Diary

Recap of last week’s work:

Clutch + Oil:

One group manufactured a part to tighten clutch; other team was researching the carburetor and how it works.

Top + Bottom End:

Cleaning parts; starting to move on to building the engine.

Wheels + Frame:

Cut spokes with bolt cutter, dissembled parts, made nuts more accessible by removing grease

Electrical:

Continued sandblasting main frame

Next Steps

• Putting a power coat and some of the parts in Philadelphia.
• Clutch Springs: Should be 1 21/32 of an inch.

Notes:

• Gasoline is a hydrocarbon. Oil is a mixture of many different hydrocarbons; when heating it up, the lighter substances bubble and vaporize. When distilling gasoline, start with crude oil, and warming it up. The first thing to come off is butane, then gasoline (octane: C8H18). To get better energy release, you have to get the best mixture of oxygen and gasoline (too little is lean, too much is rich). If it is too rich, unburned fuel with go out the exhaust pipe.
  • The calculation: C8H18 + 12.5 O^2 -> 8 CO2 + 9 H20
  • Exothermic reaction. Releases NOXs (nitrogen oxides, smog)
• The more power you have, the greater the acceleration. To get more energy out of the engine/per explosion:
  • Larger engine
  • Higher pressure in the engine
  • Pure oxygen instead of air
  • Use a fuel that has oxygen

Book Discussion:

• Quality is undefinable concept. Why is he trying to define it?
• Using students to find an answer to a difficult question.
• Pilgrimage to top of mountain India. While trying to analyze and understand philosophy, his physical strength and intellectual motivation wasn’t enough to get him to the top of the mountain. He doesn’t have a spiritual/mystic force pulling him upward; an egoist.
• “Quality is the cleavage term between hip and square.” Trying to bridge romantic and classical thought.
• He says, If we didn’t have quality, the world would be different. But is that a proof of existence?
• Art and beauty are not the same. 
• Biology often makes things way more energy efficient than robotics can imitate.

Emilly’s notes for 02/18/2024

Recap of last week’s work:

Engine Team:

Cleaned up both the small and the large components i.e., washers, using an ultrasonic cleaner (good for getting solvent into tiny spaces).

Wheel group:

Pulled out barring and retained the hardware inside.

Took the brakes apart and wheels off.

Clutch and oil:

They worked on fixing the clutch. They planned on using a piece of aluminum rod to create a cable stop.

Cons of making your own cable stop rather than purchasing: time-consuming, requires careful measurements.

Cons of using a 3D piece rather than metal: lacks material-strength, suitable material (better than aluminum) is steel.

Electric team:

Organized electrical components in the cabinet.

Sandblasted frames.

Interesting finding: found a crack on one of the frames.

ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS EXPERIMENT

Experiment 1:

Magnet on the middle part and coils on the side of a flat wooden surface.

The piece of laminated steel inside the coil generates voltage to get an LED blinking.

Based on Faraday’s law, voltage generates current, the greater the current, the brighter the LED.

Learnt: The alternator has 6 coils.

The coils have different diameters and different numbers of coils; the coils have different purposes. The coarser ones provide sufficient current to run the electrical system of the motorcycle. Some coils are for the ignition and some are for the horn system.

In the experiment;

The coils are wound in pairs.

The core is laminated, this is so to fix energy loss by restricting eddy currents to the coils.

Oscilloscope

The faster the spin, the higher the voltage. The voltage alternates from + to -.

The relationship between spinning and voltage is 1: 1(directly proportional).

Experiment 2: High voltage generator

Consist of; 

A primary and a secondary coil. The primary coil has fewer wire turns while the secondary coil has multiple turns.

Laminated core, contact, breakerpoints.

The setup becomes when we run current through the primary coil, contact is broken and the setup becomes a buzzer circuit.

When we slide the secondary coil over the primary coil, sparks are seen.

Magneto-electricity(Faraday) – magnetic field changing in time.

In an ignition coil, there is; 

A primary coil – this is coarse.

A secondary coil (has lots of turns for a higher voltage).

DISCUSSION

Reading: Chapters 14-16 in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Design (no motorcycle references – care when riding a motorcycle over gravel as one can fall over easily).

CHAPTER 14

Discussion led by: David

Content

The narrator reflects over going to visit DeWeese. 

Question: Why does the author say that DeWeese is the living image of DeWeese as opposed to the man himself? He says so because he has no real memory of meeting DeWeese before thus he doesn’t have the personal experience that he should have as he interacted with him before as Phaedrus.

Triangular relationship between the narrator, John and DeWeese: John has a joking relationship with the author while DeWeese still sees the narrator as Phaedrus. Talk on quality; John doesn’t seem interested in deep talks that the narrator and DeWeese engage in. John and DeWeese know different forms of the narrator, they both talk to him as different people. DeWeese is defensive of the Phaedrus he knew and is kind towards the narrator. There is also a disconnect on knowledge of the narrator in both John and DeWeese, yet they both don’t know it.

DeWeese empathizes with the narrator because of his romantic view of life.

Dialogue:

DeWeese is upset with the instructions of a manual and wants the narrator to criticize it. DeWeese is interested in the sculptor’s view; if you can build it , you sculpt it.

The idea of peace of mind: to engineer something, one needs to approach it with the idea of doing it with a good calm mind, and take time in doing so. This relates to the lab; taking our time, approaching the motorcycle repair with the right attitude, and focusing on the process, not the completion.

Pg. 170 dialectic reason meaning and how it differs from a debate. Dialectic reason deals with discussion whose end result is truth while a debate is a discussion for the best argument win, not necessarily on truth.

What we learn about the narrator: teacher of rhetoric.

CHAPTER 15

Discussion led by: Vanessa

Content

Narrator’s relationship to Chris.

Chris’ fear when they go to the university and his fear of his dad, this suggests a throwback to a traumatic experience.

The narrator’s visit to the classroom and the effect that it has on him; closure, pain.

Sarah and the narrator talk on quality: what is quality and how do you know when it has been achieved? How do you evaluate the quality of an essay?

CHAPTER 16

Discussion led by: Chloe

Content

Self reflection at the beginning and religious allusions.

Question: What does the religious allusion tell us about the narrator?

Phaedrus tells the girl who had trouble writing an essay to look at the brick. This helped the girl get creative as it forced her to think about something new rather than what people tell her to do when writing.

Reflection: Phaedrus’ talks about grading and knowledge oriented students and how it applies to ourselves as students and the plot in general. 

Lack of grading:

Idealism – grading shouldn’t be a motivating factor for learning thus grades should be eliminated. (Phaedrus’ argument).

Realism (class’ opinions): Grades provide feedback, people go to school to get credentials, others make it a career.

People interested in a subject become fanatically interested in it and read, not necessarily grades as a motivating factor for them.

The idea that most students would leave university when grading is dropped (according to Phaedrus) is not real as people would still join universities for credentials.

Emilly’s notes for 02/16/2024

Recap of last week’s work:

Engine Team:

Cleaned up rockers, valves and tension washer.

Re-greased

Learnt: From Professor Littman; There are 2 springs per valve. The springs are in opposite directions (clockwise and anticlockwise) for even pressure.

Question: Why do valve springs need to be strong?

The springs provide the force for the valve to close quickly; if weak, the valve would open quickly and close slowly. The heavier the valve, the stronger the spring.

 

Wheel group:

Removed the rubber part of the tire and spokes.

Learnt: Spokes work in tension, spokes are threaded.

 

Clutch and oil:

Tuned the close to finished motorcycle and filled the oil reservoir.

Checked for oil leaks in the secondary oil reservoir.

Problem encountered: the motorcycle couldn’t turn on when kick-starting. This was due to slipping; the torque was insufficient to turn on the engine.

Proposed fixes: Tightening/compressing the springs that hold the holding plate and clutch plate. 

Using a spring with a larger spring constant; a spring with a larger spring constant is harder to stretch.

Question: Why so many plates?

This is the concept of coulomb friction. The more the plates, the more the surface, as a result, the basket can be made small.

 

Electric team:

Degreased and sandblasted pieces. (Grease needs to be removed first before sandblasting, as grease causes sand to clump)

Ways of degreasing:

Flushing the parts with water then drying.

Using a degreaser.

Suspension systems: plunger types and hydraulic press.

 

DISCUSSION

Reading: Chapters 12-13 in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Design (no motorcycle references)

 

CHAPTER 12

Discussion led by: Aminatou

Content

The introduction of the character, DeWeese. We learn that Phaedrus found DeWeese interesting.

DeWeese – connected with the artistic side of things.

Interesting contrast on how the narrator is critical of John who is connected to the artistic side of things yet Phaedrus was interested in DeWeese, who shared in the artistic side of things.

The narrator impersonates Phaedrus by understanding him though other people.

A critical description of Montana.

We learn that the narrator liked DeWeese because he did not understand him. This contrasts his usual behavior of getting frustrated whenever he didn’t understand someone or something, for instance John.

Pg. 141: Troubleshooting electrical system (what we learn from the discussion between DeWeese and the narrator on troubleshooting, when DeWeese had a problem with the light bulb):

Troubleshooting involves action and observation.

One requires a baseline knowledge to troubleshoot effectively.

Troubleshooting involves an individual being an experimentalist, not afraid to try and not reckless(here’s where experience is essential)

 

CHAPTER 13

Discussion led by: Rashmiya

Content

The chapter mainly involves 2 arguments; Phaedrus’ university talk on accreditation of university education and his argument on faith, belief and doubt.

Church Talk:

Based on the church talk by the narrator, we learn that based on the narrator, education is a mindset, not tied to a physical place, just as a church is not the building but rather what goes on inside it.

People’s views on narrator’s argument or removing accreditation of the university of Montana:

Agreed but as a student, accreditation of university still matters as it is a means of earning a degree thus means of employment, as a result it is unrealistic. 

The removal of university accreditation would result in less weight in college education, as a result, learning would cease to be substantial.

From the Church talk, we learn of Phaedrus’ fanaticism, as he argues on the Church of Faith being rational despite the idea lacking realism and rationality.

Professor Littman pointed out how it was interesting that Phaedrus used Socrates’ idea on seeking truth to relate with his idea on university education, considering Socrates was put to death for corrupting youth.

Faith, belief and doubt:

The narrator suggests that everything always falls apart and that there is power in reason.

Pg. 152: Through the analogy of the sun, that we have confidence that the sun comes up every morning thus we have no need to shout so, we learn that the narrator’s lack of faith made him search for the truth.

What do we learn about the narrator from the chapter:

He was teacher of English

He had an engineering background, wrote technical manuals.

 

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance Chapters 7-11 notes (Vanessa)

Wednesday February 4^th Lecture Notes Aynslie

• Chapter 4,5,6

Update

• Engine has been dropped – Removing 3 bolts was crucial
• The motorcycle wheels have been measured and new wheels have been ordered – purchased 3 rims
• Wheel team also employed the dial caliper
• Wheel time also undid the screws and kept records
• The engine has been partially taken apart
• The Three Tree is being taken apart
• The front wheel is also being removed
• The fasteners have been sorted – will need drill new holes because some of the previous threads have been completely stripped due to the incorrect use of different types of fasteners

Book Analysis

• Chapter 4 (approximately 15 min per chapter)
• Technical Material Included in the Chapter
• Machinist hammer is not a mallet
• Cold chisel = solid piece of metal
• Tire Irons – needs three to properly remove the wheel
• WD40
• Impact driver – tool select which direction Right or Left and then hit the impact driver with a hammer – can often rotate a fastener around 10 degrees – set for left if want to loosen a fastener
• Point File – hardened steel needs to be hardened for filing down the points (which can be made of Tungsten)
• Narrator uses a checklist for tools
  • Also, carries Walden – interesting choice includes romantic anti-technology ideals
• Narrator emphasizes the value of practical skills and understanding the technology not just following technology.
• See the difference in classical vs romantic debate (Phaedrus = romantic Narrator = classical)
• The shop manual and troubleshooting guide can be found on Canvas
• John and Siliva are riding a BMW – very reliable and very expensive
  • BMW is horizontally opposed, decreased the sound and vibrations from the engine
• Chapter 5
• Technical References First
• Shims = mentioned – solution quite clever –
  • We have phosphorous bronze for our shims
• Handle bars need to be tightened – solution use the shims so then when attach – attach around the whole handle bar. Shim increases diameter
• Box ends = wrenches that are open with 6 or 12 point – cages the nut
• Analysis
  • Beer can as a shim story – see the difference in values (big focus of the book + philosophy: what is valued, how do we value something)
  • In the narrator’s mind beer can solution = good because practical
  • John’s mind cannot tarnish his BMW with beer can, but also genuinely doesn’t know and understand why a beer can is a smart fix
• Son does not receive treatment for his mental illness – narrator’s solution to mental illness = going on adventure
• Chapter 6
• Technical Information
• Cotter pin = pin that locks a washer and goes through ad secures the washer to an even further extent – person pulls the ends out to prevent from moving even further
• Analysis of Book
• Narrator recognizes Phaedrus can go too far + over load and become too analytical
  • Suffers from dual personalities – only through electro shock did the Narrator come back into existence
• Phaedrus often thinks on a really high conceptual level, but less practical – unlike the narrator.

Monday February 2^nd Lecture Notes Aynslie

Book Discussion Covering Chapter 2 + 3

Chapter 2

• Technical parts of a motorcycle mentioned: seizure (excessive heat causes piston to get hot because the barrel cannot expand)
• Spark plugs, points, kick starter, carburetor (made up of two pieces that float =- later on switch to mono block – 1 part)
• Points – 2 pieces of mental (tungsten, material depends) that push together + separate. You can adjust the timing of the ignition through the points. When the points open = spark, so can rotate the points and alter time of ignition – need timing to be just right
• Tappets – hardened steel on the cam
• Push rod – composed of alloy one goes up and one goes down – 1 push rod opens the intake + 1 push exhaust valve – dependent on the two movements occurring
• Tappet adjustment = how much play in the motorcycle that you want – always aim for a little bit of give due to thermal expansion, use a gauge of 1/1000 in- if incorrectly done the noise can be heard sounds like knocking. There is a happy medium.
• If the wrong type of fasteners is put on (Whitworth, Imperial, Metric, etc.) can dig into the threads and prevent disassembly.
• Details make a big difference, must take time
• Classic motorcycle problem (one we will likely run into) is the float gets stuck which causes all the gas to go on the ground.
• Chisel – flat head
  • Cold chisel = solid piece of metal – hit with a hammer – nothing absorbs the impact – misuse it can have major consequences.
• Cooling fins – air flows over and cools (air cooled)
  • Also, our engine is naturally aspirated
• Motorcycles = air cooled 25%-30% efficient, 1/3 energy lost heat 1/3 heats up engine
  • Large motorcycles are water cooled
• More power = more heat = more fins + surface area due to the greater power. More explosions per time = more power = more heat
• What Need to Learn
  • Need to solve own problems
  • Pay close attention – can’t miss things
  • Need to make sure motorcycle fasteners are correct
  • Use lock washers on our motorcycle
  • A lot of simple things are causes of far bigger problem
• Chapter 2 Technical Continued
• Overheard valve– intake air overhead – leads to higher compression ratio – leads to increased efficacy
  • Diesel engine = more efficient 40%
• Higher compression increases efficiency which leads to detonation – raises temperature and causes knocking
• Overhead cam – our motorcycle not have – we have overhead valve (O.H.V)

Chapter 3  

• Speedometer – cable from rear to handle bars faster = more turns
• Magnet pulls the needle to show the speed
• Tachometer = RPMS’s measures speed
• Our motorcycle’s top speed = 6000 RPM

Book Analysis (Chapter 2 + 3)

• Narrator changes his opinion on ghosts to explain scientific ghosts, how the world has changed through science
• Does gravity exist? Is the theory correct? Use particles as example? Is light a wave and a particle?
  • Gravity, light, etc. all theory – not entirely known – if it really exists because a physical object doesn’t move
  • Eistein liked that the objects affected each other, without people knowledge does not have an impact

Groups

1. Handlebars, Fork, Wheel
   1. Alex
   2. Vanessa
   3. Chloe
   4. Abby
2. Top + Bottom End
   1. Nate, David, Ben, Eugene
3. Clutch, Oil, and Fasteners
   1. Zane
   2. Aynslie
   3. Halla
   4. Emily
4. Electrical
   1. Diana
   2. Connor
   3. Rashmiya
   4. Amy

 

 

Monday 01/26 Notes:

Books:

1. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
2. Shop Class of Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into Values- Books can be purchased on Perusall through Canvas or on Amazon Kindle.

Reference Materials: tigercubandterrier.com

Lab Objective: Disassemble the motorcycle and restore it.

Week 1 Reading: Preface, Introduction, and Chapter 1 (Zen and…)

On Wednesday (01/28), we will discuss the introduction.

Lab Safety Due By Wednesday

For following weeks, we will read 5 chapters/week. We will read 2-3 chapters for Monday and the remaining 2-3 on Wednesday. Make note of motorcycle references. The chapters will be discussed in precept. Each discussion will have a discussion leader.

Daily Structure:

1 hour of discussion

Move to the lab where we will split into groups.

Each group of 4 will be responsible for 2 aspects of the motorcycle.

Groups will be decided on Wednesday

There will be a final powerpoint presentation during reading period in which each person explains some aspect of the motorcycle restoration in detail, highlighting the technical elements.

Class Expectations:

No Phones

Wear Safety Goggles

Discussion: What do we want to learn? Ex. How to use tools.

• How to identify, troubleshoot, and resolve mechanical issues
• The science of an engine (combustion, pistons, etc.)
• How to theoretical concepts apply to our physical work (specifically ECE)
• How the transmission works

Wednesday 01/28 Notes:

Groups:

Top End:

• Top end of the motor, also known as the head of the motor
  • Includes the cylinder head, valves, valve seats, rockers, springs, barrel, and the piston
    • Barrel = the cylinder that the piston moves in

Bottom End:

• Bottom end of the motor
  • Includes the transmission, fly wheel, push rods, and the cam

Our motor cycle has a 4-stroke engine: Intake, compression, power, exhaust. It is a deflagration engine.

Electrical:

• Mainly concerned with the sparking system and the head/tail lights
  • Includes the spark plugs, battery, rotor, stator, rectifier, and the points

Clutch + Oil:

• The clutch allows you to disconnect the running engine from the wheels
• Our motorcycle has a wet clutch, meaning it is bathed in fluid
• Our motorcycle is a kick-start
  • Includes the plates, primary chain, oil reservoirs, and the oil pump

Fasteners

• Whitworth hardware
• Today’s standard is Imperial (SAE) bolts/threads, but there are also metric.
• Whitworth is English Imperial
• Currently, the wrong hardware has been put on our motorcycle, so the threads may be chewed up
• Job of this group is to repair the threads
  • Use inserts: drill a bigger hole, thread it, and put in an insert
  • Use thread gauges
• This group will also be responsible for the fenders, or “mud guards”

Frame

• Tubular frames that have been welded together
  • Includes the triple tree, spring shocks, swing arm, and the plunger

Wheels

• Spoked wheels with 40 spokes/wheel
• Rims are currently a mess, so we are going to rebuild the front and rear wheels
• Rebuild the hubs and brake assembly
  • Includes the brakes (shoes and drum), spokes, rims, and the tires

Handlebars + Forks:

• 2 levers
• Our ball bearings for the steering need to be assembled
  • Includes cables, levers, and the triple tree

Reference Materials:

“Cub Body” on Canvas:

• Tiger Cub “Bible”
• Great technical resource
• History of the bike

“Cup Appendix” on Canvas:

• Serial numbers on each motorcycle + technical details
• We are a 58T20C (probably somewhere around pg. 133
• Towards the end:
  • Component dimensions
  • Ignition timing
  • Factory gearsets for the different transmission
  • A list of all engineering changes made to the motorcycle (pg. 195)

Part Manuals in Modules:

• Exploded views with part numbers

How to Lead the Discussion:

1. Take control of the class:
   • Pose questions
   • Invite classmates to speak
2. Start with any motorcycle references
3. Move to chapter content

01/28 Discussion Notes:

• Introduction (led by Alex)
  • Phaedrus is the narrator’s old self, Narrator is his new self
  • Person vs. their nature
  • Author is schizophrenic and references it in the book
  • Keep an eye out for mythology references near the end of the book
  • We are entering the book knowing that the narrator is flawed
  • Be mindful of the first-person: Are you getting the truth

 

• Chapter 1 (led by Eugene)
  • Motorcycle References
    • The choke (pg. 13)
      • controls the fuel-air mixture using the Bernoulli Effect
      • When the piston goes down (increasing volume), air is pulled in. The choke stops the air, drawing raw fuel (unatomized) into the chamber
      • John was wrong because he flooded the engine
        • Too much fuel, got the spark plug wet
        • Standard solution is to remove the plug, let it dry, and then restart the motorcycle without choking it.
    • Points (pg. 14)
      • Create a magnetic field that then collapses to make a spark
      • Made of high temperature material
      • “Burning up the points” = common, bring an extra pair on long journeys
    • Cylinders (pg. 13)
      • Piston and barrel are cylinders
    • Cast Iron
      • Molten iron that is cast
      • Has little crevices that make it good for engines because they hold oil
    • Plugs (pg. 14)
      • Spark plug
      • Diagnose the engine by looking at the color of the spark plug
        • ex. If they are black, there is too much fuel and not enough air
  • Content
    • Starts very descriptive (nature) and moves into analyzing the minds of the couple
    • Couple doesn’t like repairing technology but uses it
    • Consumer of technology vs. engaging with it
      • Human resentment of technology while wanting to reap the benefits
    • Nature (human) vs nature (world)
      • Maybe they aren’t so different
    • Theme: Value + Aesthetics
      • Buddha quote (pg. 18)
      • Narrator places value in both nature and the man-made
      • Conjecture: technology can bring as much piece as nature can
    • Narrator is trying to avoid being a hypocrite
    • Narrator is careful not to put down his friends
    • Art vs. Science
    • An assessment of what is best
      • Recall the subtitle: “An Inquiry of Values”

HOMEWORK: Read chapters 2-6.

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