Category: Diary

Reading Assignment:  Shop Class as Soulcraft  p103 to top of p115

In-Class Discussion

Ch14 (Zen and Art)

1. Outdoor rotisserie

• good instructions vs bad instructions are determined by whether or not they promote peace of mind (ex: Japanese bike instructions)
• if you don’t have serenity, you can build your personal problems into the machine ( in our case, cannot rush in the machine shop given the fragile nature of our parts and the dangerous machinery)
• instructions only give you one specific way to do it, there’s actually many different ways

2. Divorce of art and technology is completely unnatural

• not diametrically opposed ideas
• reason (associated with technical) and feeling (associated with artistic)
• putting together the rotisserie is actually sculpting, emphasizes importance of perspective
• need to expand the nature of rationality so that it doesn’t do “blind, ugly things by accident andy et hated for that” (p168)
• similar to how Newton invented a new form of reason (calculus)
  • raises the question: is mathematics invented or discovered?

3. Dialectic and debate

• dialectic- discourse between two people leading to the truth
• debate- end goal is winning the debate through a convincing argument to bring the reader/listener to your point of view, doesn’t necessarily mean ascertaining the truth

Ch15 (Zen and Art)

• John and Sylvia have left, narrator is walking around the school where he taught

1. Rhetoric

• teaching someone to write well isn’t a logical and methodological process
• you can teach grammar and countless specific rules, but having those structural elements doesn’t make it good writing
• rules for writing are added on to the writing post hoc (after the fact), writing is not a calculated and premeditated process, but that’s what Phaedrus was teaching
• didn’t cohere as well with his belief in the Church of Reason

2. Quality

• “I hope you are teaching Quality to your students” (p181) causes an idea to parasitically grow like a seed crystal in a supersaturated solution (instantaneously and out of nothing)
• Assigns students the prompt: “What is quality in thought and statement?” (p184)
• has a paradoxical nature: you know what it is and yet you don’t know what it is

In Class Demonstration

Electrical system: energy transfer circuit

• opening the switch breaks the flow of current in the loop, opening at the right time when the magnetic field in the coil is large causes the magnetic field to collapse and produce back voltage (back emf… energy stored in magnetic field) to maintain the field as it is resisting change, back voltage charges up capacitor (energy stored in electric field)
• energy transferred from inductor to capacitor in microseconds time scale
• step up transformer boosts voltage by the ratio of the number of coil turns (also used in tesla coils)
• Energy stored in inductor = (1/2)LI^2…. L = inductance, I = current
• Energy stored in capacitor = (1/2)CV^2…. C = capacitance, V = potential difference
• circuit is replicated in the model, turning plate with slot lets light through to open the gate
• best time to open up the gate is slightly after the peak maximum on the AC signal
• modern systems use a battery based system where the timing is less important and much more forgiving

 

Lab Updates

• Bottom end- measured coordinates for holes in timing and primary covers using milling machines (end goal: make gasket for covers), also began electrolysis reaction
  • bath has baking soda (NaHCO3), one electrode is rusty plate, other electrode is iron, electrodes connected to power source, red rust converted into black rust (more stable form of iron oxide)
• Top end- measured tension and compression distance with ring force gauge, processed data to determine spring constant
• Frames, Forks, Wheels- applied Bondo, sandblasted wheel hubs, primed gas tank
• Electrical- made key slot for shaft of electrical model

D.Y.

Reading Assignment:  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Chapters 14-15

In-Class Discussion

Ch12 (Zen and Art)

1. Oriental philosophy

• Sanskirt: “Thou are that” – everything you think you are and everything you perceive are undivided, understanding that there is no division is enlightenment
• achieving zen helps remove the illusion of separation of subject from object
• trying to look at things from many points of view (ex: newspaper article) vs just your own (ex: editorial)

2. DeWeese (artist)

• shows Phaedrus’ interactions with a romantic thinker and how they bring out differen parts of each other
• not technologically averse like John and Sylvia, he is a patron and technology buff
• ex: light switch out in studio, DeWeese is interested in how Phaedrus came to diagnose the switch
• Phaedrus was fascinated by him because he didn’t understand him (applying classical thinking to social interactions, as well)
• when Pheadrus comments that the students he identifies most with are also the ones who are failing, DeWeese realizes it’s a super truth because the best students generally ignore/buck the established system
• there isn’t a black and white difference between technology/science and art

3. a priori motorcycle

• understanding how all the parts move together
• piston moves down, drives the flywheel through connecting rod, causes the primary chain to move, moves clutch basket (which is on a common shaft in high gear, so 1 to 1), wheel sprocket turns on axle, rear wheel turns
• diagram below

Ch13 (Zen and Art)

• Phaedrus was a professor at a teaching college (no opportunities for professors to research)
• accreditation- organization evaluates the school and ensures that it meets some standards

1. Church of Reason

• School is a place where learning and education takes place, devotion to intellectual improvement defines a university not the accreditation
• primary goal: “Socrates’ old goal of truth” (p149)
• But there are some places where you can’t apply reason (ex: ethics, art, faith)
• People are fanatics because they don’t have complete confidence in something (explains why Phaedrus felt identity with students from last chapter)

In Class Demonstration

• model of a stator (actually has 6 coils in a circle, model has two) with rotor in the center
• spinning magnet (and it’s changing magnetic field lines) produces a voltage in a coil
• putting an iron core in each coil causes the amplitude of the AC signal to increase
• laminated plates used to break up the Eddy current (magnetic break that’s induced, resists the motion of the current) into smaller areas instead of a single, large area

Point: Knowing the system components and the end goal, you can work backwards to design the specs of the individual parameters. In this case, knowing the minimum spark voltage needed, you can work backwards and determine the number of coils needed, strength of magnet, and other factors.

Lab Updates

• Bottom end- sandblasted outer timing cover
• Top end- measured tension and compression distance with ring force gauge to determine spring constants
• Frames, Forks, Wheels- sandblasted forks, applied Bondo, drilled pilot holes (note: don’t want the pilot drill to snap; always use recommended size or above)
• Electrical- created a GIF out of the image series of the automatic spark advance at different speeds

Reading Assignment

• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Chapters 12-13

In-Class Discussion

Shop Class as Soulcraft

Themes:

• Stochastic arts – include mechanical repair and medicine – work is always variable in constitution because it has not been created by the mechanics/doctors and is not absolutely understood.
• Attentiveness – Crawford emphasizes the importance of this trait rather than assertiveness in the stochastic arts.

Mechanics

• Bearings: Packing an open wheel bearing with grease between the inner and outer races – provides lubrication, prevents seizing. Our motorcycle has caged bearings.
• Swing axle suspension: Allows motorcycle to maintain holding upon hitting a bump – one wheel can go up while the other stays down.
• Shock absorbers in the back – gas vs. fluid shocks (the former uses air, the latter hydraulic fluid). Gas shocks work better upon hard impact.

• Improving performance:

1. Double-barrel carburetor – facilitates air intake at high speeds when air flow is rapid, allowing engine to run better at higher RPMs.
2. Free-flowing exhaust – better air flow.
3. Lightened flywheel – engine with heavier flywheel will start up more slowly.
4. Nitride coating inside bearing – minimizes friction and prevents wear.
5. Blueprinting, match porting – makes sure everything is within specs and holes align; minimizes turbulence and improves air flow.
6. Spring strength – ultimately determines speed of engine in terms of valves opening/closing.

• Signs of wear

1. Galling – two metal surfaces fuse together from heat, inadequate lubrication; pieces gouged out.
2. Mushrooming at valve tips – occurs at sites of impact.

Lab:

——

S.Y.

Reading Assignment

• Shop Class as Soulcraft: Chapter 4

In-Class Discussion

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Chapter 10:

• Theme: Scientific method – Discussion of Phaedrus’ qualms with the scientific method: From one hypotheses, many emerge; it is virtually impossible to test them all. The more we test, the more we move towards chaos, rather than away from it.
• Theme: Scientific method (cont.) – The purpose of scientific method is to select a single truth from among hypothetical truths.

Chapter 11:

• Theme: Classical vs. romantic; West vs. Orient; theoretic vs. esthetic
• Metaphor: Ascending into high country ~ “Climbing” arguments. Realization that philosophy tops the hierarchy of knowledge.
• Theme: Philosophy – Kant, Hume: Hume argues that sensory information is what matters, and Kant floats a priori notion of viewing the world, where we have preconceived ideas of what things are.
• Mechanics: Engine backfire – May result from lack of oxygen when mixture runs too lean. Exhaust pipes get hot and engine overheats. Can adjust idle – two parts – adjust mixture and then speed.

Calculations

Finding the engine torque:

Rear wheel – coulomb friction/slipping force:

• We calculated the torque necessary to slip the rear wheels. (We used the friction coefficient of rubber on asphalt (~1) and assumed a total burden of 400 lbs on the wheels.)
• We know F = μ*n , that the frictional force is equal to the friction coefficient multiplied by the normal force (200 lbs on the rear wheel), so the force needed is 200 ft. Since  W = F*d  (work = force*distance), and the radius of the back wheel is 1 ft, the torque at the rear wheel is 200 ft*lbs.

Engine torque:

• The engine torque multiplied by the gear ratio is this rear wheel torque, 200 ft*lbs (Energy is conserved in mechanical systems.) The gear ratio, which is reflected in the ratio of rates at which the flywheel and rear wheel sprocket turn (6000 RPM: 840 RPM), comes out to be ~7.13. The engine torque comes out to be 200 ft*lbs/7.13 = 28 ft*lbs.

High gear vs. low gear:

• The mechanical advantage is best in low gear.  Using the Triumph manual, we found that the gear ratio in low gear was 21.14 as opposed to that in top gear, which was 7.13. This means that in low gear, about one-third (~21.14/7.13) of the motor torque is required to provide the energy necessary to slip the wheels.

Lab

• Frames: Wet-sanded gas tank. (Advantage of wet-sanding: keeps particles off paper; prevents paper from getting clogged)
• Bottom end: Cleaned engine case. Tested oil pump using mock distributor to spin gear and start pump. Checked springs (4) and balls (2) comprising check valves.
• Electrical: Analyzed measurements of gap in spark advance.
• Top: Parts cleaning.

S.Y.

Reading Assignment

• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Chapters 10 – 11
• Shop Class as Soulcraft: Chapter 4

In-Class Discussion

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

• At the beginning of Chapter Eight, John realizes that there is a strange noise coming from his motorcycle. He checks the tappets, which can only be done when the engine is cold, and finds that the black plugs are covered in soot.
• John realizes that the stoichiometric balance of the oxygen and fuel is off due to the high altitude. The engine is too fuel-rich and because fuel is a hydrocarbon this creates a build-up of soot.
• He fixes this problem by switching to standard jets, from the oversized ones that he was using.
• Theme: One of the major themes in Chapter Eight has to do with dividing a motorcycle up into two parts: components and functions, and from there dividing components into the power assembly and running assembly. This ties back into the discussion of the Romantic versus Classic view of objects and machines. Pirsig stresses the importance of the hierarchy in dividing things into their basic parts.
• Theme: Chapter Nine brings up the idea of logic, specifically inductive and deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning is the idea that observations lead to general conclusions. Deductive reasoning is the exact opposite, specifically that general knowledge allows us to predict specific observations.

Calculations

•  We measured the torque required to make the clutch slip. This is an important calculation because at a certain force, the clutch will slip to protect the engine and keep it from overheating. We measured the force required to slide a canister resting on a wooden block past another wooden block. If there are multiple sets of plates in a clutch you can get multiple torques at which the clutch will slip. This allows for a larger torque in a smaller engine.

Lab

• Top End: Took inventory in preparation for mounting the carburetor onto the engine
• Bottom End: Prepared the oil pump for testing
• Electrical: Measured the centrifugal spark advance using computer software
• Frames, Forks, and Wheels: Sandblasted the nacelle, wet sanded the mudguards and primed them, and disassembled one of the braking mechanisms

E.W.

Reading Assignment

• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Chapters 8 – 9

In-Class Discussion

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

• Theme: Classic vs. Romantic – The narrator explains the divide between Classic and Romantic understanding, using piles of sand as an example. The Classicist would classify and subdivide the grains of sand into smaller piles based upon criteria such as grain shape, size, and color. The Romanticist would only see the pile of sand as a whole. This example relates back to the narrator’s allusion to a knife cutting motorcycle functions into parts. Just as piles of sand can be divided according to various classifications, so too can the functions of a motorcycle.
• During the narrator’s trek to Montana, a variety of problems crop up due to the intense heat.
• “Dieseling,” something that happens to the narrator’s motorcycle, occurs when the engine fires without a spark, usually because the reaction happens on the intake cycle rather than on the combustion cycle. Certain engines can ignite a spark without a spark plug, simply by compressing air and fuel at a high enough pressure.
• Sometimes, “dieseling” occurs because an engine that requires high-octane fuel is running on low octane gasoline. When this happens it is sometimes referred to as engine knock.
• Additionally, the narrator notices that his “left exhaust pipe has picked up a bluer color” which indicates that the chrome of the exhaust pipe is overheating.
• A final point that the narrator communicates is the definition of a machine, which he does by describing what Phaedrus is NOT. Specifically, he tells us that Phaedrus is not a machine, because he is not “pistons and wheels and gears moving all at once, massive and coordinated” (page 84).

Shop Class as Soulcraft

• Theme: Crawford argues that early motorcycles weren’t highly convenient or efficient. He cites advances such as automatic spark timing and systems of automatic lubrication for the engine for making the motorcycle more user-friendly.
• Along with these two advancements, there is a general trend towards making things more electronic (or more abstract) and less accessible to the casual user. For example, Crawford explains the premise behind the “idiot light” which serves as a replacement for a driver checking the oil level (by using the dipstick) on their own and instead encourages them to take it into a shop to be serviced. One of the drawbacks to this “advancement” is that drivers are given no explanation of the problem that has occurred and as a result have an even more limited understanding of how to fix their car or motorcycle.
• As the motorcycle’s rpm increases, its centrifugal spark advance (page 63) allows the spark to fire sooner. “Timing advance” is important because in the retarded position (lower speed) the spark can fire after the specified time and in the advanced position (higher speed) it can fire sooner. Early motorcyclists had to be conscious of the kick-starter firing back after the power stroke, especially if the timing has not been properly delayed.
• Theme: Crawford discusses the distinction between a thing and a device, noting, “A thing requires practice while a device invites consumption” (page 66). Going even further, Crawford argues that servicing a thing is even on a different level from designing it.

Calculations

•  We found that the speed of a motorcycle whose flywheel moves at 6,000 rpm (rotations per minute) can travel up to 60 miles per hour.
• We calculated this by setting the number of teeth on the engine and the number of teeth on the clutch to be inversely proportional to the rpm of the flywheel and the clutch basket. We found the answer to be 2375 rpm.
• Next, we set the number of teeth on the gearbox and the number of teeth on the rear wheel to be inversely proportional to the answer from above (in rpm) and the rear wheel sprocket. Our answer to this part was 841 rpm.
• From there, we calculated the speed of the rear wheel in feet per minute by using the formula for speed, given that the diameter of the rear wheel was 2 feet. We found that the wheel traveled at around 5,284 feet per minute.
• Finally, we converted our answer into miles per hour and found that our motorcycle could travel up to 60 mph.

Lab

• Top End: measured the cylinder using calipers and a spring loaded indicator. They found the diameter of the set of rings associated with the piston to be the max spec possible (twelve thousandths of an inch).
• Bottom End: disassembled the engine and cleaned the engine case. They began to look on eBay for missing parts.
• Electrical: measured the centrifugal spark advance using a stroboscope.
• Frames, Forks, and Wheels: sandblasted the lower nacelle, cleaned the hubs, and finished the inventory spreadsheet (which can be found under Data).
• Everyone took the online lab safety quiz.

E.W.

Reading Assignment

• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Chapter 7
• Shop Class as Soulcraft: Chapter 3

In-Class Discussion

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

• Some valve clatter is normal, the noise just means the tappets are working a bit sloppily.
• A shim is a thin piece of usually softer metal, and is used to fill the gap between other parts, like, for example, the handlebars and the clamp holding it to the motorcycle. Pirsig uses a disagreement between the validity of a beer can as a shim as a springboard for his discussion on the difference between “meaning” and “form.”
• Chain tension can be adjusted by a bolt near the rear axle, but the axle nuts need to be loosened first. You can also just loosen the axle nuts and move the position of the rear wheel manually, but the bolt is more convenient.
• Pirsig distinguishes “classical” versus “romantic”  ways of thinking, which correlate well with a “scientific” and “artistic” view of the world. This is the same gap he senses between John and him, since he is a classical thinker, appreciating the underlying form of things, while John is romantic, appreciating the overall appearance of things.
• Pirsig ruminates on analysis, using the motorcycle as an example. He splits the cycle into all of its separate systems, and then even further, creating a hierarchy of function. Yet, this “knife” he uses to cut up the cycle and analyze is cutting arbitrarily; there are countless ways to split up the cycle, he says.
• The connecting rod connects the piston to the crank.
• In a dry sump oil system, oil is stored outside of the engine, using two pumps to take oil into and out of the motor.

Shop Class as Soulcraft

• Crawford rejects Taylorism (or, scientific management), arguing against the divorce of thinking from doing in work, most obviously on display in Ford’s assembly line.
• He sees the rising consumer debt concurrent with new factory work in the early 20th century as a mechanism that kept workers in routinized jobs, out of necessity.
• Using the example of Best Buy, Crawford outlines the idea that the company has been empowering creativity at the bottom end of its hierarchy, but then rejects it. Instead he sees the language of “creativity” as breeding a sense of pseudo-independence; also, he see’s corporate structures like Best Buy’s as a result of managerial positions passing on accountability.

Lab

• Continued disassembly and cleaning; also, work on circuit and getting parts ready to paint.

J.R.

 Reading Assignment

• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Chapter 3-4
• Shop Class As Soulcraft: Chapter 1

Groups

• Top End and Carburetor: Bear, George, Monica
• Bottom End and Clutch: Sharon, Ben, Jordan, Kirk, Mac
• Electrical and Distributer: Manbir, Daniel
• Frames, Forks, and Wheels: Haydn, Eliza, Emma, Adam, Hillary, Mariana

How to edit the website

• Go to www-dept-edit.princeton.edu/ssp
• Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Enter Edit Mode”
• Go to the part of site you want to edit and add.

In-Class Discussion

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

• Narrator, Son (Chris), and friends (Sylvia and John) taking a motorcycle trip in order to experience the open road. Sylvia and John are also working on mending their marriage.
• Theme: Art vs. Science/Romantic vs. Classic: Narrator finds himself more of the scientist while John and Sylvia are more of the artists. This manifests itself in their difference of opinion on fixing motorcycles. The narrator likes the hands on aspect of fixing it himself, while John and Sylvia choose to separate themselves from the technology, almost fear it.
• Theme: “What’s Best:” We have lots of new information which is much wider than our old knowledge but not necessarily as deep.
• Good mechanics are thoughtful, careful, deliberate, not sloppy. Many mechanics are not invested in their jobs, which means they often miss things, and don’t do the job right.
• Cylinders and Pistons: Pistons move up and down in the cylinder and have an airtight seal between them. Detonation occurs right above the piston increasing pressure and allowing the piston to move. Our bike will have 1 piston and 1 cylinder.
• Choke: Helps start the motorcycle. Restricts the amount of air that can enter the cylinder so that the gas to air ratio is higher. In order to get a cold engine started you want more gasoline: a richer amount of fuel. Problems occur when choking the engine too much, or choking a hot engine because they the gas floods the engine. If the engine is flooded you have to take the plug out and let the gas evaporate.
• Kick starter: Ratchet with a spring which starts the fly wheel/piston moving.
• Plugs: Spark plugs produce sparks. Need a certain amount of voltage and gap to produce an optimal spark. Can burn or melt.
• Points: Low voltage circuit involving the battery connected by points. They constantly open and close and when they are open they get a spark. If they get carbonized (too large gap) their is not enough space for a strong electric spark and if they have too small of a gap the timing of the spark is off.
• Tappets: Caps on the rods which open and close the valves. If they expand the valve will never close all the way, or they will make a clicking noise.
• Seizure: When pistons (or other parts) expand more than the cylinder and gets stuck. In extreme circumstances can melt to the cylinder. Oil lubricates and keeps pistons cool to avoid this problem.
• Cooling Fins: Allow air to take away heat from the engine.
• Open-Ended Wrench: adjustable wrench. Problem is that if you use the wrong size you can round bolts really easily. Better to use a Spanner Wrench.
• Overhaul: Rebuild
• Sheared pin: Horizontal force cuts of the bolt. To avoid this problem don’t tighten bolts too much.

Shop Class as Soulcraft

• Office work vs. mechanical work: Finds that there is an internal reward with mechanical work because you are actually creating something. This goes back to the idea of Classic vs. Romantic. As a mechanic you are being an engineer instead of just crafting a product.
• Theme: Value of Labor
• Theme: Self-Reliance. We need to become more involved in the stuff that we have and learn how it works. We need to get away from the “call someone” mindset as more and more becomes automatic.

What we did in Lab

• Began sorting through parts and taking inventory
• Started cleaning some of the parts
• Started taking apart the engine

Notes by ED

Reading Assignment: 

• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Preface, Chapter 1-2
• Shop Class as Soulcraft: Introduction

Course Objectives:

• Understand the science behind motorcycles
• Identify parts and how they work.
• Generalization (e.g combustion engines)
• Identifying tools and how to use them
• Computer design
• Evolution of design

Groups: We will choose groups on Thursday

• Top End & Carburetor (3 people)
• Bottom End & Clutch (5 people)
• Electrical & Distributer (2 people)
• Frame, Forks & Wheels (6 people)

Safety Rules:

• Safety Glasses are required in the lab (especially away from the motorcycle area)
• No open-toed shoes
• No loose clothing and hair tied back
• Wear old clothing

In Lab:

• We took out the parts that we have. We will do a more detailed inventory on Thursday.
• We looked at the tool box.

Things to Remember:

• Put away tools at the end of the day.
• Each group should have a notebook and practice detailed record keeping.
• When disassembling make sure to put small parts in baggies with clear, detailed Sharpie labels.

Notes by ED