Quote:
Originally posted by Ian W.
actually, on the traction idea, smaller (As in thinner) tires are better, i think. when i lived upstate, my dad always put snow tires on in the winter. they were much thinner than the regular tires. this might not be true on carpet though, following gui's line of thought on how the carpet really isn't a surface...
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That's thanks to the weight of the car. Smaller tires-allowed more force on a smaller surface area = better grabbing, thanks to crushing the snow below = allowed snow tires a good, hard non-slippery surface to grab on to. I'm assuming that he had some chains on thoes wheels too? This same concept applys to tha' chains! (I think this theory is right, but can't guarantee it!
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And the carpet....That is a different story. I would have to agree w/ Gui, and say it isn't a surface. I think of it as really tough sand. It is constantly moving, thanks to it being made up of tons of tiny fibers! For this, the more surface area you have, the better you are! (The more you have your robot weight spread out and less force that 1 fiber has to take and no bending back!! like in most Jeep off-roading, or any off-roading for that fact, have huge tires.) And That is where you get traction from. Your robot pushing off these little fibers and propelling it's self. Torque is how much "pushing power" you have in your robot, but you loose speed to gain torque. And friction. With out this, we all would be stuck. (no pun intended) That is what enables our wheels/tanks to drive on this ground. With out any traction, it won't move! (literally)
I know i probaly made you more confused. If you have some Q's, just e-mail me.
Redwingvksm@msn.com