Curious, what are the advantages of arranging the tracks in the following configurations:
Triangular (like the Johnny Five)
Flat (just sprockets and idlers in-line)
Trapezoidal (Found on Tanks)
I think 3) would be the most functional, since it’s found on tanks. The trapezoidal treads are usually oriented such that the longer side of the two that are parallel to each other is on the top while the shorter side makes contact with the ground/floor. I can see how this would be an advantage since can traverse through rocks and climb over things…
would save on sprockets, but climbing over objects would be harder since it’s flat and the grip against, say a rock in the path, would be limited since the front isn’t angles like the trapezoidal.
I think this is just purely aesthetics. It just looks so darn cool!
Would anyone else like to throw their $0.02 in on this subject matter?
Over the years, a lot of engineering has gone into tread design, and there are advantages and disadvantages to each layout.
Designs that have an angled segment have an advantage in mounting obstacles, since the tread effectively “pulls” the leading edge up and over it by adding a vertical element to the motion, and doing so more gradually and using a smaller sprocket than would be required if it were done in a “flat” configuration with the same vertical rise.
Trapezoidal design with the smaller parallel leg on the ground also gives the tread a shorter effective “wheelbase”, or footprint. While this means less scrubbing of the tread while turning (a big issue with treads that have a lot of traction), a shorter wheelbase is less stable front-to-back than a longer one.
A raised driven sprocket, such as seen in the tri-track and large earthmoving equipment, has an advantage of raising the drive mechanism farther from the ground, allowing for more ground clearance, and getting the comparatively fragile motor and/or transmission components up and out of harm’s way.
