Track Drive

[greenz_gurl15]

My team is discussing the use of a track-drive (something similar to tank drives). The problem we are running into is that we aren't sure what type of tracks to use or how to obtain them. Do you know how to do this or have any of you had previous experience with track-dribves? And if you remember any robots from the past that had track drives, please let me know. And if your team has worked with track drives in previous year, please let me know, also. It will be of great help! Thanks in advance.

[Jnadke]

My best suggestion to you is to go up to the "Quick Search" box in the upper right and type in something like "treads" or "traction material" and hit search. These topics have come up many, many times in the past. There's lots of information sitting in these boards, and you'll get it a lot faster too.



Track drives can be great for traction, but there are several problems that need to be addressed/considered when designing one:

1. Weight Distribution: The track is pretty much useless unless there are "rollers" that apply pressure to the track. Some teams have let their treads glide accross a smooth surface, like Delrin, so that the surface applies all the pressure to the treads (and the wheels don't make contact with the ground). Team 92 is one example of this.

2. Traction/Turning: There is such a thing as too much traction. When turning tank-style, the treads have to "slip" accross the carpet or bad things can happen. One way of getting around this problem that we implemented last year (that we borrowed from another team) was using a caster attached to a pneumatic cylinder. The caster would be lowered to raise the front half of our robot, allowing it to turn easier.


Some have used Brecoflex belts for treads.

Example: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/at...=&postid=90078