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Originally Posted by Jeremiah H
we built our robot for defense (remember our drivetrain?  )... after the first day we were doing some massive tweaking jobs just to get the frame square enough to keep our gearboxes from binding up.
As for fixing the welds that broke (all but five or six by the time season was over*), |
This is the one thing I'd like to try to avoid. We have the capability to build a second frame, and our design makes it extremely easy (comparably to most other drive setups) to swap an entire drive train, but I am still somewhat worried about a frame taking the kind of beating our team would give it. 393 might remember, and 177 definitely will- we aren't especially kind to our robot with defense. Basically, if we get a chance to shove, we will, regardless of the orientation of our robot, or the damage that might be inflicted upon it by pushing. (Basically, an 8-foot fall could be significantly kinder to the robot than a regional). As a result, stuff gets bent, out of whack, but it's nearly impossible to shear a properly bolted component- holes or bolts. If it gets too bad, you just drill a few new holes, grunt the pieces into place, and you're good to go- basically with a connection as strong as when you started.
If a weld breaks during one of our thrash/spin/flip maneuvers, it may be a far more dire situation than if we had used a bolted connection.
Questions:
1. I plan to use a large bolt in bushing that doesn't require mounting holes- the casing has threads to be clamped into a hole. the hole will be ~ .75" in diameter- can I cut that hole before welding?
2. I plan on using a plug (round tube) that welds into this hole in the frame so that I may clamp down on the sides of the channel without bending it in- can I weld two flush surfaces, sand off the weld, and still have a strong connection between the surfaces?
3. We will need a guard around the wheels to protect them, and I was considering a welded, 1/16" tube skirt, bolted onto the interior frame for ease of replacement. 1/16" frame people, will these skirts get beat up unbelievably badly? They can bend up some, but will they just end up as mangled robot appendages in need of amputation?
Thanks, I'm trying to compile all of your knowledge before we attempt to depart from our standard. I want to make sure this is really going to work, and is work the effort.