So I have been making a slip-gear catapult and it has been going under a ton of stress, like a lot (see the pic.). So what I am wondering if anyone knows how to reinforce them?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y1tLN7pU4io/V5A548lXVMI/AAAAAAAAAoY/ugTUXX6FnccxK18qgl3Zi7TPaOhovOLFgCL0B/w1060-d-h1420-p/IMG_4733.JPG
Can you double it? I can hardly imagine how much force these must be under to just snap like that.
You can also try a polycarbonate sheet on either side screwed in each of the holes.
Also having force transferred to the gear by screws through the holes instead of just the axle should help as it looks like force of the axle in the hole is contributing quite a bit to the failure.
Screwing them in with plating or polycarb will not help. Your only choice is to double them up. I tried slip at weeks ago and gave up because the amount of weight and space the gears took up was ridiculous. I honestly only see Choo Choo as the only option dealing with stored energy.
Also, isn’t it interesting seeing how they always break in a Y shape? Also, for me, looking at the patterns, it seems that they always start to crack from the edges of the drive shaft input. Maybe a tapered edge would fix this problem?
+1 on doubling them
Wallbots FTW!!!
(Seriously, dumpbots ftw)
Never dry fire a slip gear.
Ya definitely have been doing this, I do not have a intake to launch a star or cube yet so always a dry fire. I should make a hook. But good suggestion.
Our team ended up with gears like that on their Nothing But Net slip gear system. They reinforced the gears with steel plates on either side. The gear still cracked but it still functioned properly. They didn’t see the crack in the reinforced gear until they took it apart.
I tryed reinforcing them on the middle holes with metal on both sides, but that didn’t work.
To be honest a slip gear really doesn’t make that much sense in this game. The lack of a statically stable stretched location means the motors are always under incredible load and the force into the gears is really outside of their intended use. I would suggest a choo choo if you wanted a single mechanism for windback and release.
Ya, I was going to prototype both, I guess I should start on a Choo-Choo.
A slip gear may have a faster firing rate than a choo choo which needs more rotations until firing. I think that will be the big dilemma this year is design choices. But if the gear breaks, then you may not like the slip gear too much. :o
No, don’t like it too much for this year, not after breaking 4 gears.