Derek's experience is the rule, not the exception.
Based on my experience (which goes back to the original dual-chain
bicycle track) and the collective experience of everyone who has built,
tested and battled such designs in the last 15 years, the dual-chain
design is far more problematic than either a single-chain design or a
link-drive design. Lateral forces on the track immediately cause the
chains to skew, which increases the likelihood of jumping one of the
chains off a sprocket tooth in rough terrain. Guide horns help decrease
the likelihood, but doesn't decrease it enough to make the tracks
reliable enough in our world (which is, by far, the toughest test of
scale tracks).
When it comes to chain designs, size matters. Based on quite a few
people who have tried such an approach over the years, #40 chain is too
small and not rigid enough to be used as either a single-chain or
dual-chain track design in our operating scale and terrain. On the
other hand, #60 chain is so rigid that it has proven very reliable when
used in a single-chain design, thereby eliminating the need for a
dual-chain design.
That said, the design being discussed is the first time someone has used
pins that go from one side of the track to the other, using the track
pad itself to keep the pins parallel. This *could* provide the rigidity
needed to prevent chain skew in a hard turn, thereby preventing a
dreaded derailment. I say *could* because it all comes down to the
stiffness of the plastic pads and the amount of sideways movement
allowed between the pads and the pins. No amount of calculation or
workbench testing will provide the required answers. The track needs to
be installed on a tank chassis and driven through the roughest terrain
possible by an operator skilled in abusing vehicles to determine if the
design is reliable or not.
Battlefield-tested isn't a marketing slogan.
On 10/29/2015 12:26 PM, Derek Engelhaupt wrote:
I believe I said the tracks might have issues staying on since they are
similar to my design that I abandoned because they didn't stay on in
high stress due to lack of the center guides. Even with the center
guides, mine flexed too much side to side so they still came off the
sprockets.
--
--
You are currently subscribed to the "R/C Tank Combat" group.
To post a message, send email to rctankcombat@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe, send email to rctankcombat+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com
Visit the group at http://groups.google.com/group/rctankcombat
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "R/C Tank Combat" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to rctankcombat+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
