Go to Post I like to divide checklists like this into "stuff I have to do before applying power" and "stuff I'll find faster by watching it fail". - EricVanWyk [more]
Home
Go Back   Chief Delphi > Technical > Technical Discussion
CD-Media   CD-Spy  
portal register members calendar search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read FAQ rules

 
View Poll Results: Live Axle vs Dead Axle
Live Axle 33 38.82%
Dead Axle 28 32.94%
Combination of Both 24 28.24%
Other 0 0%
Voters: 85. You may not vote on this poll

 
 
Thread Tools Rating: Thread Rating: 7 votes, 5.00 average. Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
  #14   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 16-06-2013, 21:49
DampRobot's Avatar
DampRobot DampRobot is offline
Physics Major
AKA: Roger Romani
FRC #0100 (The Wildhats) and FRC#971 (Spartan Robotics)
Team Role: College Student
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Rookie Year: 2010
Location: Stanford University
Posts: 1,277
DampRobot has a reputation beyond reputeDampRobot has a reputation beyond reputeDampRobot has a reputation beyond reputeDampRobot has a reputation beyond reputeDampRobot has a reputation beyond reputeDampRobot has a reputation beyond reputeDampRobot has a reputation beyond reputeDampRobot has a reputation beyond reputeDampRobot has a reputation beyond reputeDampRobot has a reputation beyond reputeDampRobot has a reputation beyond repute
Re: Live Axle vs Dead Axle

The correct answer to these types of questions, of course, is that it depends. Here's my take on it, and the thinking that got me there.

Direct drive live axle is in my mind the best way to go a majority of the time. It's best suited to a drive like a WCD, where you direct drive one of the wheels, and transmit power 1:1 between them. Live axle typically lets you cantilever the wheels, which introduces some frame design benefits and allows you to swap out wheels more easily (I'm speaking generally here). It also means that you have your bearings somewhere other than the wheel, which can allow you to decrease the size of your wheel. In my mind, a live axle system is easier to repair because the wheel and the chain or belt path isn't between two frame members.

Generally speaking, live axle drives are better when the wheels are smaller (so you don't need that extra reduction in the chain/belt from the gearbox to the wheel). Dead axles work well where you are going to have the wheel inside the frame anyway, or where you have large wheels that need that extra reduction. There's also a perception that it's "easier" to build a dead axle system, as usually it doesn't require a team to machine bearing holes themselves (they're already in the wheels).

I recognize that my beliefs are probably neither totally correct nor totally typical, and in all honesty, this type of thing really comes down to "to each their own." I'd encourage you to build/design a WCD, as it's widely considered to be a very high quality DT (generally). Most important, though, is that you consider these types of design tradeoffs yourself, and make informed decisions accordingly, even if you don't happen to end up with the type of drivetrain like I described.
__________________
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be lighted.

-Plutarch
 


Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 23:13.

The Chief Delphi Forums are sponsored by Innovation First International, Inc.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © Chief Delphi