over several years.
Before completely
diving in, one must
consider the
advantages and
disadvantages of
using composites as a
body structure,
covering plates, or
mounts for a combat
robot. In its proper
state, carbon fiber is
7-10 times stronger
than steel by weight.
You can make some
truly lightweight yet
super strong frames
with composites in
any shape you can
possibly imagine. It is
not the ultimate utopian material,
however, as it can be very messy
to work with and expensive to get
into. Once you cut into a laminate,
you greatly reduce its overall
strength. With robots like Last
Rites for heavyweights, it is a
challenge to protect your beautiful
robot. It can take some trial and
error, but you can create some
amazing pieces.
Metal simply can’t be shaped
as easily into complex forms
while remaining as strong as a
properly balanced laminate. Metal
also transfers impact throughout
the robot and tends to bend or
amount of cloth to resin
is key to obtaining a
laminate even worth
putting into the combat
box.
break when hit. Composites — if
used appropriately — can absorb
a massive load before failure and
completely bounce back to its
original shape. It does have a
breaking point and if you hit that,
expect massive failure with
delamination and a snapped
laminate. Proper application is the
key to success as with any material.
Now on with the basics!
Composites in the form I have talked
about thus far involve a fabric, a
resin, and a surface to allow the
system to cure on which gives it
shape (always use cure when talking
about resins as they do not dry or
set up due to loss
of water as it is a
pure chemical
reaction). When the
resin cures, the
laminate is
classified as a
plastic since the
resin is a plastic
material, yet the
fabric is the
strength behind it.
Getting the proper
VD3 — TTT’s 30 pounder
— is one of our first
robots made from a mold
to allow us to produce
several of these kevlar
packed bots. Expect to
see a few of these VD3s
fighting at RoboGames
2011 (multibots!)
36 SERVO 09.2010
