Stupid Physics Question: How much power do you need to move?

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PeZook
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Stupid Physics Question: How much power do you need to move?

Post by PeZook »

Okay, this is probably a dumb question with a complicated answer, but it's got me stymied.

I have a vehicle of a given mass of 600kg, powered by four electric motors. To simplify, the motors are directly attached to the wheels, via an 80:1 harmonic drive.

I have the engine's power, max rpm (800W total, 200W per engine and 10 000 rpm).

Now, the question is: would these engines be enough to move the vehicle?

I can get the torque-on-wheels by using the formula Tw=Te*ic*nm

where Tw is torque-on-wheels, Te is the engine's torque, ic is the drive train's rating, and nm is the energy transfer coefficient.

But how do I infer:

1) The engine's torque, and

2) If Mk is enough to move the vehicle from a standstill?

Also, is the above formula correct at all? :P
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Winston Blake
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Post by Winston Blake »

I don't have any experience with engines, but since power is force x velocity, the torque of each engine should be: 0.19 Nm.

Geared down 80:1, that's 15.3 Nm. Then multiply that by the wheel radius and you get the tangential force where the wheel contacts the ground. If this force is greater than (the weight of the vehicle x its static coefficient of friction), then it should move.

The main problem with this is that IIRC electric motors give maximum torque when they're stalled, and the torque I calculated is for 'max rpm', which must mean it's the minimum torque. Still, if it can move from a standstill even with that minimum torque, then it'll move in reality.
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