The drawing is just a scribble and only gives a very basic idea of the suspension, without showing key features which would explain the steering and braking systems fully.
The swing-arms main purpose is to act like the A-arms of an independent suspension. They allow the wheel to travel through a vertical arc as it moves over the terrain, and also contain the drivetrain. In the case of the swing-arms the drivetrain is double-roller chain (which is suprisingly affordable, used in the sawmill industry). They only control the camber of the wheel (sideways lean), the coilover-suspension controls the caster of the wheels (forward/backward lean) and supports the steering knuckle, outer hub and brake calipers (3 independent braking systems with two calipers each per wheel, for a total of 6 calipers per wheel).
Design history:
I was originally thinking hydraulic drive. Then i talked to Jon Kelley who knows more about hydraulic systems than i do and he said it would require large flow lines with high pressure to drive 4 wheels at any decent speed, and he suggested electric. He was thinking brushed motors but all modern systems are brushless and PWM. I found out that 4 brushless motors and controllers (for converting a car from gas to electric) were super expensive. As we are merely [cough, cough] movie fans and not a Government (whose elected officials think nothing is wrong with holding a convention in Alaska and using taxpayer money to feast on seafood imported from Norway), electric is not affordable. That forced me to design a mechanical-drive system, which is simply the diesel engine/transmission from a used delivery truck or ambulance feeding the intermediary axle and then the rear axle of a semi tractor.
As to the size of the vehicle, previous posters in this thread have expressed a desire to have one scaled Down to make the width 102" so it could be driven on public streets and highways (as the original was 10' 6" wide, not including the 11' 3" wide rear fenders). My opinion (worth exactly what you paid for it) is that having anything smaller than the original is just going to look like a toy. Even though it IS a toy, i would rather it look majestic or imposing. It would also be nice to have the interior big enough to use like the interior in the movie. If we alter the dimensions (for example making it taller so people can fit without making it wider) which i think would have convention fans constantly pointing out our mistake, and as i am not Dr. Who that means scaling it up so we can fit a full-size interior. The only affordable way to transport that size APC to and from events is to make it seperate down the middle so each half can be transported cheaply then reassembled near or at the event. If you want to drive it on roads for fun there are thousands of square miles of desert in the American southwest criscrossed by abandoned mining roads where no one will care what you do (just don't shoot any more holes in the Saguaro cactus).
I wish i could drop everything and build a 1/8 scale model right now, it would showcase the entire design and be easy to comprehend. And i do intend to build such a model as a prototype before starting on the full-size vehicle.
I will produce mechanical drawings tonight and post them to clear up any confusion.
The swing-arms main purpose is to act like the A-arms of an independent suspension. They allow the wheel to travel through a vertical arc as it moves over the terrain, and also contain the drivetrain. In the case of the swing-arms the drivetrain is double-roller chain (which is suprisingly affordable, used in the sawmill industry). They only control the camber of the wheel (sideways lean), the coilover-suspension controls the caster of the wheels (forward/backward lean) and supports the steering knuckle, outer hub and brake calipers (3 independent braking systems with two calipers each per wheel, for a total of 6 calipers per wheel).
Design history:
I was originally thinking hydraulic drive. Then i talked to Jon Kelley who knows more about hydraulic systems than i do and he said it would require large flow lines with high pressure to drive 4 wheels at any decent speed, and he suggested electric. He was thinking brushed motors but all modern systems are brushless and PWM. I found out that 4 brushless motors and controllers (for converting a car from gas to electric) were super expensive. As we are merely [cough, cough] movie fans and not a Government (whose elected officials think nothing is wrong with holding a convention in Alaska and using taxpayer money to feast on seafood imported from Norway), electric is not affordable. That forced me to design a mechanical-drive system, which is simply the diesel engine/transmission from a used delivery truck or ambulance feeding the intermediary axle and then the rear axle of a semi tractor.
As to the size of the vehicle, previous posters in this thread have expressed a desire to have one scaled Down to make the width 102" so it could be driven on public streets and highways (as the original was 10' 6" wide, not including the 11' 3" wide rear fenders). My opinion (worth exactly what you paid for it) is that having anything smaller than the original is just going to look like a toy. Even though it IS a toy, i would rather it look majestic or imposing. It would also be nice to have the interior big enough to use like the interior in the movie. If we alter the dimensions (for example making it taller so people can fit without making it wider) which i think would have convention fans constantly pointing out our mistake, and as i am not Dr. Who that means scaling it up so we can fit a full-size interior. The only affordable way to transport that size APC to and from events is to make it seperate down the middle so each half can be transported cheaply then reassembled near or at the event. If you want to drive it on roads for fun there are thousands of square miles of desert in the American southwest criscrossed by abandoned mining roads where no one will care what you do (just don't shoot any more holes in the Saguaro cactus).
I wish i could drop everything and build a 1/8 scale model right now, it would showcase the entire design and be easy to comprehend. And i do intend to build such a model as a prototype before starting on the full-size vehicle.
I will produce mechanical drawings tonight and post them to clear up any confusion.
