Designing a Car: Finding the Right Fuel Tank Size

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on designing a 50-litre fuel tank for a car, emphasizing that the tank's dimensions depend on its shape. A 50-litre tank equates to 50,000 cubic centimetres. For a cubic tank, each side would measure approximately 36.8 centimeters, while a spherical tank would require a diameter of about 11.5 centimeters. The conversation highlights the necessity of determining the tank's shape to calculate appropriate dimensions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of volume measurement in cubic centimetres
  • Basic geometry concepts related to shapes (cube, sphere, rectangular prism)
  • Knowledge of mathematical operations, including cube roots
  • Familiarity with design considerations for automotive components
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of fluid dynamics in automotive design
  • Explore CAD software for designing fuel tank shapes
  • Learn about material selection for fuel tank construction
  • Investigate safety standards for automotive fuel systems
USEFUL FOR

Automotive engineers, industrial designers, and students in mechanical engineering who are involved in vehicle design and fuel system optimization.

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Dont know if this is the right forum for this question, let me know if its not!
Im designing a car and i need a 50 litre fuel tank. Can anyone tell me what the dimensions of the fuel tank would need to be?
 
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We can't answer this without more information on the shape you want. You could make a long skinny tank or a cubic tank to hold exactly the same amount.

In any case, you should know that a litre is defined as 1000 cubic centimetres. A 50 litre fuel take would be 50000 cubic centimetres. If you made one in the shape of a cube, each side one have to be "cube root of 50000"= 36.8 centimeters, a little more than 1/3 of a metre, on each side. On the other hand, if you made the tank in the shape of a sphere, it would have to be about 11.5 cm in diameter.
For a general rectangular tank, you need to find three convenient numbers whose product is 50000- those will be the dimensions in cm.
 

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