Re: Question on "air bearings"



Michael <mbush@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in article
<ocvzf.105767$ME5.59340@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>...
> Unless you're planning on a pretty short test, I have my doubts about
trying
> to make a treadmill work--you're well in excess of the design load of the

> machine, and the belt friction is only one area of concern.
>
> There are SAE papers available that publish a "standard" design for test
> machinery of this sort... a trip to a decent engineering library would be

> time well spent.



I was just reading in "Race Car Engineering" magazine that the tire test
rig at Calspan in Buffalo, NY uses a 28-inch-wide, 100-grit, 3M sanding
belt running on an air bearing as its "road surface".

I'm not looking for the type of speeds that Calspan is capable of
producing, so I figured a tread mill - dozens of which are available in the
"free" pile at lawn sales - just might work.....

The machine is framed in 2X2 square tubing....

The rollers on the machine are mounted in ball bearings.......

I plan on driving the tire from an external source (the treadmill I'm using
happens to be non-motorized, anyway).....

If I have a problem with the original belt, maybe I can find a 3M sanding
belt the correct size to run on the tread mill rollers........LOL!!!!!

If I can produce the results I am seeking on this type of jury-rig, I will
probably build from scratch a more robust unit....

But, for now - in the completely unbudgeted experimentation phase - I
believe the free treadmill just might work for me.....

Thanks, for the advice, though.

I do not mean to suggest that it is unappreciated........
.

Relevant Pages

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