Matteo M.L.
3/13/25
After a full year of not journaling I finished the supercharger project which took several 3d prints of the rotors since they never fit perfectly but once it was close enough I sanded them down to make them slide perfectly near each other without any collisions. When i finished that I had put the cover on it and bolted it in with screws. I then had a couple conversations with nick, an administrator and he let me borrow his RC car which was then used to power the motor that was attached to a metal rod that made the rotors spin. Once done I had then used it to showcase what I built and show how the airflow works and how much airflow it takes in and pushes. At the same time while finishing the supercharger I was in the wind tunnel group and Marley, Oliver and I were in the design of a new wind tunnel since the old one was not a good at all. We decided to go to ace hardware and buy lots of wood we thought would suit the new wind tunnel. Marley and I followed an instruction sheet that Oliver had made and sketched out and everything went well and then once the main base was constructed we built the 9th degree polynomial curve that in the long run didnt end up working so well since were only high schoolers with not the best of the best materials. Then we decided to purchase a smoke machine to show how the airflow works and it showed so much progress with the airflow that we were able to show. Since finishing the wind tunnel Marley and I basically just myself, have been working on a new lab for an aero spike rocket to show the different nozzles and force that the aero spike produces.
3/7/24
I have now completed the full build of the Supercharger putting all the pieces together and making sure It works. Now I have to figure out how to make the rotors spin and find a motor that will be compatible with my supercharger.
1/29/24
I finished the V8 engine and got it to work putting a screw at the end of the engine block so I could use a screw driver to make it spin automatically. I then found a video to print a supercharger for a car and It took a couple of weeks to have it fully print and shaved down. I came across a problem with the rotors that made then not fit and it turned out to be the height and with of the rotos because they were too close togerther that wpuldnt allow then to move and were too tall so the lid of the supercharger wouldn’t close. I then diced to shave down the lid and it ended up not fitting so now I printed a diffrent type of rotors and its turning out to work better still need to shave down a lot but so far Its doing well when trying to rotate. Ive also been helping the wind tunnel with some of their building.
9/1/23
Found a print of a supercharger engine with a 100,000 rpm motor and I will start printing after I finish the engine build which I now have the engine block and cam shaft just waiting for pistons and 2 other parts.
8/30/23
Got a print of the engine from Thingiverse and i’m currently printing a piston and Megan will print the rest of the parts throughout the day.
8/24/23
First day at WISRD ideas.
1. Possibly make a supercharger model (try to make it work) (plastic case around components to show how everything works). For air inlet use vacum or leaf blower to produce air. Have something where the air releases into or make a working engine (possibly v8 piston engine (simple version) ) Use belt or flat circular rotation device for suspension belt. 3D print rotors or find a replacement. 3D print phasing gears or find used metal gears at a junk yard or somewhere else. Use metal pipe as shaft to drive pulley.
2. Another possibility would be to make a v8 engine and make it work. make a plastic shell around the engine to show how the mechanics work if possible. As well try to have a vaccum or leaf blower to have as air flow and power to the engine.
Statement of interest, Spring 2023: IAs a transferring student, I have always wanted to explore engineering but have not had the outlet to do so. I am interested in exploring aerospace engineering, car design and I have some experience in video game design as well. I would like to see what I can achieve in any one of these areas by participating in WISRD and have the time and resources to see a project through from start to finish. I am also interested in being around other students with similar interests. I look forward to collaborating with others who are curious about different areas in STEM. Nothing like this exists in the schools I have attended before and I am excited to join a program where there are other kids like me. One of my dreams in life is to design cars and I've taken car design art classes in previous years. If I had unlimited resources I would explore creating a digital rendering of a car body of my own design and then creating the clay model from the design. Then I would like to learn all of the components of what goes into creating the mechanical design as well. Cars are one of my passions and it would be fulfilling to explore.