Assorted Brackets
Assorted Brackets
These are small projects I've picked up along the way which mostly center around weight reduction and serviceability.
First project I completed as a freshman on the team. We moved away from the industrial grade box switches pictured in the last photo to a lighter weight switch which matched the ones used in the dash. I used a scale on top of the existing switch while someone pressed heavily on it to get an idea of the load case. This load case combined with a maximum deflection value was then passed into a topology study to optimize the material. A high factor of safety was chosen for the part, as it is a critical safety feature of the car and one which sees a high cycle count compared to other brackets. Unfortunately the exact FOS and design details have been lost to time, but the bracket has successfully been used for the past 2 years.
Primary goal was to move away from a larger panel and reduce weight by focusing on the needed components for the car's control panel. The design meets the height requirements for the switches and accommodates each of the needed items, even the voltage sticker received during competition. A small panel on the rear provides strain relief attachment points for the HV taps and directs the wires cleanly towards the chassis tube and down to the main harness.