Case Study: Griffith School Of Engineering

INTRODUCTION
Griffith School of Engineering has various researchers, academic and non-academic, working on several projects to improve the technology using innovative ideas. One such project currently being undertaken by senior technical officer, Domagoj Leskarac, is development of an electric motorcycle. The project team, Griffith Electric Motorcycle (GEM) team, is based on the Nathan campus of Griffith University.
This project was a part of my final year Industry Affiliates Program (IAP) thesis along with my professional practice experience. My main task in this project was to design, implement and test the complete drivetrain for the motorcycle. I designed the power source which would be used by the motorcycle. Adding to this, another important
Application of engineering research in real-life requires a careful analysis of ethical compilability. The GEM team had carefully analyzed the testing procedures and ensured no unethical conduct would take place during experimentation.
Although, no such experimentations were a part of my project, human involvement with the motorcycle would eventually take place to test the ability of the motorcycle for everyday use by the common man. A meeting was organized where any such possibilities were recorded. The team identified several areas like electrocution, short-circuiting, improper weight distribution and damage of the batteries.
The possibility of electrocution and/or short-circuiting was reduced by using properly insulated cables and connectors with appropriate power ratings. The connections would be securely fixed to reduce any chances of short-circuiting.
The mechanical team of the project was given the responsibility of weight management. Online simulation softwares would be used to replicate the motorcycle’s performance on the road and changes to the weight distribution would be made accordingly to ensure that the bike does not fall while it is in
The GEM project involved combining different sections from varying fields. The usage of high voltage and current was a key part of this project and hence, precautions had to be taken to ensure careful selection of products that would be used to connect the high power equipment.
Analyzing the amount of voltage flow through each section was a critically important task. This was required to purchase the appropriate connector wires which were rated to support the incoming power and heat levels. After the completion of the calculations for each section, I would re-check all my work and present it to my supervisor for cross-analysis. I received multiple feedbacks from my supervisor for improving the efficiency of my calculations by altering my method.
Careful analysis of the EMRAX 228 motor and Bamocar D3 controller datasheets was performed to gather the voltage flow estimates for each connector. Table 1 shows the voltage and current range for both the motor and the controller.
Table 1: Technical data used to decide cable connectors for the motor and controller [1], [2]
Technical data EMRAX 228 Bamocar D3
Voltage 50 - 450V 400