Ramp Creation

[MTV<=>Operator]

Did you have to use anything to bend the 1/6 in sheet metal or were you able to just press it against the ramp profile and drill it down?

[CPScienceDude]

Did you have to use anything to bend the 1/6 in sheet metal or were you able to just press it against the ramp profile and drill it down?

I just pressed it down and drilled it

[rayner]

Am I understanding this correctly? People are using plywood for the ramp surface and then covering it with a layer of sheet metal? So the wood is for shape/rigidity and the sheet metal is for smoothness?

[akso21]

Am I understanding this correctly? People are using plywood for the ramp surface and then covering it with a layer of sheet metal? So the wood is for shape/rigidity and the sheet metal is for smoothness?

Yeah, that's probably the easiest way to get a pretty decent ramp. Personally, I am going for polycarbonate instead of sheet metal gets the job done as well.

[Airco2020]

Am I understanding this correctly? People are using plywood for the ramp surface and then covering it with a layer of sheet metal? So the wood is for shape/rigidity and the sheet metal is for smoothness?

No reason for plywood and sheet metal as the ramp surface. Plywood sides and either sheet metal or thin, 1/4" luan type plywood for the surface.

[petal]

My car keeps bouncing—the wheels lift off the ground a few centimeters—as it leaves the bottom of the ramp, in the transition from ramp to floor. I believe that this may because the curve on my ramp is too steep. Does anyone have any experience with this? Do you recommend just rebuilding the ramp (there’s no way for us to change the curve of the current ramp because everything is glued into place)? Are they any changes that we could potentially make to the car to eliminate the problem instead? We tried putting extra weight on the car in hopes that that would prevent the bouncing, but it has been to no avail.

[knightmoves]

My car keeps bouncing—the wheels lift off the ground a few centimeters—as it leaves the bottom of the ramp, in the transition from ramp to floor. I believe that this may because the curve on my ramp is too steep. Does anyone have any experience with this? Do you recommend just rebuilding the ramp (there’s no way for us to change the curve of the current ramp because everything is glued into place)? Are they any changes that we could potentially make to the car to eliminate the problem instead? We tried putting extra weight on the car in hopes that that would prevent the bouncing, but it has been to no avail.

It sounds like you may have an abrupt transition between the ramp and the floor. In other words, your ramp is too steep where it meets the floor. If you don't want to change your ramp, you might have success with larger diameter wheels.

[Airco2020]

My car keeps bouncing—the wheels lift off the ground a few centimeters—as it leaves the bottom of the ramp, in the transition from ramp to floor. I believe that this may because the curve on my ramp is too steep. Does anyone have any experience with this? Do you recommend just rebuilding the ramp (there’s no way for us to change the curve of the current ramp because everything is glued into place)? Are they any changes that we could potentially make to the car to eliminate the problem instead? We tried putting extra weight on the car in hopes that that would prevent the bouncing, but it has been to no avail.

Just rebuilt ours for the same problem . I thought about try to put some shock absorbing solution in the car but in the end it was easier to rebuild our ramp.

[sdececco]

Hello, is one ramp allowed for all the teams of one school?

Look at the rules clarification. They state the answer there

[brookeklynn]

I think the hardest part of creating the ramp was figuring out what would excel the vehicle the farthest. The plan was to make a tall ramp with a steep incline to hopefully speed up the car using its own mass. The one big issue we ran into was what material to use for the ramp, we decided to use sheet metal. The issue of using sheet metal was cutting it. We got it figured out with the help of teachers, but without it would've been very difficult. I love the science olympiad because of the community and working with my friends.