Pedals

My contribution: project definition, standardization, jigging, component manufacturing.

I identified the key areas that had to be improved to ensure reliable performance of the system and formulated design strategies that resolved the outlined performance issues as well as allowed for weight reduction and component standardization; I then organized a team to implement those strategies in CAD. When the design was finalized, I assisted further development by manufacturing a significant percentage of the parts for the system.

Skills developed:

  • Goal definition

  • System troubleshooting

  • Standardization

  • Metal machining

  • System assembly

Software utilized:

  • SolidWorks (CAD)

Tools put to use:

  • CNC mills (Haas Mini-Mill, Tormach 770M)

  • Manual lathe (Fryer Easy Turn)

While the pedalbox system was originally not under my responsibility, I had significant concerns with the performance of the old pedalbox and saw a number of areas for improvement within the system. This motivated me to define the necessary design changes for the system and bring together a team to tackle those changes.

The biggest issue of the old system was that the brake pedal tended to deflect from its intended plane of motion by a significant amount when pressed. I identified two likely causes of this issue: non-precise welding of the brake pedal to the shaft it pivoted on and poor manufacturing tolerances of the mounting components. To resolve these, I proposed using shoulder bolts for the brake pedal pivot, and using CNC machines to improve manufacturing tolerances on all components. 

Another two new design goals I defined were reducing the weight of the system and standardizing the components. To tackle the first goal, I outlined all the parts that we could redesign to save weight without compromising the reliability of the assembly; for the second goal, after majority of the CAD was done, I went through the list of all fasteners and repeated components and identified the ones that could be sized to a single type of a fastener/component, reducing the unique part count by about 25%.