Their story, in their words…
We undertook the ambitious challenge of building a go-kart with the help of the Mark Evison Foundation from scratch.
To start off the project we investigated the different options of power sources and drivetrains that could possibly be used on a powered vehicle of this size. Initially, we intended to create an electric go-kart as this was more environmentally friendly however batteries are extremely expensive so we had to resort to more traditional internal combustion engine power. We decided to use a chain to transfer the rotation powered by the engine to the rear axle because a chain-driven kart allowed us to experiment with gear ratios and how they affect hill climbing capabilities, top speed and acceleration which many of the group were excited to learn more about.
Despite not being able to use an electric powertrain with our budget we decided to try and increase the eco credentials of the project so we sourced a second-hand engine from eBay the seller was also very helpful in explaining the steps to maintain an engine of this kind including the ratio of petrol to engine oil to be mixed for the best fuel performance.
We decided to use all-terrain tyres so that we would be able to use the go-kart on the school field as well as in the car park. After sourcing all the parts that we could at the start we started the assembly process. Unfortunately, we encountered a major obstacle here as we tested the rear axle we had bought and realised that there was a manufacturing fault so that the splines on the wheel hubs and the axle were not aligned. This meant one side of the axle could not be used without modifications or a change of plan, thankfully after lots of thought and doing lots of research and some help from our DT teacher, we found a workaround for this however this had set our project back.
From then on we decided to invest more time in the project in the hopes that we could make more of the components ourselves rather than having to rely on manufactured items, thus we made our own front wheel hubs out of leftover sheet metal from the frame and created our own whole front end of the kart including a steering system made out of the frame of an old school chair. The first time we tested this it collapsed, however, after using some stronger nuts and bolts the system worked more smoothly.
Having now finished the project with the Mark Evison Foundation we intend to keep the go-kart at our school so that it can be used to help DT students understand the build process. We also wish for other students to get a feel for the kinds of materials used and where different parts should be, which hopefully will inspire them into building a go kart or something similar in their future.
We have all learnt a lot about not only basic mechanics but also engine maintenance as well as project organisation and team working and we are very thankful for the Mark Evison Foundation giving us the chance to undertake this project.
