ES125

ES125 teaches modeling and analysis of mechanical and systems. Topics include resonance, damping, frequency response, Laplace Transform methods, Lagrange’s equations, multiple degree-of-freedom systems, and 3-D rigid body dynamics.

The final project for this course involved designing a suspension system which attaches to an egg drop carriage and mitigates the impact force so as to not break the egg.

Team members: Addison Liu, Emma Kate Price, and Soy Choi.

Egg Drop Final Project

Design and construct a suspension system which attaches to the drop carriage and mitigates the impact force so as to not break the egg. The following is the list of approved materials:

• 8 shocks
• Plywood
• Acrylic
• Delrin/Acetal
• 1/4-20 threaded rods
• Unlimited 1/4-20 hardware

Suspension Design

After going through a brainstorming process, we decided to model our suspension system after the Falcon 9 (SpaceX) rocket’s landing gear.

We chose a combination of delrin and wood for our components to balance structural integrity with decreased weight.

The first step in our build process was to create a cardboard prototype of our system to ensure proper dimensioning while saving materials.

We then laser cut our components out of wood and delrin and assembled using 1/4-20 hardware, our shocks, and custom 3d printed shock connectors (designed by me).

Our system successfully landed the egg from 5ft and 8ft without cracking it. Our team also won the award for closest acceleration prediction.