OFF CAMBER PRODUCTIONS
Bench Test Results:
During the control testing, it was found that the .1046" thick A-1008 Steel would support 2200lb. The result show that the thin steel bracket that was designed will support the braking force that will occur on the test vehicle. The .080" thick 6061-t6 aluminum version withstood 900lb of force. Phase II renditions both in the 6061-T6 aluminum and A-36 steel variety will support the loads that will be experienced during braking with a maximum load of 3200lb and 2000 lb respectively.
The deflection that was recorded during the testing was not a true representation of the deflection that would be experienced on the test vehicle. The way that the jig was designed failed to control the twist of the bracket which was exagerated during the bench test causing for a skew in the deflection results. With this in mind each of the brackets will be tested on the vehicle on one side of the axle. The graph in the lower left corner is of the loads that were placed on the bracket during the bench testing.
The on vehicle testing will occur in steps, starting at 5mph and working up to 40mph and stopping in 75 feet. along the way the deflection will be recorded via a remote camera and a dial indicator that has been mounted to the axle of the vehicle.
On Vehicle Testing:
In order to do the on vehicle testing two brackets need to be designed to propoerly hold the dial indicator that was being used and the GoPro that was mounted off of the axle.
First test was with the A-36 Steel bracket, the resulting deflection according to the dial indicator was .002in. The next bracket that was tested was the .25in. Aluminum 6061-T6 bracket. The resulting deflection that was viewed was .001in. Third bracket to be tested was the .1046in. A-1008 Steel bracket, the resulting deflection was .008in. The final bracket to be tested was the .080in. 6061-T6 bracket this bracket had a resulting deflection of .010in.
The video below is compiled of all the on vehicle tests that were performed. Even though the need bounces around the final numbers while braking were visible making each of these tests a success. Even though both of the thin brackets optimized for this test vehicle were out of the .005in. spec. the brackets still survived the tests and were still functional and not distorted after the tests.