Don't Rock the Rocket

For this challenge, an apparatus to balance the totem was needed. Instead of using unstable ping pong paddles like in the past, I decided to design and fabricate my own. The initial SolidWorks design consisted of a thin plate and a handle connected with a 1/4-20 screw.  I designed a threaded section in the handle with the intent for the threaded geometry to be usable after being 3D printed.​ I then designed a small section in the plate for the screw to connect into while also not interfering with the top surface. See the image below for the exploded SolidWorks assembly of this iteration.

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I chose to connect the plate to the handle using a screw and 3D printed threaded geometry. To ensure that this design would withstand loads that it would undergo during the challenge, I ran a SolidWorks FEA Simulation.

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To prepare the model for analysis, I fixed the handle and added a threaded bolt connection. Next, I added 10N loads to the top of the plate, to the intersection between the plate and the handle, and to the edge of the top plate. These loads were added to simulate the impact of the totem on the plate and the forces that would occur if the apparatus was dropped or thrown. Since the handle is so large and dense and had a small surface area that could hit impact if it was thrown, I was not concerned with deformation or breakage. 

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After I added the loads, I created a fine mesh and ran the study. The deformation result (shown in the image below) stated that the largest deformation that would occur was smaller than .25mm. I concluded that this deformation would not be enough to break or wear the apparatus down over the course of the challenge and moved on to fabrication.​​

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The image below shows the final design. The plate and handle were 3D printed and attached using a 1/4-20 screw. Players will hold the handle and balance their immunity totem on the plate as shown in the image below.​

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