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Default Whatever happened to the Torsen Track Steering System?

This is late, but in case of searchs for it, the inventor was Vernon
Gleasman back in 1950s, his company made them until the 80s when they
sold the Patents to Gleason Works when the Hummer contract was to much
for production. As the the tracked vehicle steer drive, thats still
around and has been improved. Look at Torvec Inc. the company Vernon
later founded, they are working on the next Gen. Torsen and the FTV
which uses the steer drive. Website www.torvec.com

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This is late, but in case of searchs for it, the inventor was Vernon
Gleasman back in 1950s, his company made them until the 80s when they
sold the Patents to Gleason Works when the Hummer contract was to much
for production. As the the tracked vehicle steer drive, thats still
around and has been improved. Look at Torvec Inc. the company Vernon
later founded, they are working on the next Gen. Torsen and the FTV
which uses the steer drive. Website www.torvec.com

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On 22 Dec 2004 12:22:11 -0800, wrote:

This is late, but in case of searchs for it, the inventor was Vernon
Gleasman back in 1950s, his company made them until the 80s when they
sold the Patents to Gleason Works when the Hummer contract was to much
for production. As the the tracked vehicle steer drive, thats still
around and has been improved. Look at Torvec Inc. the company Vernon
later founded, they are working on the next Gen. Torsen and the FTV
which uses the steer drive. Website
www.torvec.com

Please enlighten me about what makes this system so unique.
Differential steeting for tracked vehicles has been around since about
WWI. I assume this system is different somehow.

--RC
"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.
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Nick Hull
 
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In article ,
wrote:

On 22 Dec 2004 12:22:11 -0800,
wrote:

This is late, but in case of searchs for it, the inventor was Vernon
Gleasman back in 1950s, his company made them until the 80s when they
sold the Patents to Gleason Works when the Hummer contract was to much
for production. As the the tracked vehicle steer drive, thats still
around and has been improved. Look at Torvec Inc. the company Vernon
later founded, they are working on the next Gen. Torsen and the FTV
which uses the steer drive. Website
www.torvec.com

Please enlighten me about what makes this system so unique.
Differential steeting for tracked vehicles has been around since about
WWI. I assume this system is different somehow.


IIRC, the gear angles are such that it puts the same torque on both
wheels. so if one is on ice the other still has traction.

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/
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Bob Chilcoat
 
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The Torsen track steering system is not the same as the Torsen differential,
which you are describing. The Torsen track steering system originally used
two conventional differentials, both hooked to the same output halfshafts.
One differential is driven by the engine output and its output is connected
to the left and right halfshafts in the normal way. The second differential
is driven by a "steering" motor, and its halfshafts are also connected to
the first differential's halfshafts, but with one key difference. On one
side, say the left side, the halfshafts are connect together with a chain
drive, or with gears through an idler gear, so that the two halfshafts turn
in the same direction. On the opposite side, say the right side, the two
halfshafts are connected together through a pair of gears, so that the two
halfshafts on that side turn in the opposite direction. If the steering
motor is not turning, the system of differentials and driven halfshafts
guarantee that the halfshafts of the first (engine-driven) differential turn
at exactly the same speed. If these halfshafts drive the left and right
tracks of a vehicle, the vehicle will go straight ahead. If, however, the
steering motor turns, the differential action of the two differentials will
cause the tracks to turn at different speeds, causing the vehicle to turn.
The faster the steering motor turns, the greater the differential speed and
the tighter the turning radius. The direction of turn is determined by the
direction the turning motor turns. If the engine and steering motor are
both turning at the same speed (assuming 1:1 ratios of the connecting
chain/gears) the tracks will turn at the same speed in the opposite
direction, and the vehicle will spin around its center. This is a much more
precise method of steering a tank or other tracked vehicle (or skid-steered
vehicle) than the conventional individual clutches and brakes. The original
version also was potentially much stronger and cheaper, since it used
standard, high volume truck parts. I see from the website that rcook5
posted that the system has now been intergrated so that steering apparently
no longer requires a separate motor. Looks very interesting.
--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)

I don't have to like Bush and Cheney (Or Kerry, for that matter) to love
America

"Nick Hull" wrote in message
...
In article ,
wrote:

On 22 Dec 2004 12:22:11 -0800,
wrote:

This is late, but in case of searchs for it, the inventor was Vernon
Gleasman back in 1950s, his company made them until the 80s when they
sold the Patents to Gleason Works when the Hummer contract was to much
for production. As the the tracked vehicle steer drive, thats still
around and has been improved. Look at Torvec Inc. the company Vernon
later founded, they are working on the next Gen. Torsen and the FTV
which uses the steer drive. Website
www.torvec.com

Please enlighten me about what makes this system so unique.
Differential steeting for tracked vehicles has been around since about
WWI. I assume this system is different somehow.


IIRC, the gear angles are such that it puts the same torque on both
wheels. so if one is on ice the other still has traction.

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/





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Daniel A. Mitchell
 
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wrote:
On 22 Dec 2004 12:22:11 -0800,
wrote:


This is late, but in case of searchs for it, the inventor was Vernon
Gleasman back in 1950s, his company made them until the 80s when they
sold the Patents to Gleason Works when the Hummer contract was to much
for production. As the the tracked vehicle steer drive, thats still
around and has been improved. Look at Torvec Inc. the company Vernon
later founded, they are working on the next Gen. Torsen and the FTV
which uses the steer drive. Website
www.torvec.com


Please enlighten me about what makes this system so unique.
Differential steeting for tracked vehicles has been around since about
WWI. I assume this system is different somehow.

--RC
"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.


While the concept of a controlled differential has indeed been known
since "about W.W.I", they didn't come into common usage until well after
W.W.II. Few W.W.II tanks used the idea, most using various clutch and
brake systems, rather like most bulldozers (note that this, in a
primitive way, does 'control' the differential). The lack of a properly
"controlled differential", of course, usually made 'neutral steer'
turns impossible (though there ARE other ways to accomplish this). Many,
probably most, modern vehicles can execute such turns.

Dan Mitchell
============

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On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 22:03:44 -0500, "Bob Chilcoat"
wrote:

The Torsen track steering system is not the same as the Torsen differential,
which you are describing. The Torsen track steering system originally used
two conventional differentials, both hooked to the same output halfshafts.
One differential is driven by the engine output and its output is connected
to the left and right halfshafts in the normal way. The second differential
is driven by a "steering" motor, and its halfshafts are also connected to
the first differential's halfshafts, but with one key difference. On one
side, say the left side, the halfshafts are connect together with a chain
drive, or with gears through an idler gear, so that the two halfshafts turn
in the same direction. On the opposite side, say the right side, the two
halfshafts are connected together through a pair of gears, so that the two
halfshafts on that side turn in the opposite direction. If the steering
motor is not turning, the system of differentials and driven halfshafts
guarantee that the halfshafts of the first (engine-driven) differential turn
at exactly the same speed. If these halfshafts drive the left and right
tracks of a vehicle, the vehicle will go straight ahead. If, however, the
steering motor turns, the differential action of the two differentials will
cause the tracks to turn at different speeds, causing the vehicle to turn.
The faster the steering motor turns, the greater the differential speed and
the tighter the turning radius. The direction of turn is determined by the
direction the turning motor turns. If the engine and steering motor are
both turning at the same speed (assuming 1:1 ratios of the connecting
chain/gears) the tracks will turn at the same speed in the opposite
direction, and the vehicle will spin around its center. This is a much more
precise method of steering a tank or other tracked vehicle (or skid-steered
vehicle) than the conventional individual clutches and brakes. The original
version also was potentially much stronger and cheaper, since it used
standard, high volume truck parts. I see from the website that rcook5
posted that the system has now been intergrated so that steering apparently
no longer requires a separate motor. Looks very interesting.


Ah. Thanks for the explanation

--RC

"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.
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Bob Chilcoat
 
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I've now looked over the patent that is cited on the Torvec site, and it
DOES still use a steering motor. It does not use differentials, however,
but two sets of planetary gears. Neat device and very clever. Doesn't look
as strong as the original, but accomplishes exactly the same thing in a much
smaller package.

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)

"Bob Chilcoat" wrote in message
...
snip
standard, high volume truck parts. I see from the website that rcook5
posted that the system has now been intergrated so that steering

apparently
no longer requires a separate motor. Looks very interesting.
--



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B.B.
 
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Default

In article ,
wrote:

On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 22:03:44 -0500, "Bob Chilcoat"
wrote:

The Torsen track steering system is not the same as the Torsen differential,
which you are describing. The Torsen track steering system originally used
two conventional differentials, both hooked to the same output halfshafts.
One differential is driven by the engine output and its output is connected
to the left and right halfshafts in the normal way. The second differential
is driven by a "steering" motor, and its halfshafts are also connected to
the first differential's halfshafts, but with one key difference. On one
side, say the left side, the halfshafts are connect together with a chain
drive, or with gears through an idler gear, so that the two halfshafts turn
in the same direction. On the opposite side, say the right side, the two
halfshafts are connected together through a pair of gears, so that the two
halfshafts on that side turn in the opposite direction. If the steering
motor is not turning, the system of differentials and driven halfshafts
guarantee that the halfshafts of the first (engine-driven) differential turn
at exactly the same speed. If these halfshafts drive the left and right
tracks of a vehicle, the vehicle will go straight ahead. If, however, the
steering motor turns, the differential action of the two differentials will
cause the tracks to turn at different speeds, causing the vehicle to turn.
The faster the steering motor turns, the greater the differential speed and
the tighter the turning radius. The direction of turn is determined by the
direction the turning motor turns. If the engine and steering motor are
both turning at the same speed (assuming 1:1 ratios of the connecting
chain/gears) the tracks will turn at the same speed in the opposite
direction, and the vehicle will spin around its center. This is a much more
precise method of steering a tank or other tracked vehicle (or skid-steered
vehicle) than the conventional individual clutches and brakes. The original
version also was potentially much stronger and cheaper, since it used
standard, high volume truck parts. I see from the website that rcook5
posted that the system has now been intergrated so that steering apparently
no longer requires a separate motor. Looks very interesting.


Ah. Thanks for the explanation


Illustrations:
http://www.gizmology.net/tracked.htm
The torsen track steering patent is basically a double differential
steering system with the steering input to two separate gears joined by
a chain instead of a shaft. Probably to get around a patent.
The units I've seen inside of some Cats are double differential, but
use a more convoluted arrangement of gears so two large ring gears are
side-by-side. Makes it more compact than what you see in these
pictures. Also gives the steering motor really good leverage, so it can
be smaller too. Can't find a picture of that, though.
BTW, found an interesting page during my search:
http://tinyurl.com/6t85h I like the half track near the bottom!

--
B.B. --I am not a goat! thegoat4 at airmail dot net
http://web2.airmail.net/thegoat4/
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