4 ms·

Surely the burden of proof is opposite for manufacturers of big consumer machines? I'm not sure how regulation works here.

gpm 6y ago
I think there are two sets of burdens of proof here. The engineer who made this decision has a burden of proof to his boss (and maybe regulators, don't know) to show that this is safe. The random internet commenter suggesting it is unsafe has a burden of proof to show that either it is actually unsafe, or that at least that Tesla didn't internally meet it's burden of proof.
sokoloff 6y ago
This seems like a perfectly good solution to me. You're trying to stabilize the cooler, spread the clamping force, and avoid sharp edges and wear. The part chosen seems perfectly suitable for that, albeit slightly unconventional looking. (I say this as someone who is short $TSLA right now [and a non-practicing Mech E]; this looks perfectly reasonable to me.)
- jeffbee 6y ago
  I agree that if you dug into the engineering the math probably works[1]. It's just a weird culture to be out on the floor substituting random materials in a load-bearing, if perhaps not life-safety-critical, part. 1: Compressive strength of wood perpendicular to the grain varies but you can estimate with a healthy safety margin about 200 PSI. 100x - 1000x weaker than metals, but still not zero.
  - sokoloff 6y ago
    I (pretty strongly) suspect that engineers were involved, rather than this being an assembly line worker floor-level decision. The same company that erected a factory-in-a-tent (unconventional but also appropriate) to hit aggressive production targets seems like one that would consider and execute appropriate but unconventional substitutions.
  - hcknwscommenter 6y ago
    "Compressive strength of wood . . ." I guarantee you that the materiel is not "wood" and is indeed much weaker in all relevant parameters. And I suspect that no one at TESLA has any real handle on the compressive strength of this material.
    - jeffbee 6y ago
      You think so? MDF is stronger than wood in compression and isotropic which is nice.
- themaninthedark 6y ago
  The standard pieces have more surface area than the wood edge trim, I doubt the clamping force is spread as much.

gpm 6y ago

I think there are two sets of burdens of proof here. The engineer who made this decision has a burden of proof to his boss (and maybe regulators, don't know) to show that this is safe. The random internet commenter suggesting it is unsafe has a burden of proof to show that either it is actually unsafe, or that at least that Tesla didn't internally meet it's burden of proof.

sokoloff 6y ago

This seems like a perfectly good solution to me. You're trying to stabilize the cooler, spread the clamping force, and avoid sharp edges and wear. The part chosen seems perfectly suitable for that, albeit slightly unconventional looking. (I say this as someone who is short $TSLA right now [and a non-practicing Mech E]; this looks perfectly reasonable to me.)

jeffbee 6y ago
I agree that if you dug into the engineering the math probably works[1]. It's just a weird culture to be out on the floor substituting random materials in a load-bearing, if perhaps not life-safety-critical, part. 1: Compressive strength of wood perpendicular to the grain varies but you can estimate with a healthy safety margin about 200 PSI. 100x - 1000x weaker than metals, but still not zero.
- sokoloff 6y ago
  I (pretty strongly) suspect that engineers were involved, rather than this being an assembly line worker floor-level decision. The same company that erected a factory-in-a-tent (unconventional but also appropriate) to hit aggressive production targets seems like one that would consider and execute appropriate but unconventional substitutions.
- hcknwscommenter 6y ago
  "Compressive strength of wood . . ." I guarantee you that the materiel is not "wood" and is indeed much weaker in all relevant parameters. And I suspect that no one at TESLA has any real handle on the compressive strength of this material.
  - jeffbee 6y ago
    You think so? MDF is stronger than wood in compression and isotropic which is nice.
themaninthedark 6y ago
The standard pieces have more surface area than the wood edge trim, I doubt the clamping force is spread as much.