Is there a rule that states air tanks must be shielded with plexi glass? Do they have to be completely shielded?
This is our first year using pneumatics so we are not sure what the protocol is.
There is no rule stating that air tanks must be shielded. However, it is good design practice to place air tanks where they won’t get damaged.
Also, Plexiglass is a trademark for acrylic sheet. Acrylic is brittle, and can easily shatter into sharp pieces. Use polycarbonate, as it doesn’t shatter. Polycarbonate is know by the trademarks: Lexan, Makrolon, Makroclear, and arcoPlus, among others.
We were going to place them well out of danger, just wondering if they needed to be shielded all around. Thanks.
For this game, it’s probably enough to shield them with a rather coarse “grid” of structural elements, since the heavy game pieces are so large, and there should not be any serious collisions due to defending robots.
The only official rule involving placement of pneumatics is that the emergency relief valve needs to be easily (and safely) accessible.
Of course, there are other things to consider, like previously mentioned, keeping your tanks protected is a good idea. Also having the compressor in a spot where it can be firmly mounted might be smart (They tend to shake and rattle a lot).
The compressor can also get very hot. Good airflow might be something to consider, (or use a small fan, like the ones provide in the KOP, to blow cool air over it).
As others have said, there isn’t a rule explicitly stating that your pneumatics components need to be shielded. Just place them out of danger and you’ll be fine. That being said, I have seen other teams wrap their plastic tanks in some sort of netting so that in the event of a blowout, the pieces are decellerated and don’t cause serious damage. This may be something you want to consider.
The main vent valve (opened by hand) needs to be accessible. The pressure relief valve (opened automatically by an excess of pressure) can be buried inside the robot (as long as you’re able to calibrate it at competition if necessary).
Yes, you are right, it’s what I meant to say.
In the past we have always had a sticker pointing to both the “MAIN BREAKER” and a sticker pointing to the “PRESSURE VALVE” (or something with similar wording).
I guess I just mixed the 2 terms up slightly.
The gauges need to be easily visible, and the pressure switch needs to be easily accessible.
This is for inspection purposes. If the RI can’t easily see the gauges, then the RI can’t verify proper pressure. The pressure switch needs to be shorted by the RI to test the pressure relief valve. Ideally, make the gauges easily visible from the location where the switch can be easily shorted.
There is nothing wrong with this, but someone tested methods of reducing damage from tank failure (I think it was last year, you should be able to find it on Chief Delphi by searching) and the results showed that it was actually quite difficult to contain. I doubt netting, unless it was made from steel and secured well, would actually do too much in the event of a catastrophic tank failure. In other words, don’t rely on such ‘containment’ schemes to protect you. Protecting the tanks themselves is usually much more effective.
Did you mean these:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127956&highlight=air+tank+destructive+testing
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128800&highlight=air+tank+destructive+testing
Yes