Quote:
Originally Posted by pribusin
Hmmmm... not the kind of engineering I want to teach my team. I get how one can circumvent rules to remain 'legal' however that doesn't necessarily make it sound engineering. I was hoping for both a legal way AND a way that follows the spirit of the rule which, I believe, is for the frame perimeter to support the plywood bumper base sufficiently so that it doesn't crack during collisions.
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Also, the rule (R21) says, "plywood or solid, robust wood". If you're worried about breaking the wood backing you could use something like, oh say, solid ash. The "structural element" supporting the bumpers doesn't need to be nearly as robust if you manifest that strength and stiffness in the bumpers. Many teams actually rely on the bumpers to enhance the strength of their overall robot, because there is effectively free weight to be had in the bumpers which could be and has been played off as "attachment features"