MATE pneumatics reqs

MATE Pneumatics Requirements

Part of MATE.

MATE has specific requirements for a team to correctly and safely operate a compressed air system at competition. Most relevant are rules FLUID-009 through FLUID-011. To read it from the horse's mouth see page 56 (section 3.6.2 Pneumatic Power) in the 2019 Competition Manaul.
To summarize:

• Pneumatic fluid: Compressed air or inert gas only
• Maximum pressure allowed: 2.75 bars (40 psi)
• All fittings must be rated at least 2.5 times the max pressure (so >= 100 psi rated).
• The pneumatic lines in the tether must have a pressure relief valve before a pressure regulator.

The pressure relief valve can be either manual or automatic. The pressure regulator used in 2018-21, has a dual function of also being a relief valve, but MATE requires a dedicated pressure relief. The pressure relief is there in case there is a pressure spike on their provided hose or the regulator blocks a lot of air and it should be released.

Pressure regulators block their airway when the output (or downstream) pressure is at or higher than the set pressure of the regulator. This prevents higher upstream pressure, from reaching and pressurizing the downstream pressure to greater than the regulator.

The physically construction of a pressure regulators is a flap and a spring. When you twist the top the spring applies pressure to the flap to keep it open. When air goes through it and the pressure goes up it hits a point where it has more force on the flap than the spring and it closes More spring compression more pressure required for it to close.