this year our team decided to go with a custom sheet metal WCD drivetrain
the outsides are sheet metal C channels with the wheels on the outside
from the top it would look like this
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The Frame Perimeter definition in R02 says it must comprise “fixed, non-articulated structural elements.”
I have see many teams do a WCD style drive and have metal portrusions along their chassis that stick out past their wheels in order to mount their bumpers. as long as the portrusions support the bumpers every 8 inches does this comply with the rules?
we don’t have enough space to mount the wheels on the inside of our drivetrain so if anyone can confirm that this is legal or provide suggestions of how to legally mount bumpers it would help a lot
if you want pictures I can upload some of the cad of our chassis
you dont necessarily have to have protrusions between the wheels. 254 in 2012 had some supports that when up at a diagonal from the top of their frame and then had a perimeter.
There are several creative ways to mount bumpers on WCD. Just go to the media tab and look for pictures.
I think this may be a Catch-22 though. What is the frame perimeter in this case? If the perimeter is defined by the wheels, then is it under the 112" limit? If the perimeter is defined by the frame itself, then would having the wheels be outside the frame be a rule violation? Don’t know, just asking!!!
Yes, frame designs that support the bumpers every 8 inches or less are legal if they are in fact firm support.
R24
E. must attach to the FRAME PERIMETER of the ROBOT with a rigid fastening system to form a tight, robust
connection to the main structure/frame (e.g. not attached with hook-and-loop or tie-wraps). The attachment
system must be designed to withstand vigorous game play.
However, the bumpers only need to protect the exterior corners for 8" from the corner as shown in the rules and team update.