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#7
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thanks for the comment....but here's a clue...
Posted by Anton Abaya at 1/15/2001 11:56 PM EST
Coach on team #419, Rambots, from UMass Boston / BC High and NASA, Mathsoft, Solidworks. In Reply to: Re:Tank Treads Posted by Ted Jones on 1/15/2001 12:33 PM EST: : Our team discussed tank treads vs. wheels this weekend, and I came to a realization. Since friction is relatively independent of surface area, it appears tank treads would not buy you much in this competition. Friction is based on the normal force (weight) multiplied by the static friction coeficient. The static friction coef. is based on the nature of the two materials that are interacting, in this case the wheel/tread and the low-pile carpet that is the playing field. So, if surface area is not a factor, then I don't see how tank treads gain much over wheels in terms of maximizing traction. So why does the US Army have tank treads? Because Army tanks are designed to drive over soft, unprepared surfaces. The tread distributes the vehicles weight over a larger area, which deforms the ground less. This keeps the vehicle from getting bogged down in the mud. Think of a car in the snow, or mud, or sand, essentially any soft surface. For the competition then, I can't really justify using a tank tread system, unless you want to climb over obstacles that are lower than the top of tread. That, BTW, is another benefit of treads. : Given the time we have to design/build/test/fix and ship, I would spend more time finding an optimum wheel treatment to maximize traction. I plan on having our team conduct some experiments using a wheelchair wheel, a known weight, and the sample carpet, to find experimentally the static friction coefficients of various configurations. Once the coef is found, you can estimate the maximum pulling power of your robot, given its weight and power available. : Hope this helps, : Ted thanks for this wonderful and lengthy info... it does bring light to a lot of dark areas. i must say though that we are using treads based on the reasons you have said above. i am just not sure if you know what we mean exactly.... just look for 419 ... wheels are cool too .....we did envision some kind of L.A. tank getaway with our robot where we launch off the playing field and start heading out into the crowd.... i'm kidding ![]() -anton |
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