Finite Elements is great only if we can put it to use. The final goal is reached by Nice colors, which is cool, but only as means. So, how the brackets compare between computer screen and the real world?
My test rig
This is highly sophisticated, calibrated, lab grade (not) test bed:
Aluminum profile that I had laying around. Kiddy truck from my son's Penny-like board. And some wooden left-overs to support the other end.
The point being: use whatever you have to test your stuff, I rather be practical than fancy, every time!
Brackets in test
Although happened at different points in time, we can still compare these.
The first bracket assembly was made out of stainless steel, something like 301 and I've got it a while ago. The second one is out of Aluminum, 5000 series - just as intended (almost). This one was bent in a different direction, see below.
That's what you get for not specifying the material. On the other hand it was free so no complains.
Results
In this post we can lump all the info together, although happened months apart. Also, I'm not 120kg like in my calcs, but I can jump...
The stainless ones proved to be rock solid!
It might be a fortunate coincidence, but certainly better than the previous fiasco.
So, these certainly work, but the weight penalty is huge. ~1kg for a pair of brackets seems like a step backwards.
The Aluminum ones appeared recently, and these were wrongly bent. Not something that will go into my board, but for testing it's more than enough.
The test went perfectly! It's a huge step forward to get these out to you guys.
The surprise here is that it's not surprising (at least shouldn't be). FEM works and it's a good reason to test your new design just before the actual testing.
What now?
I want to make small adjustments to the final version and have several made for costumer testing. The goal is to have an option for drop-down brackets for your next esk8.
If you have ideas as to how the final product should look like, please let me know in the comments. You can also Subscribe and check out my Instagram page for more frequent updates.
Enjoy,
Dani