Quote:
Originally Posted by brennonbrimhall
That implies that bumper construction and design would be critical in a T-bone situation.
How would - Relative Bumper Height
- Bumper Material
- Robot Center of Gravity
theoretically play into a T-bone situation? |
There's a famous quote out there that goes something like, "Now you're thinking with portals." Along those same lines, think in terms what each of those variables would do to the friction between the two bumpers. In other words, start thinking in terms of vectors.
Relatively Bumper Height won't play too big of a role in prevent t-bones. Friction is a function of the surface material and the force involves. Limiting the surface area wouldn't do anything. However, mounting your bumpers too high could let a particularly low defender get under your bumpers, which isn't good either.
Bumper Material is definitely an interesting idea, and something that immediately came to mind when this thread popped up. The going theory is that if your bumper cover reduces friction, then you're on the right track. However, in my opinion, you'd need to not only show that your material is (a) low-friction on most other bumper material used in FRC and (b) makes a significant enough difference to actually matter.
COG is another interesting point. If you look on the three axis, "up and down" positioning should not matter in a pin situation (aside from the obvious instability issues). When considering where on the base your COG lies, this could be a difference. You'd have to consider the moments involved, which include the moments caused by your pinner, your wheels, etc. Ultimately, there's two things to note about this; you have to balance your free performance with anti-pinning performance and if a defender pins you head on your COG, you're both gonna get to know each other well for a few seconds.
- Sunny G.