Motor Guard
Screenshot of CAD with motor, chassis bars, and motor guard.
Overview
Before the motor guard was designed, the majority of the drivetrain’s dynamic components were exposed. According to the FSAE rules: “Exposed high-speed final drivetrain equipment such as Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVTs), sprockets, gears, pulleys, torque converters, clutches, belt drives and clutch drives, must be fitted with scatter shields in case of failure.”
Problem
Design a scatter shield to contain rapidly rotating drivetrain components in case of catastrophic failure.
Design Constraints
Mild steel, minimum thickness of 2.6 mm
Mount to existing chassis bars
Challenges
Fit the motor guard around the motor and yoke going to the bearing adapter while also fitting the guard in to not interfere with the catch can and motor cooling pump.
Tacking tapered flanges onto the main motor mount body due to them interfering with bend geometry.
Results
The resulting design houses the motor and all additional high speed pre differential drivetrain components. The design will contain all shrapnel in the event of a catastrophic failure due to it covering all directions radially outward from the drivetrains axis of rotation.