Cutting-Edge Go-Kart Transmission Design: Maximizing Efficiency, Strength, and Vibration Reduction

The transmission system in go-karts transfers the power from the engine crankshaft to the rear wheels via a chain drive connected to a sprocket. Unlike many vehicles, go-karts typically lack a differential, simplifying their transmission system. The chain drive effectively manages shock loads, ensuring reliable power delivery. This project aims to design an efficient transmission system by mathematical modeling for go-karts, optimizing power transfer from the engine to the wheels. Initially, a 28-tooth sprocket was designed but proved too heavy. To address this, the sprocket's mass was reduced through strategic skeletonization, while increasing the radius of gyration with inertial rings to enhance the moment of inertia by 5 to 10%, reducing vibrations despite the lower mass. Additionally, shaft designs were evaluated using two materials, EN-8 and mild steel. Shear force and bending moment diagrams were plotted in Python to accurately depict how the shaft, as a statically determinate circular beam, responds to loading. Modal and static analyses were conducted for both the sprocket and shaft using ANSYS Workbench. Moreover, modal results were graphically represented with angular displacement and velocity versus time using Python code. Solid Works facilitated Computer-Aided Design (CAD), ANSYS for Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE), and Jupyter Notebook for executing Python code. This comprehensive approach ensured an optimized design for the go-kart transmission system, balancing efficiency, and strength, and minimizing vibrations.