Along with the steering wheel I was also tasked with the design and manuafcture of the shift mechanism for BR-15. A large portion of the design was carried foward from the previous year with modifications being made to improve component strength and robustness. The shift paddle design was the main focus.
| Shift Paddle Concepts |
As with the steering wheel a number of concepts were created and put forward to the management team. Pugh's selection matricies were used to select the strongest concept to take forwards for further development.
| Shift Mechanism Features |
The basic working principle of the shift mechanism is that the upshift and downshift paddles pivot within a central boss along the dashed red lines shown above. As each paddle is pulled towards the driver a switch is actuated which sends a signal to the automatic gearbox to change gear.
A "-" and "+" were extruded and painted onto the relevant paddle to distinguish between the two. The paddles were 3D printed allowing great design flexibility.
Strengthening ribs were placed in an area containing high stress concentrations as highlighted by FEA, along with aluminium linings in the fixing holes to resist compression forces in the material due to bolt tensioning.
| Final Shift Mechanism |
The shift mechanism will be connected to the steering wheel and quick release boss via three M6 bolts. An aluminium backing plate separates the shift mechanism and the steering wheel to absorb principle and shear stresses that are created at their interface during operation.
| Exploded View of Shift Mechanism |
| Thankyou for reading |
