient in calm waters, and the multihull offers extreme stability. Because we want our boat to be stable and look like a battleship, we will use the V-shaped hull. To propel our boat, we need a motor and rudder. There are two types of motors commonly used on RC boats; brushed and brushless. Brushed motors are small and cheap, but require maintenance and can sometimes overheat. Brushless motors are more powerful than brushed motors and don’t overheat. For this project we will use a brushless motor due to their power and simplicity, but as a result of the brushless motor’s large size, we will have to create a strong mount for it. A rudder is required to steer the boat. The rudder should be placed at the far back of the boat to increase leverage. There are two types of rudders used in RC boats; sharp rudders and wide rudders. As sharp rudders can slice through the water and have a fast steering response, they are often used to get a greater top speed for rc boats. Thick rudders have more drag which helps with the overall stability of the boat(more drag at back). For our ship, we will 3d print a wide rudder and a hinge for it.

Concept Sketches

Concept sketch of the internal anatomy of the battleship by Nathan Caliendo, 02/26/24

Isometric concept sketch by David Cha, 02/26/24

Physics Principles

        Motion: We will use video analysis to find the acceleration and speed of the boat. Since our boat includes a cannon, we can measure the speed of the projectiles using motion analysis.

      Gantt Chart

        To help us organize our schedule and stay on track with our project, we created a Gantt Chart linked here.

Budget

        To keep track of the money used throughout our project, our group created a budget. It details the materials used, a description of each item, and the price. The link for our budget is linked here.

Tools and Equipment

        When creating our project, we will need to use many tools. An important tool that we will utilize is the 3d printer, because we will need to print many parts using it. We will also need to use an assortment of saws in order to shape our wood. The band saw will be used to cut dowels to a marked length, a miter saw will be used to make angled cuts, and a table saw will be used to make long straight cuts. A drill, screwdriver, and screws will be used to form high strength connections, while hot glue will be used to form lower stressed connections.

Safety Concerns

        Safety will be a top priority during the creation of our project. The most dangerous tools that we will use are the band saw and miter saw. These 2 pieces of equipment can cause serious bodily harm if used incorrectly. In order to stay safe, we will put our hands far away from the blade when cutting, and use push sticks to complete cuts and push scrap out of the way. The motors we will use for this project should all be used with caution due to their power. The brushless motor can spin to extremely high speeds in under a second and the servo motor has a large amount of torque which wouldn’t feel nice if pinned against an object with one. In order to mitigate these risks, we will have the battery unplugged when working on or holding our project.

Bibliography

Brushless vs brushed DC Motors: When and why to choose one over the other: Article: Mps. Article | MPS. (n.d.). https://www.monolithicpower.com/en/brushless-vs-brushed-dc-motors

Green, H. (2022, January 7). What affects boat speed?. Cox Marine. https://coxmarine.com/blog/what-affects-boat-speed-2/#:~:text=Boats%20with%20displacement%20hulls%20travel,generate%20lift%20at%20cruising%20speed.

 Boats. Young People’s Trust For the Environment. (2014, September 10). https://ypte.org.uk/factsheets/boats/how-does-this-work?hide_donation_prompt=1

Barczak, N. (2023, April 17). Hydrodynamics and hull design. DMS Marine Consultant. https://www.dmsonline.us/hydrodynamics-and-hull-design/

McDonald, P. (2023, May 6). Balancing weight on board: Boating mag. Boating Magazine. https://www.boatingmag.com/how-to/balancing-weight-board/#:~:text=Weight%20distribution%20starts%20with%20the,under%20the%20CG%20at%20rest.

How to calculate a boat’s propeller pitch & why it matters. Discover Boating. (n.d.). https://www.discoverboating.com/resources/propeller-pitch#:~:text=When%20selecting%20a%20boat%20propeller,was%20updated%20in%20November%202022.

How does a boat float?: Explanation and what to know. National Boating Safety School. (2022, December 1). https://safeboatingcourse.ca/how-do-boats-float/#:~:text=Buoyancy%20is%20the%20force%20that,the%20weight%20of%20the%20object