Originally Posted by daltore
I'd have to agree about the ducted fans. Close ducts around the blades SERIOUSLY improve propulsion force because less air is thrown off to the sides because of centripetal force. The duct creates a high-pressure zone around the edges of the blades that focuses all the air from front to back. Not to mention, if you narrow the end of the duct a little (toward the back), you get higher pressure, which should help you to move forward faster.
Insulation foam (like the kind used in insulation board) is very good for fan ducts, as it's easily formed, strong, and light weight, not to mention will catch any flying pieces that should come off in the foam itself, so you don't get any ricochets.
I can see how under normal circumstances that cage should be safe, but think about what could happen if a nut popped off either your robot or another one in a collision (as it looks like you'll be hitting pretty hard!) and fell into the propeller, you've basically got a "low-speed" bullet, probably combined with a shattered propeller blade that is no longer bound by centripetal force. Sure, all the drivers, coaches, and human players (minus maybe the two in the middle) would be perfectly safe behind half-bullet proof glass, but the judges and refs (who give you points, by the way) could be in serious danger. I think spending a couple hours lathing some foam into ducted fans is more than worth it to improve performance and keep people saying, "Dude, that was awesome!" instead of, "Ow. Hey, can I get a -- no, seriously, ow."
SWEET robot though! Really like the numbers on those things, looks like you'll be having some very fun matches at nationals!
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