Hi all,
At my high school a senior project is required for graduation. I decided to design and build my own swerve pod. While I know SDS makes very competitive swerve pods I wanted to design and build something more customizable for different games. Some of the design criteria I chose were modular, somewhat lightweight, and all metal. I chose these criteria because it is what I believe should be prioritized in a drivetrain. I am open to design suggestions as well as feedback on it. I hope to inspire students to take on challenges such as this during the offseason. Also for reference every part was made in house besides gears which are off the shelf parts. It weighs in at 6 lbs per pod with motors.
Did you consider using a cut section of tube (like 2767 used to) as opposed to bolting those plates together? My gut tells me what you currently have there would break as soon as those side plates are subject to a bending moment caused by a collision with another bot.
To help reduce backlash in module rotation, I would recommend using either 32dp gears or finding some helical/double helical as opposed to the 20dp gears.
I used 2 methods of holding the side plates together, 8-23 bolts holding the plates in shear. And 10-32 bolts threaded into steel holding the plates in tension. This paired with the 2 shafts holding the plates parallel I believe will keep it from breaking. My senior project mentor and I did a stress analysis on the joint as well and the math says its about twice as strong as it needs to to withstand a collision.
If the FEA results are satisfactory. I guess my only complaint about what you currently have (fasteners) is build/service time. At least while I was in FRC I used a general flat rate of 10 seconds / fastener (at best) to remove and then properly reinstall. That adds up quickly.
Edit; after taking a longer look, What’s the reasoning for the chain driving the wheel? I would think that finding an appropriately sized bevel gear and attaching it to the wheel would be relatively easy enough.