CO2 Dragster

CO2 Dragster-General:
CO2 dragsters are small sized cars, generally used for the teaching purposes of engineering students to explain about mechanical principles like force, drag, wind resistance etc. They obtain the name CO2 dragster because they are driven by compressed carbon dioxide cartridge which acts as a launcher. They are also used for racing and form the main source for the projects of many engineering students.

CO2 dragster is also known as Land Speed Record Assault Vehicles (LSRAV) and their outer body is designed and constructed with the help of wood. Basswood is generally used for construction

Dragster Related To Physics:
When a solid moves along a path with the uniform speed, it is diverted from its path by an external object. This deviation is due to the force applied on the moving body. The principle of force can be understood with the help of CO2 dragster. The force of carbon dioxide as a fluid acts as a launcher which helps the dragster to be in motion.

Another form of force called drag can also be explained in terms of dragster. Drag is a friction force that acts along the direction of the object which cancels other friction forces thus opposing the motion of the object. This principle is used in applying brakes in the CO2 dragster.

The energy for the motion of the car is due to the heat produced by the combustion of carbon dioxide, thus explaining the concept of thermodynamics.

Types of CO2 Dragster:
The four types of CO2 cartridges are

Rail Cars: This car is constructed with the wheels that protrude outside. It is usually made up of basswood and used by engineering students for studying purposes.

Shell Cars: This car contains tires which is located inside the base of the car. It contains encapsulated sections at the base to reduce the drag force.

Shell Revealed Cars: This type of car contains partially encapsulated sections and part of wheels is hidden inside the base.

Hybrid Cars: They are mixture of rail and shell cars which contains front wheels protruding and rear wheels hiding inside.

Parts of CO2 Dragster:
CO2 dragster is assembled into various parts to acquire the whole shape. The parts are as follows;

Wheels:
Wheels help the CO2 dragster to move forward. The axles present in the wheels causes friction. The drag force produced by the axle helps to control the speed of the car and to stop it.

Pitsco is the primary producer of CO2 dragster. This company uses Delrin plastic for tyres which is of high quality. This is easily bendable and does not contain any extra molds and gates bonding to the wheels. The other wheel models in use are GT front and GT rear wheels.

Axles:
Axles are rods which provide grip to the wheels and position it at the centre. Axles are made up of aluminum, steel or brass. Aluminum is used in wheels handled by students since it is weightless. But steel is the most preferable one because it is easy to construct. Axle blushes are present inside the car to reduce friction.

CO2 Cartridge:
CO2 cartridge is the root of power for the dragster. They may vary depending upon the amount of pressure they have. 80z cartridge is used in racing cars and 60z cartridges are used in cars for teaching purposes.

Body Blank:
The body of the car is constructed with the help of piece of wood by drilling and shaping it. In general, basswood and balsa wood is used. Balsa wood is easy to work with and it is light weighted. Power tools are used to shape the body.

Owing to all these facts, CO2 cartridges are best suited for engineering purposes of study.