horchoha wrote:
So when you make a turn, one side of the chain is in tension (pulling) and the other end is in compression (pushing) the TRE's? Clarify this for me, I keep picturing trying to push a truck up a hill with a rope. It's just I've never seen a roller chain used in compression.
I know, it's a bit hard to describe, but I hear ya, and maybe here's a better way to visualize.
What I'm calling the "tie rod tube" would be akin to the typical round rack with teeth cut into it. Maybe it would be called a "gear rack".
So imagine just welding a length of chain to my "tie rod tube" all the way along. Now put that into a housing and drive it with a sprocket.
All I'm thinking is only attaching the chain on the ends, putting a bit more chain in to wrap around the sprocket to avoid notchyness.
The idlers are mounted inside the housing and keep the chain tight all the time. Mind you my picture is not the entire rack system. There is no housing pictured.
The "tie rod tube" is the solid piece connecting the actual tie rods. So that will be a solid connection between wheels. If the chain is properly tensioned by the idlers there would be no slop. The idlers will be fixed and I'm thinking the pinion will have a vertical adjustment, which will preload the chain, say to 100 pounds or so.
In my picture if the steering is turned to the right (clockwise) the left end of the "tie rod tube" will be pulled by the chain and move to the right. My car is front steer. Mount it upside down for rear steer.
It works in mockup.