U of T Concrete Toboggan Team
Background
the Great North Concrete Toboggan Race (GNCTR) is the largest engineering competition in Canada. Every participating team builds a toboggan whose contact surface with the snow must be concrete. The toboggans have a weight limit of 300lbs, and must safety contain five riders. Each toboggan must also be able to steer and brake. As the superstructure lead of the U of T team for two years, I was responsible for designing all parts of the toboggan other than the skis.
Mechanical design
My main responsibility was designing the mechanical components of the toboggan. I split the design into four sub-systems: the shell, the frame, the steering mechanism, and the brake. Numerous concepts were generated for each sub-system. Through regular design meetings, these concepts were refined and filtered until a winning concept is chosen. The CAD model was then created in SolidWorks and tested for performance metrics such as weight, strength, and aerodynamics performance. Fabrication drawings are then created and handed off to the fabrication team.
Team effort
As the superstructure lead, I worked closely with the concrete team, ensuring proper integration of the two main components of the toboggan. I held regular design meetings for members of the superstructure team to discuss design ideas and to delegate tasks. I was also responsible for mentoring and guiding new members in the mechanical design of the toboggan. With the design complete, I collaborated closely with the fabrication lead to coordinate the construction of the toboggan.
Mentorship and knowledge transfer
After the competition each year, the team leads compile a lessons learned document for their respective departments. In addition to that, I also took initiation in creating a manual for concrete toboggan design. It included a summary of past designs and their strengths and weaknesses, as well as some key mechanical design principles that new members should know about. In the early stages of design, I would assign team members research topics on different mechanisms and have them present their findings in design meetings as a way of encouraging participation and learning.
Notable achievements
The U of T concrete toboggan team was the first team to use a composite material shell as the main body of the toboggan. Under my leadership, I refined the composite shell design for better integration with the metal roll cage structure and other mechanical sub-systems. I also pioneered a brake plate release system that is actuated by the weight of the toboggan itself, which resulted in some of the shortest brake distances in the competition. The toboggans created under my watch have perfect track records, making it down the hill every time without any incident.