pic: Concept 8wd Drivetrain

[JesseK]

I think it boils down to the same thing everything else in life (such as politics, relationships, etc) does: some things you really just have to try yourself. Sure, physicists can scream that surface contact area has nothing to do with dynamic friction forces, but that's hard for some people to visualize. You can throw an equation at them as a proof, but they may find it hard to see the effects of equations balancing themselves when certain values go up or down. You can even give them fantastic spreadsheets that show the numbers going up and down based upon input values, but the end result will be the same.

I decided I wanted to do a c-channel H frame for our prototype and refused to use anything but the CNC to mill out the wheel holes. Sure, there were simpler ways, more efficient materials, and simpler designs (though I'll argue that one after I post the design). But the point is, now that it's all said and done I truly understand why the manufacturing process using c-channel is complicated and will seek to improve it.

Let's not forget, we're all supposed to be stubborn engineers who take nothing for granted and will argue to the end about an idea until proven right or wrong... correct???