Safety Alert please read!

[fox46]

I've been mulling this around in my head after seeing the kids had been experimenting with pneumatics this past weekend. In the interim, if teams insist on using the plastic tanks rather than switching to metal, what about placing some sort of containment device around the tanks? I was thinking a heavy sock with tie wraps around where the pneumatic tube connects to the fitting. At the very least it should help contain any shrapnel or at least reduce its kinetic energy should one rupture.

[vic burg]

Yikes! Glad everyone is safe!

[Wetzel]

Did FIRST include this information in an email blast? I was visiting a team earlier this week and they didn't know about this issue. They were in the process of setting up a pneumatics breadboard. I showed them the blog post and a bit of pneumatics safety. They decided to plumb everything as training, but were not going to use these tanks in a live system. I am working with a different subgroup when 20 minutes later when one of the pneumatics kids came over with a cracked cylinder. They had followed the blog installation instructions and had put a crack that is vertically the full length of the threading, out through one of the ribs, and about 1 cm down the outside of the tube. They said they probably would not have noticed if I hadn't pointed out the blog post and they were concerned about doing it correctly and looking at it closely.

The point is that teams still don't know, and tanks are still having issues.

Wetzel

[Mark McLeod]

I haven't seen a FIRST email blast in two weeks-unusual during build season.

Just the Blog warning.

And a cryptic notice to look at the blog warning, on the KOP Technical Resources webpage.

[FrankJ]

The email blasts have been going out. I do not recall see a warning about the air cylinders on them though. There are also on first's web site if anybody wants to look through them.

[Dad1279]

Originally Posted by ftc3799

.....During robot testing today we had a catastrophic failure of two of the new Clippard Air Tanks simultaneously. Luckily no one was seriously hurt. We had them pressurized to approx. 110 psi and during leak checking they blew apart into small shards ........

2 tanks burst at the same time? What was the 'leak checking' procedure? (tightening fittings or spraying soap?)

Were the tanks connected together with a common brass fitting, or a flexible hose between them?

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Guys,
The OP posted that further examination showed what appeared to be a manufacturing defect in the plastic. Please remember that these tanks have been used on FRC robots in the past without failures.

[Dave Campbell]

In addition to Al's statement above: Clippard, FIRST and AndyMark take safety VERY seriously and all of those parties are currently evaluating the situation. I believe they will have a statement and course of action very soon.

[Racer26]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Please remember that these tanks have been used on FRC robots in the past without failures.

Al, correct me if I'm wrong, but I was of the impression that these Clippard tanks were new, and not before tested in an FRC environment, but that they were an answer to similar model tanks from another manufacturer used in the last couple FRC seasons by some of the heavy hitters like 217 and 1114.

[IndySam]

Originally Posted by 1075guy

Al, correct me if I'm wrong, but I was of the impression that these Clippard tanks were new, and not before tested in an FRC environment, but that they were an answer to similar model tanks from another manufacturer used in the last couple FRC seasons by some of the heavy hitters like 217 and 1114.

Yes the Clippard tanks are new and not what we used last year. We will be harvesting the tanks from last years bots until this is resolved.

[dudefise]

Would it make it safer to put a wrapping of duct tape around them, at least for testing and until we are given an actual course of action? I realize this would likely render them illegal, but might help to contain any shards since dict tape usually splits on a seam.

[Trent B]

The chemicals in the adhesive of duct tape could also potentially weaken the plastic, I would be wary of this as a solution.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Theoretically, same materials, similar specs. I would suspect we are going to have a response soon. Please be patient. Use the tanks from last year in the meantime.

[fox46]

Although your suggestion of a sock sounds pretty good, what about versions of the mesh bags used to contain onions and other similar vegetables? (Those might be easier to incorporate into existing designs.)

My thoughts around using the sock was that they would be elastic and absorb the energy of an expanding tank while allowing the compressed air to permeate the fabric and release pressure. The onion bag idea could work as well but are they not a relatively non-elastic material?

Would it make it safer to put a wrapping of duct tape around them

I think since the duct tape would be wrapped around the tank tightly it would tear as the tank expanded. I feel it would also contain the compressed gas which could cause it in itself to burst like a balloon.

[JamesCH95]

I'll just leave this here...

Kevlar Biaxial Sleeving

I do not advocate teams reinforcing their plastic tanks.

Though the added weight a reinforcing a plastic tank might make metal tanks weight-effective again. They will certainly be safer.