Stress, Strain, and Stampeding

It’s been almost three weeks since the end of the 2017 Calgary Stampede and I think that I’m finally recovering. I’ve worked twice during the Calgary Stampede before, both times in food trucks. The hours were long and the work was demanding. After last week, I can definitely say that chuckwagon science is both more fun and more difficult.

For those who aren’t up to date, I spent the 10 days during the Stampede trying to instrument chuckwagon poles to measure their deformation during racing. There were several challenges, but after some preliminary analysis, I have some useful data.

Unsurprisingly, it turns out that a barn isn’t always the best place for sensitive equipment. Part of my data collection involved using strain gauges, which were glued to some poles to measure their deformation. Some of the less-than-awesome features of strain gauges are that they are delicate, fractions of a millimeter thick, and have easily breakable soldered connections. Adhering a strain gauge to a pole involves a tedious and time consuming process (described in the 4 page manual that came with the glue) that involves cleaning the surface with sterile gauze and strong solvents. I somehow managed to get everything clean enough to the point where the gauges could be properly mounted, but going through this procedure outdoors had me worried. Fortunately, the data from the strain gauges will be just fine.

Another hiccup involved the GoPro I was using to collect video data. Just like at the Ponoka Stampede and High River Rodeo, I mounted the camera just behind the chuckwagon pole. Despite its tenacity and durability, the GoPro’s case gradually succumbed to the trials of the chuckwagon track and got scratched and pitted. The videos taken later in the week became increasingly blurry.