Integrated Bumpers

[JesseK]

PINK had a fantastic idea IMO for bumper integration in 2014. They made a welded rectangle out of 1x1 extrusion and permanently mounted their bumpers to it. They had 2 rectangles, one for each set of bumpers. When bolted on, the rectangle became part of their frame. In talking to the team at Chesapeake, it made the bumpers very easy to change and allowed them more leniency with their actual drive frame. I think on the front & back it simply provided a double-barrier for impacts, yet they also didn't need the usual WCD "standoffs" on the side. To me this is a superior design since those standoffs, when welded, have cause my team's wheel base frame to do wonky things when the welder doesn't get it *just* right.

PINK had one rule misinterpretation when they went through inspection, however. They used the rectangle as the FRAME PERIMETER, yet it was weighed and inspected as part of the bumpers. Unfortunately, this caused them to violate the 8" rule for bumpers, even though the inspectors agreed that it was structurally sound. They found a way to appease the rulebook, but the situation does provide insight into how to update the design for next year, assuming the same rules. Technically, the bumpers have to be removable within 10 minutes - thus each rectangle can be a different frame perimeter "configuration", and a student can work for 10 minutes to demonstrate that the bumpers are removable from the rectangle with some effort.