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Re: Mechanical Reliability
I've found that most of our failures have come not from the design, but from the manufacturing and assembly of our components. Using the wrong types of fasteners, or not using loctite, has caused many assemblies to come loose and fail. Misaligned holes, shafts, chains, etc... will also lead to early failure.
It's tough to spend the first 4 or 5 weeks designing, prototyping, and testing to find what works. Then spend the last week rushing to reassemble all your work, without much forethought to how long these assemblies need to last.
One of our stupid moments of this year came to light just a couple weeks ago at our last post-season comp. We noticed that our drive gearbox mounts had come loose, causing a misalignment with our drive chain. During the 6-week build, we had assembled all the mechanical components, then came back and installed all the electrical gear, including mounting panels and brackets. Unfortunately, the main electronical panel was installed directly over these gearbox mounting screws, and were impossible to get at without removing the entire panel. (Good times...)
Anyways... as most people have already mentioned, over-design as needed with respect to material selection, x-sectional area, and gear ratios. But, don't forget about the little details, than can (and will) come back to haunt you.
BEN
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