pic: Team 190's new robot

[gorrilla]

oh so you left the gray stuff on there and screwed the tread to the flat spot ok

how long did it take?


and is the rubber removable if you could just remove it all and get to the plastic rim you could rivet the tread to that right?

[Francis-134]

Originally Posted by gorrilla

oh so you left the gray stuff on there and screwed the tread to the flat spot ok

how long did it take?


and is the rubber removable if you could just remove it all and get to the plastic rim you could rivet the tread to that right?

It took us about 1/2 hour to cut the tread and attach it to the wheels. If you have the tools or time, you certainly could remove the gray tread from the wheel before attaching the traction material. I would chuck it in a lathe and cut it away.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Francis-134

It took us about 1/2 hour to cut the tread and attach it to the wheels. If you have the tools or time, you certainly could remove the gray tread from the wheel before attaching the traction material. I would chuck it in a lathe and cut it away.

Back when 330 put tread on Skyways, we'd use a belt sander. Put the wheel on an axle (with bearings), then hold it at an angle to the sander's travel until it was the desired thickness/flatness. After a certain point, you'll hit black in spots--stop there, it's the plastic.

[gorrilla]

oh that works cause we dont have a lathe

so then will the ifi tread work or do i have to get a special tread

[EricH]

Originally Posted by gorrilla

oh that works cause we dont have a lathe

so then will the ifi tread work or do i have to get a special tread

IFI should work. You could also get some conveyor belting from McMaster (roughtop, wedgetop, or nitrile).

[gorrilla]

awsome now i have something to do for a while and to clean up our wheels bin


and does anyone know why the andymark wheel is flat but the skyway is more rounded

[Francis-134]

Originally Posted by gorrilla

and does anyone know why the andymark wheel is flat but the skyway is more rounded

The AM wheels are designed for maximum traction, while the Skyway wheels are designed for wheelchairs which need the ability to turn easily and provide stability in any sort of tipping situation.

Before anyone says it, I understand that surface area is not factored into traction, but in a real-world, the non-ideal scenario, the deformation of the carpet and wheel, as well as the peaks and valleys of the carpet make surface area very important for traction. Similarly, a wheel with a larger surface area will have a higher coefficient of friction than a wheel with a smaller surface area (assuming they are the same material)