Thread: Has 6 wheeled designs surpased tank treads
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Unread 20-12-2004, 08:24
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Re: Has 6 wheeled designs surpased tank treads
Jimfortytwo,

The basic flaw in the distributed load assumption is that in a six wheel drive configuration that lowers the middle wheel (and in treads that have a lowered middle in order to pivot), the center wheel sees most of the weight load. This is true if the CG is close to the center of the robot. In general, the wheel closest to the CG will take most of the load from weight. In many of the six wheel designs you see today, the outboard wheels (all four of them) are simply powered casters. If balance wasn't such a big deal, then the two wheel drive with the wheels directly under the CG would be the most maneuverable and most efficient in transferring load to useful pushing force.

I read that white paper, but the results were not as convincing as the discussion leads us to believe.

Yes. I have done numerous tests and I guess I am holding out on everyone. Not because I want to, but I have not had the time to reduce all the data and put it into a nice format. The results I saw convinced me enough to proceed. I promise I will get my results out soon.

The thing I want the readers of this forum to take from this is that the selection of wheel (tread) material is most important and the differences (if any for our game) between area and friction are negligible and definitely not noticeable on FIRST carpet.

-Paul