12/4/2015

BY
PALASH NEOGI
B. SIVA VENKATESH
 SOUVIK DAS
GOUTAM MONDAL
AYAN SINGHA

PROJECT-
ME 781
GO KART
INTRODUCTION

The first kart manufacturer was an American

company, Go Kart Manufacturing Co. (1958).
In 1959, McCulloch was the first company to
produce engines for karts. Its first engine,
the McCulloch MC-10, was an adapted
chainsaw 2-stroke engine. Later, in the
1960s, motorcycle engines were also
adapted for kart use, before dedicated
manufacturers, especially in Italy (IAME),
started to build engines for the sport.
COMPONENTS
CHASIS-
The chassis are made of steel tubing. There
is only rear suspension, therefore chassis
have to be flexible enough to work as a
suspension and stiff enough not to break or
give way on a turn. Kart chassis are
classified in the USA as 'Open', 'Caged',
'Straight' or 'Offset'. All Commission
International de Karting - Federation
International de l'Automobile or CIK-FIA
approved chassis are 'Straight' and 'Open'.
Open karts have no roll cage.
Caged karts have a roll cage surrounding
the driver; they are mostly used on dirt
tracks.
In Straight chassis the driver sits in the
center. Straight chassis are used for sprint
racing.
In Offset chassis the driver sits on the left
side. Offset chassis are used for left-turn-
only speedway racing.
The stiffness of the chassis enables different
handling characteristics for different
circumstances. Typically, for dry conditions a
stiffer chassis is preferable, while in wet or
other poor traction conditions, a more
flexible chassis may work better. The best
chassis allow for stiffening bars at the rear,
front and side to be added or removed
according to race conditions.
BRAKING
Braking is achieved by a disc brake mounted
on the rear axle. Front disc brakes are used
in most shifter kart classes and are
increasingly popular in other classes;
however, certain classes do not allow them.
Shifter karts have dual master cylinders, one
for the front and one for the rear and are
adjustable to allow for front/ rear bias
changes.
ENGINE
Amusement park go-karts can be powered
by 4-stroke engines or electric motors, while
racing karts use small 2-stroke or 4-stroke
engines.
4-stroke engines can be standard air-cooled
industrial based engines, sometimes with
small modifications, developing from about
5 to 20 hp. Briggs & Stratton, Tecumseh,
Kohler, Robin, and Honda are manufacturers
of such engines. They are adequate for
racing and fun kart applications. There are
also more powerful four-stroke engines
available from manufacturers like Yamaha,
TKM, Swissauto or Aixro (Wankel engine)
offering from 15 hp up to 48 hp. They run to
and around 11,000 rpm, and are
manufactured specifically for karting. Those
are used in some National Championship
classes like the two-strokes.
2-stroke kart engines are developed and
built by dedicated manufacturers. WTP,
Comer, IAME (Parilla, Komet), TM, Vortex,
Titan, REFO, TKM, PRD, Yamaha and Rotax
are manufacturers of such engines. These
can develop from about 8 hp for a single-
cylinder 60 cc unit (MiniROK by Vortex) to
over 90 hp for a twin 250 cc.[1] Today, the
most popular categories worldwide are
those using the Tag 125 cc units. The recent
125 cc KF1 engines are electronically limited
at 16,000 rpm.[8] Most are water-cooled
today; however, previously air-cooled
engines dominated the sport.
Transmission
Karts do not have a differential.
Power is transmitted from the engine to the
rear axle by a chain. Both engine and axle
sprockets are
Removable; their ratio must be adapted to
the track configuration in order to get the
most from the
Engine. We have thought of replacing
differential with a compound chain
sprocket system.
Tires
Wheels and tires are much smaller than
those used on a normal car. Rims are made
of magnesium alloy, aluminum, or
composite materials. Tires can support
cornering forces in excess of 2 g (20 m/s²),
depending on chassis, engine, and motor
setup. Some car tire manufacturers, such as
Bridgestone, Dunlop or Maxis’, make tires
for karts. There are also specific kart tire
manufacturers, which include MG, MOJO,
and Vega. Similar to other motorsports, kart
tires have different types for use appropriate
to track conditions: Slicks, for dry track.
Slick kart tires come in many different
compounds, from very soft (maximum grip)
to very hard (amusement and rental karts,
less grip but long life span). In international
level racing, because the drivers are free to
choose their tires and because of the short
duration of each round these are some of
the softest tires found in motorsport.
Rain tires, or "wets", for wet weather. They
are grooved, made of soft compound, and
are narrower than slicks. Not all racing
classes allow rain tires.
CHASIS DESIGN
A chassis consists of an
internal framework that supports a
manmade object in its construction
and use. It is analogous to
an animal's skeleton. An example of
a chassis is the underpart of
a motor vehicle, consisting of the
frame (on which the body is
mounted). If the running gear such
as wheels and transmission, and
sometimes even the driver's seat,
are included, then the assembly is
described as a rolling chassis.
Different types of chassis:
1 – Ladder
A ladder frame car chassis is a common
type of frame used as a base for vehicles,
creating a solid base from the shape that
the name suggests.
2 – Backbone
A substantial central component is
necessary for a backbone car chassis,
connecting the front and rear of the entire
frame.
3 – Monocoque
A monocoque car chassis is one that uses
metal that is molded from sheets of the
material, which is the same method used to
build other parts of the frame. This type of
chassis is similar to a unibody type.
4 – Space
A space chassis can also be known as
tubular even though it is not tubular in the
true sense. The components are welded
together to create a strong frame that
comprises some flexibility.
5 – Combination
You will often find that a car chassis is not
any single types, taking elements from a
range of different types to create a version
that is best suited to the car frame.

Steering Mechanics
The steering system of the vehicle is
designed to be able to withstand the large
forces generated from the steering gear
motor. The gear motor itself will be mounted
to a plate that is attached to the front
suspension supports. The gear motor will
have a 2:1 increase in gear ratio so that it
will drive the rack and pinion at 180rpm.
The gear on the gear motor output will be a
48tooth spur gear, and the gear on the rack
and pinion will be a 24 tooth spur gear. The
assembly will go together as shown in Fig. 1.
Steering Wheel and Pedals
The steering wheel with pedals is the third
mode of control for the go-kart. It works off
of nearly identical principles as the joystick.
The steering wheel will be mechanically
attached to a potentiometer via a belt. The
turning of the wheel will subsequently turn
the potentiometer and change the output
voltage with respect to the supply. This
voltage will then be sent directly to the
microcontroller. A spring mechanism will
center the steering wheel when no force is
being applied to it. This is intended to give
the operator the feel of a normal vehicle
where the wheels work to right themselves
automatically.
The pedals will work in the same way as the
steering wheel, except they will be directly
linked to potentiometers. There will be
separate potentiometers to control the
throttle and braking, as they will take inputs
from two separate pedals. Both signals from
the potentiometers will be connected
directly to inputs on the microcontroller.
Each of the pedals will also be attached to a
spring to bring them back to their original
position. This is important to ensure that
neither pedal remains in the active position
when the operator does not intend for them
to be there.

Drive Train
The drive train system of the go-kart is
designed to be both robust and adjustable.
The drive train consists of an engine, a spur
gear mounted on the shaft of the engine.
This spur gear is connected to another spur
gear mounted on the intermediate shaft
through chain. The intermediate shaft also
consist of another two gears which are in
turn connected to the wheel axle through
chain sprocket to rotate the wheels.
REFERENCES
1. Alex Peslak, Alex Kattamis and Steve
Ricciardelli. “E-Racer: An Electric Go-Kart.”
University of Connecticut. NSF 2001
Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid
Persons with Disabilities. Retrieved on 25
September 2008.
<http://www.engin.swarthmore.edu/academi
cs/courses/e90/2005_6/E90Reports/EK_DM_fi
nal .pdf>
2. Joel G. Landau, James J. LaPenna and Todd
M. Piche. “Recreational Electra-Scooter for
Special Children: A Fixed-Radius-Turn, On-
Off-Control Wheelchair Carrier.” State
University of New York-Buffalo. NSF 1994
Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid
the Disabled. Retrieved on 25 September
2008.
<http://nsfpad.bme.uconn.edu/1994/chapter
_8.pdf>.
3.WIKIPEDIA
 CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
COMPONENTS
CHASIS
BRAKING
ENGINE
TRANSMISSION
TIRES
CHASSIS DESIGN
DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHASSIS
STEERING MECHANICS
STEERING WHEELS AND PEDALS
DRIVE TRAINS
REFERENCES