Battle Robot Armor
It does not take a genius to realize that Battle Robot armor must be designed and catered to take the most brutal and vicious of beatings. Your armor is the only defense between your integral electronics and your opponent’s weapons. Your first job is to decide and plan where you are most likely to take damage to your robot, many builders will use extra armor on the front of their robots. So what kind of armor is there to choose from? What are the toughest, most durable materials out there that would be perfect for battle robot armor?
Steel will most likely be your first choice and option. Steel provides the highest level of protection per dollar. If money is on your mind, steel is a cheap way to provide strong and durable armor on your bot. The only drawback of to steel would be its weight. For every square foot of quarter inch thick steel it will weigh about 10 pounds. If you do decide to stick with steel, you must be sure to cut back on weight wherever you can and maintain the lowest weight possible. Aluminum is not quite as resilient as steel but it Is much lighter. The market price of aluminum is also quite a lot higher than that of steel, but despite these disadvantages, the massive weight loss it provides normally makes it the material of choice for aspiring battle robot designers. In relation to steel, a square foot of quarter inch thick aluminum weights only 3 pounds, about 1/3 that of the steel and most believe it as about ˝ as strong as its counterpart. Another very popular armor material is Titanium alloy. This metal has been gaining a lot of popularity amongst the battle bots of today. While it is relatively expensive, it is much stronger than aluminum and way lighter than steel. The only drawback is its inability to weld very well; you may have some trouble with that.
Lastly you will need to decide whether you want to bolt your armor in place or weld it. The strongest option is to weld your armor onto the frame, in turn though this also makes it a lot harder to repair. If you do decide to weld your armor in place, be sure to stick with one and only one type of material. Welding more than one material together does not work, and even different grades of the same material can pose difficulties for welders. Keep your overall goal in mind when you decide to do any work on your battle robot, how do you want the final product to look? Will welding your armor take away option for your robot later on? As you can see there are many options to choose from when deciding on the best battle robot armor and your mind is the only limit.
