[12.8.03] We applied the silicone today. It takes 24 hours to cure so we are unable to determine whether or not our sealing was succesful. Mmm, it looks so pretty.

[12.5.03] Continued testing, purchased chainsaw lube, RTV silicone, extra c-clip.

[12.3.03] Test Run! We discovered a small (read: vast) amount of leakage out of the side of our assembly. We talked to Jay down in the machine shop and he told us to purchase some RTV silicone to try and seal the crack. Despite the leak however, the rotor DID turn, albeit with a rather low amount of torque (we could stop it with our hands). See pictures here.

[12.1.03] Monday
All parts finished. We are going to attempt to assemble the entire casing and rotor and test run it today. The screws haven't been ordered yet but we will clamp down the assembly and try running it.

[11.20.03] Thursday
Kat and Chris finished cutting and press fitting our new shaft for our rotor.

[11.14.03] Friday
Brian and Cody finished all casing parts.

[11.7.03] Friday
Cody and Brian went to the shop to [learn to] program all three casing parts on the mills. Assigned times to finish parts on Wednesday and Friday.

[11.6.03] Thursday
Discussed solidworks models with Jay at the shop. Refined design and drawings and set up times to start machining.

[11.3.02] Monday
Presented initial findings/design to class. Download the presentation here. Materials arrived, set up shop times.

[10.28.03] Tuesday
Chris wrote up the budget proposal and put the finishing touches on the work order, which was emailed to Mark Jeunette. Both the budget and the order were are in a single Excel file, known hereafter as "The Money File", in which all budget work will be done. Brian did his part by experimenting with various types of amphetamines, determing that whiteboard markers do in fact contain Methadrine.

[10.27.03] Monday
We put the cut rotor into the furnace at 650 degrees C for around 2.5 hours. We filled the furnace with argon to prevent oxidation and air-cooled the metal to prevent cracking. Some oxidation developed while cooling. Hardness testing after annealing yielded a much softer 12.0 Rockwell C measurement. See the results here. Started a budget/materials order.

[10.24.03] Friday
Talked to Jon Stolk about annealing the steel. We tested the rotor with the Rockwell C hardness scale and found an approximate hardness of 51.4 - too hard for machine tools to cut easily. Prof. Stolk had a diamond precision saw that he used to cut the shaft off. The interior steel was slightly less (approx. 29) hard but still hardened so we decided to throw it into the furnace to see if it would help soften the steel. (See videos)

[10.22.03] Wednesday
Finished the solidworks drawings for the casing around the engine. Discussed design with Dave Anderson and the machine shop army. Decided to discuss removing the central shaft of the motor and replacing it with a longer shaft to fit the designs. Going to talk to Jon Stolk on Friday to discuss annealing the hardened steel at the end of the shaft.

[10.20.03] Monday
Kat created the drawing for the trigger and tubing mechanism. Cody started the solidworks model of engine and casing. Chris SolidWorks-ed the trigger and connector mechanisms. Brian set up the website.

[10.19.03] Sunday
Safety guidelines proposed.

Today we calculated the RPM of the electric motor. This was accomplished through the brilliance of Cody. A piece of wire was attached to one link of the chainsaw. We ran the chainsaw in such a manner that the wire hit a piece of paper every time it went around. Listening for this event with a microphone and LoggerPro yielded some impressive data. We found the RPM of the chain to be 150.8. Working this back through the gear ratios (48 teeth on the chain, 5 teeth on gear 1a, 59 teeth on gear 1b, 11 teeth on gear 2), the RPM of the motor was established to be 7760. We expected an approximate value of 7500 RPM because other 14" electric chainsaws run at this speed. Our data correlates very well to this estimate, so we assume its validity. See the data here.

[10.17.03] Friday
Purchased an electric powered Remington 14" Limb & Trim chainsaw. Cut an army man. (See videos)