Skid marks

[T967]

Has any team expirianced penalization for skiding? If so how big was the tire skid? Was it dark? What kind of tire did you Have?

[Jnadke]

If the skid marks are rubber, then that's a good thing, because that means your wheels are being damaged and not the carpet fibers. You shouldn't be penalized for this.


If they are furry, that means the carpet fibers are being ripped, which is a big no-no.

[SouthBronx]

they r really strict when it comes to carpet so make sure you don't tear it

[BillyGoats]

um, we ripped the carpet last year, i dont think they get mad. Well they where mad becuase they had to fix it but you know

[Jeremy_Mc]

Just make sure you don't grind up the carpet every time you turn and i think you'll be ok...

if it happens in a pushing match or something i'm sure they'll understand

*jeremy

[Gadget470]

Originally posted by SouthBronx
they r really strict when it comes to carpet so make sure you don't tear it

They are situationally strict. If a device of your's is poorly designed (i.e. Metal Arm Hit's Floor) and causes carpet damage from normal forces, you will be penalized. If say, you get tipped over, slide down the ramp and the top of your bot smacks the carpet causing a tear, i doubt you would be penalized, and neither would be who tipped you.

If the damage is YOUR FAULT, via design, you will be penalized when damaging carpet. Test your bot in as many situations as you can (without breaking it) to see if you could possibly damage carpet. If you have the weight to spare, I'd suggest line all metal components that could feasibly hit the ground with a soft rubbery material. If that piece hit's the ground, having a small shock absorber will both help prevent damage and also help prevent breaking a component.

[srjjs]

Originally posted by Gadget470
If you have the weight to spare, I'd suggest line all metal components that could feasibly hit the ground with a soft rubbery material. If that piece hit's the ground, having a small shock absorber will both help prevent damage and also help prevent breaking a component.

PIeces of metal shouldn't be close to hitting the ground anyways, as you need almost a 2" clearance to make it over the ramp.

[illumanat'i]

there already was a thread about this... i'm sure of it....

the refs don't mind tears and skids as long as its a one time thing. if your robot keeps tearing because of a design flaw (especially if it isn't) and you don't try to fix it, then the fur (or metal) will fly

[Jay Lundy]

Last year we transferred weight and got into plenty of pushing matches. In two of those matches there was so much pushing the rubber of the treads came off, leaving long "skid" marks. We were never penalized though.

And no we didn't damage the carpet. We just had to replace our treads.

[Gadget470]

Originally posted by srjjs
PIeces of metal shouldn't be close to hitting the ground anyways, as you need almost a 2" clearance to make it over the ramp.

That's partially what I mean. having too small of a clearence wouldn't be a DQ'able design flaw until you rip the carpet. Even if you have the clearence, your center of gravity may be off, when taking off you may tip back and jam up on a metal piece.

Adding soft-ish material to hard material is also a saftey factor. 2 years ago (on 247) one of the mentors almost lost his eye. Would have if he didn't have saftey glasses on. But if that arm hit 2 inches lower he would have gouged his cheek. As a precaution, whenever possible, put some form of padding on moving objects.

[Joe Ross]

Remember that the rules this year for allowable traction devices and allowable field damage have changed significantly since last year. For this reason, any ruling that the refs made in the past about skid marks is not valid for this year.

If your wheels make skid marks in practice, they will make them 10 times worse in competition, and so you should probably not use them.