Wheel Cover Connection Mechanism
General
Problem: There are two parts of the wheel cover that need to be able to connect and disconnect.
Goals:
The mechanism or method of connection needs to be able to connect and disconnect easily when operated by a team member.
The mechanism doesn’t disconnect when it encounters vibrations.
The mechanism doesn’t sacrifice structural integrity of the overall wheel cover.
The mechanism or doesn’t degrade over hundreds of uses.
The mechanism doesn’t touch or get closer than 1/4” to the wheel.
The mechanism can be easily bonded to a carbon fiber part.
The mechanism is easily manufactured and doesn’t include over-engineered parts.
The mechanism or method of connection is on the inside or flush with the wheel cover’s profile to decrease the amount of drag that the mechanism creates.
Variables:
How many mechanisms will be on the shell?
What will the mechanism be made out of?
Should the mechanism be static or dynamic?
Possible Ideas:
Velcro
Latch and Catch
Fasteners going through the overlapping section of the wheel cover parts
Pros and Cons for each Idea:
Velcro:
Pros:
Easy to buy and apply
Inexpensive
Easy to replace
Easy to put shell cover on
Compact
Discreet
Unobtrusive
Light-weight
Doesn’t require holes
Cons:
Questionable strength
Worries about it fraying
Loss of strength over time
Velcro might be too strong that the wheel covers become too difficult to take off
Concerns about wheel cover being exactly aligned and straight
Latch and Catch:
Pros:
Easy to test and adjust mechanical variables
Mechanically simple
Doesn’t require holes
Easily connectable and detachable
Easy to see condition of connection from the outside
Will ensure the two halves of the wheel cover align every time
Cons:
Possible degradation of strength over time
Bending parts could possibly snap
The latching mechanism will be protruding from the wheel cover allowing the possibility for it to get snapped off if the part is dropped
Fasteners:
Pros:
No custom parts required
Cons:
Bad aerodynamics
Requires holes to be drilled into carbon fiber parts
Susceptible to coming loose
Screws may get lost or misplaced
Tedious and time consuming to put on and to take off
Sacrifices laminate strength
What we want to prototype and test:
After reviewing each of our possible mechanisms, we have decided that the latch and catch method would be the most beneficial for the team because it’s easy to connect and disconnect, it preserves the aerodynamic profile of the wheel cover, and it can withstand vibrations without risking separation.
What and how we will test:
What: We will test tensile strength over usage.
How: By creating a 3D-printed test part that will act as a section of the wheel cover we can attach our mechanism onto the test parts. Then, we can anchor one test parts while pulling on the other with a spring scale and gather information about the latch undoing or showing signs of deformation or breakage.
Design Sketches:
Design CAD:
CAD Design V2:
Revisions include adding a guard rail to ease in the latch, creating a better fit between the latch and the catch and shortening the length of the latch as our previous version was too flexible.
Material:
There a couple plausible material options that all would come in the form of 3d prints and those are PLA, PETG, and TPU. The catch, because it doesn’t have to bend, will be created out of PETG as it is the strongest and has a good UV resistance. The latch however has to bend so it is likely that we will make it out of PLA but that is not set in stone.
Test Set Up:
*Show photos of test set up here*
Test Results:
*Show photos, videos, and data here*
Takeaways:
*Determine if the latch and catch mechanism is good to be implemented into the wheel covers or if we should keep searching for a solution*
Implementation:
*Show photos of implementing the mechanism into the wheel cover*