THE FUEL TANK

The final project for this class was to create a motorbike fuel tank of sheet metal in groups of 9-10. This task was overall challenging, and required me to incorporate all the skills learnt throughout the whole semester. The fuel tank was a fun learning experience which was definitely difficult. However, I did find this slightly easier than the tray.

Process

One of the first things we did as a group was discuss different methods of reaching the end goal. Many processes were suggested such as:

• Hand making a 1:1 model of the fuel tank of layered MDF and hammer forming the sheet metal over it
• Using a CNC machine to create a female mould of the fuel tank and hammering into it like the blister

However, after long discussions and time constraints we decided to boycott these ideas as they were extremely time consuming and some of the equipment required were booked out. Therefore, we resorted to hammer forming sheet metal and referring back to the skeleton instead.

The overall process was fairly straight forward. However, there were a few bumps along the way. As a group, we decided to choose the third fuel tank to create as its form was more aesthetically pleasing and we wanted to avoid using photogrammetry as no one in the group had any experience in it.

The first issue we ran into was accessing the model of the fuel tanks. Each program we used to open the file provided would produce a bunch of guidelines for a non-existent loft.

After sorting this out, we got straight into laser cutting the components for the fuel tanks as this issue put us behind. Assembling the first skeleton of the tank proved to be difficult as not enough of a tolerance was provided and some pieces were missing.

After finally having a physical model, we had a long discussion on how to divide the tank into 3 different segments that were of the same size and similar difficulty. The group then argued over which sections of the tank they wanted to create. This was solved by drawing sheets of paper out of a hat which corresponded to one of the 3 sections of the fuel tank. I ended up with section 2 of the tank.

Metal Forming

Many different tools and various of techniques were used to produce the end result. Paper Templates were created and traced onto the metal to establish a general shape of the piece which was then cut using the guillotine.

This was then run through the sheet metal roller a couple times to create a general curve that followed the shape of the fuel tank. The plastic mallet was then used to start bending the metal into the correct shape. The techniques learnt from the bowl project were applied to create the curve at the back of the fuel tank. This was effective in creating the general form of the tank but also left a very bumpy and uneven surface finish.This was followed by a back and forth between the sandbag and skeleton to compare and get the sheet metal to closely resemble the finished piece.

After this I turned to the english wheel to smooth out the uneven surface. The surface of my section was now extremely smooth, however the english wheel undid 75% of the work and was now completely deformed and far off from the shape of the tank.

After seeking assistance from Daniel, he suggested using the dolly to stretch the metal around tight corners. This was very effective and also didn’t leave an uneven surface. He also suggested being strategical by identifying what areas of the metal need what technique instead of mindlessly bashing it into shape. He separated the sheet metal into 2 different “bowls” and a torus to connect them. This helped me visualise how to form the metal efficiently. I then used the dolly to better define the vertical curve of the torus. The dolly was also used to flush out any blemishes in the metal caused by the plastic mallet.

Overall, this task was an enjoyable experiences with lots to learn at every corner. Something that I will continue to remember and apply into my industrial design discipline is the skill to segment a piece and solve each puzzle individually.