Contest Rules 2021 CO2 Dragster - ASM International
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2021 CO2 Dragster
Contest Rules
INTRODUCTION: This is an Engineering, Design and Build competition that is part of ‘Celebrating
Engineering Ingenuity Day’ or ‘CEI Day’ at the Science Museum of Virginia. CEI Day is part of celebrating
‘Engineers Week’ which is always the week of George Washington’s birthday because he is the first well known
American Engineer. CEI Day has been cancelled for 2021 because of Covid-19; however, we will continue to have
the competition virtually. The date of the competition is ‘Pi Day’ or Sunday, 3-14-2021 and it will be broadcast
live via the internet starting at 1:00PM. No one but the judges and race officials conducting the races will be
allowed in so competitors will need to design, build, and have their entries delivered to Highland Springs High
School in boxes as stated in these rules. In essence, this competition is an engineering and design project and as
such the ‘Engineering Design Method’ needs to be employed! You MUST START BY READING ALL PAGES OF
THESE RULES BEFORE STARTING TO ENGINEER, DESIGN AND PACKAGE YOUR DRAGSTER. The reason is simple:
Engineers plan and use foresight when they engineer and design something so the only way to plan and use
foresight is to know exactly what the design and entry requirements are FIRST.
If you are not familiar with the ‘Engineering and Design Method’ then a web search using that title will provide
you with the needed insight. Understand that this method is an iterative process, a step by step approach where
you come up with an idea, realize after some effort the idea needs improvements (or will not work at all), so you
have to repeat the steps again and again (called iterations) until the concept works and makes sense. That is
why you need to start by understanding the design problem so:
Step 1: Read and understand the rules before doing anything!
Step 2: Understand that SAFETY is paramount at all times as you construct your car. What materials you use
and how you fabricate your car affects your safety not only in regard to the materials but also in regard to the
fabrication techniques (casting, sawing, sanding, painting, gluing, welding, 3D printing, etc.) you use. And this
year you need to use safeguards to protect yourself from Covid-19 (wear a mask and practice social distancing
and consider sanitizing shared tools should you work with others).
Step 3: As you read these rules thoughts will enter your mind of how you will want to build your dragster and
what materials you will want to consider. If you plan to use balsa wood, Styrofoam, basswood, paperboard (like
the paperboard tubes used to make model rockets), or plastic then these materials are intrinsically safe. Be
aware that the glues could have safety concerns so please read all warning labels before you begin construction.
If you elect some unusual material or method of fabrication (like using fiberglass and resin) then you should go
to the web and search for the Safety Data Sheets (SDS) (previously known as Material Safety Data Sheets), that
are related to the materials you plan to use. Note that the SDS sheets will include information with section titles
such as ‘Hazardous Ingredients,’ ‘Fire and Explosion Hazards,’ ‘Health Hazard Data,’ ‘Reactive Data,’ ‘Spill or Leak
Procedures,’ ‘Special Precautions.’ (Note: Points may be awarded if you prove that you have gone to the web,
found the related SDS sheets, read them, and highlighted any safety concerns. Correlating the SDS to what you
have written in your report could raise the quality of your documentation package raising your score.
Examples: “I chose to use balsa wood, bass wood, paper, paper board, Styrofoam and Elmer’s Wood Glue
because of their relative benign safety risks as can be seen in the enclosed SDS sheets. I still used a dust mask
12021 CO2 Dragster
Contest Rules
when sanding because ….” And conversely: I thought about a fabrication technique that used toluene as a paint
solvent and dismissed it because of its extreme fire hazard and the toxicity associated with the fumes as
described in the enclosed SDS sheet and …”, “I chose balsa wood and paperboard tubes because it allowed me
to use model rocketry technology as opposed to the monolithic approach of building the body out of a single
block of wood. It also reduced the exposure to sawdust and to use a safe wood glue …”
Note: Your school’s Career and Technical Education Specialists, Chemistry Teachers, and Engineering Teachers
can provide advice with the safety and fabrication concerns. Parents are a great resource as well.
Safety First:
If your vehicle is judged to be unsafe by the coordinators on the day of the event, then it will not be allowed
to race. Care must be exercised in the fabrication and testing of your vehicle before the event. Appropriate
safety precautions regarding the handling and use of your materials, and personal protective equipment (PPE)
like safety glasses, dust masks, and gloves, must to be used if appropriate. On race day, any mechanical failure
or recognized potential for failure, especially separation of the vehicle from the guide line or separation of
any component from the vehicle, may be grounds for disqualification at the sole discretion of the event
coordinators.
A note about the sponsoring organization:
ASM International is a professional organization dedicated to the dissemination of information about materials
and education on the subject of materials. This includes their properties, uses, behavior, how they are
manufactured, how new materials are created, surface treatments (to improve hardness, corrosion resistance or
to reduce friction) and to a lesser extent how to design using specific materials. This competition is meant to
bring the concepts of materials selection and the relative advantages of different materials to the forefront
through the design of a CO2 jet powered dragster.
The CO2 vehicles for this competition are similar to those for the existing Technology Student Association (TSA)
competition that many students are familiar with except that we have fewer restrictions. Participants are
encouraged to use whatever materials they judge best for their particular vehicles. Creativity is encouraged.
Outside of safety during construction, testing, and on the race day, there are no restrictions whatsoever on
materials used. The vehicle configurations need only conform to the regulations, specifications, and tolerances
listed below. (NOTE: Consider that TSA dragsters meet the requirements of our competition, our competition is
one week after the TSA competition and will be held at the same location.)
The Eastern Virginia Chapter of ASM International would like to give special thanks to the Henrico County Public
School System for kindly providing the use of their track and timing equipment, their facility at Highland Springs
High School, and to William Batkins for donating his expertise, time in setting up and acting as event coordinator
for this competition.
22021 CO2 Dragster
Contest Rules
General Requirements:
Each participant is limited to a single entry for the competition and is to be either hand delivered or mailed to
Highland Springs High School to Mr. Batkin’s attention. The school is located at 15 South Oak Avenue,
Highland Springs, VA 23075. Entries must be received by Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Consider that we are
not responsible for slow mail service which has been occurring of late due to Covid-19. If by mail or
delivery service then your entry must be inside a ‘competition acceptable’ mailer box. The ‘competition
acceptable’ mailer boxes are to be either 12” X 10” X 8.5” (available at US Post Offices) or 12” X 12” X
5.5” (available at Office Max Stores for ~$2) or in mailer boxes that do not exceed 12” X 12” X 9”. If hand
delivered then you may drop off your entry at the school’s main office during normal school hours and
the entry may be in a shoe box. In either case, the boxes are to be securely closed, have the student’s
name and address filled in where the return address section is located and the name of their school with
the school’s address in the normal “TO:” section. Competitors need to package their dragsters inside the
boxes such that their cars are not damaged in shipment. A minimum of two inches of bubble wrap or
similar shock absorbing material is recommended around the dragster. Competitors that send their
entries in non-compliant boxes will not be disqualified; however, there is a stiff 30 point penalty
associated with not following shipping with delivery directions (see scoring).
Each entry must include both of the two parts listed immediately below; otherwise, the participant will be
disqualified.
Part 1: Documentation: The participant is to submit a documentation package that contains a two-page
document for high school competitors and younger, and 3 pages for collegiate competitors following the
format outlined below describing what materials were selected and why they were selected for
construction of the vehicle. This is the Material Description and Selection Document (MDSD). If
appropriate, making reference to any researched and evaluated SDS sheets and their relevance to your
decisions may enhance your documentation package.
Part 2: Dragster: The participant will design and build a CO2 jet powered vehicle according to the regulations,
specifications, and tolerances that follow.
Race Day Procedure:
1. There are time limitations for the competition, so the number of participants is limited. Preregistration
is encouraged as participants will qualify on a first come, first served basis until all spots are filled. Late
registrants will be put on a waitlist and will be allowed to compete if time permits. It is possible
latecomers will be allowed to compete only if others are eliminated due to safety concerns before time
trials begin. Preregistration instructions can be found at easternva.asminternational.org. Look for CO2
Dragster Contest on the main page under Chapter Events. You are also encouraged to periodically check
our website for something entitled: ‘CO2 Drag Racing Competition Commentary.’ This is where the
sponsors of this event may provide some helpful suggestions, updates and/or some special notices.
2. Entries will be reviewed by contest officials to determine their safety on the track, among other things.
32021 CO2 Dragster
Contest Rules
3. Safe vehicles will race for two (2) qualifying times, one on each lane of the raceway. The two times will
be added together to produce the participants’ composite run times.
4. Vehicles that do not meet both event and safety regulations will be disqualified.
5. The vehicles will be scored and the awards will be given based on the procedure described below.
6. Following the race, efforts will be made to return the entries to the competitors by delivering their
entries to their respective high schools. That is the reason for the addressing of the box requirements
stated before. Participants can also come pick up their entries from Highland Springs High School by
appointment only. Unclaimed vehicles will have to be discarded.
Scoring and Awards: There will be two divisions for the competition, the High School Division (including
younger participants) and the Collegiate Division. There will be three cash prizes awarded in the High School
and younger division, $50 for First Place, $25 for Second Place, and $15 for Third Place, and one cash prize of
$100 for the Collegiate Division.
The eventual winner of the competition will be determined using a scoring system that considers how well the
cars performed in combination with the documentation package and how well they followed directions
with the delivery boxes. As such the fastest 10 entries will enter into the final analysis.
The MDSD Documentation portion of the fastest 10 contestants will be scored using the following rubric:
• Is the MDSD neat and well organized? If so and computer generated then 20 points, if hand generated
but neat and well organized then 10 points, and if neither then Zero points. Intermediate points
(between the maximum and minimum) may be awarded for this section at the discretion of the judges.
• Is the MDSD legible and logical? Yes 20 points, if legible but not logical then 10 points, if neither then
Zero points. Intermediate points (between the maximum and minimum) may be awarded for this
section at the discretion of the judges.
• Does the MDSD reference any SDS sheets and if so, does the correlation make sense? If yes then up to 20
points may be awarded at the discretion of the judges.
• Is what is described in the MSDS Documentation section reflected in the participant’s dragster? Rubric – is
the car made of the materials described in the documentation with clear descriptions of the materials
without exception 20 points, if most of the materials are described in the documentation with a few
exceptions then 10 points, and if there is only a list of the materials without a description then 5 points.
• Total points available in regard to the documentation portion is 80 points.
The points from this section will be added to the scores awarded to the ten fastest cars as described below.
• Point for the fastest cars will be awarded as follows:
o Fastest car gets 150 points. Second fastest 140 points. Third 130 points, Fourth 120 points (with
each place receiving 10 less points than the place above it down to 10th place getting 60 points).
• After all points are added then 30 point deducts for not following the mailing and delivery requirements will
be applied if appropriate.
42021 CO2 Dragster
Contest Rules
Example: The contestants with the lowest six composite times for a division are shown below along with their
Documentation points. ALSO NOTE THERE IS A THREE-WAY TIE FOR THIRD. Ties will be broken based
on the finish and appearance of the dragsters by three different judges.
Composite Time MDSD Total and
Name (points) Points Place
Able 160 pts 30 190 third
Betty 150 pts 42 190 third
Cora 140 pts 40 180
Dave 130 pts 70 200 first
Edward 120 pts 75 195 second
Francine 110 pts 80 190 third
NOTE: No 30-point penalties for not following directions with the mailer or delivery boxes have been applied
to the above as we assume compliance with this mailing or delivery requirement.
Material Description and Selection Document (MDSD):
1. Each participant is to submit a clear, logical, and convincing document that describes the materials
selected for the vehicle and the reasons for their selection. What are the advantages of the materials
you used? What were the disadvantages of other materials that you considered? What materials would
you have preferred to use? What prevented you from using them? Reasonable arguments could be
made for many different materials.
2. Examples of some the factors that might be considered when selecting a material for a structure are:
Cost Availability Ductility Transparency Density Toxicity
Strength Formability Recyclability Stiffness Toughness Friction
Ease of Machining Ease of Joining/Assembly Durability Safety
3. The document must be of letter sized (8 ½” x 11”) pages. It must have one inch (1”) margins at the top,
bottom, left, and right. It must be no longer than 300 words. The text must be typed or computer
printed, double spaced, and 10pt to 12pt in size.
4. The participant’s name, age, and school must be included at the top of the page.
5. Plagiarism is grounds for disqualification of the participant.
Following Directions in Regard to the Competition Acceptable Mailer Boxes:
Did the entry come in a box as stipulated in these rules? If yes then deduct zero points. If no then deduct 30
points from the total score.
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Contest Rules
General Competition and Vehicle Regulations:
A. The distance between the race track start and finish lines is twenty (20) meters.
B. All CO2 cartridges for the race will be provided by the race organizer.
C. No repair, maintenance, or adjustments will be allowed after the entries have been checked in. Any
damage that occurs during the race will be evaluated by the event coordinator to determine whether or
not the vehicle will be allowed to race again.
D. The participant must place his name, age, and school name on his vehicle for identification purposes.
Vehicle Specifications and Tolerances:
Vehicle Body Minimum Maximum
DB1. Body length 200 mm 305 mm
DB2. Body height, with wheels - 75 mm
DB3. Body width at axles, both front and back 35 mm 42 mm
DB4. Total vehicle width including wheels - 90 mm
Axles & Wheelbase Minimum Maximum
A1. Vehicles must have two (2) axles per vehicle, no more
A2. Bottom of axle hole or bearing above bottom of vehicle 5 mm 10 mm
A3. Axle hole from front and rear of vehicle 9 mm 100 mm
A4. Wheelbase (axle distance apart at farthest points) 105 mm 270 mm
A5. Bearings, bushings, and lubricants may be used
Spacer Washers & Clips Minimum Maximum
S1. Spacer washers - 10
S2. Axle clips - 4
Power Plant (CO2 Cartridge Hole)
P1. The power plant hole must be at the rearmost point of the vehicle and must be drilled parallel to the
racing surface to assure proper puncture of the CO2 cartridge. Sufficient structure must be retained
around the entire power plant to maintain structural integrity. Do not paint inside the CO2 cartridge
hole. Minimum Maximum
P2. Cartridge hole depth 48 mm 54 mm
P3. Cartridge hole diameter 19 mm 20 mm
P4. Lowest point of cartridge hole diameter above track 26 mm 40 mm
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Contest Rules
Eye Screws
ES1. Vehicles must have exactly two (2) eye screws per vehicle that meet tolerances ES2 and ES3 below,
mounted on the bottom of the vehicle along the vehicle’s center line. The eye screws may not make
contact with the track. The track guide line must pass through both eye screws. It is the responsibility
of the car designer to ensure that the eye screw holes are tightly closed to prevent the line from slipping
out. Minimum Maximum
ES2. Eye screw inside diameter 3 mm 5 mm
ES3. Distance between eye screws at farthest points 150 mm 270 mm
Wheels
W1. Vehicles must have exactly four (4) wheels, each one subject to the tolerances W2 and W3 below. All
wheels must touch the track at the same time. All wheels must roll. Diameter and width of each wheel
must be consistent for its full circumference. Minimum Maximum
W2. Wheel diameter 30 mm 40 mm
W3. Wheel width 2 mm 18 mm
Commentary: The sponsors of this event may provide some helpful suggestions, updates
and/or some special notices. Please plan to check our website for updates entitled:
‘CO2 Drag Racing Competition Commentary’
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