I have been trying to figure out how tanks are able to control each set of tracks individually, but I can not find the solution on Google. I have tried using cad to solve it myself, but nothing I came up with works. Could someone explain to me the mechanics of how they work?
In: Engineering
The Wikipedia article concerning [Tank Steering Systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_steering_systems) covers pretty much every single mechanism which is used to control tank tracks individually.
The simplest way is a using two clutches on the driveshafts – disengage the clutch and activate the brake on the side you want to stop turning, and power is sent only to the outer track. Biggest downside here is that you cannot reverse the inner track to spin on the spot, and the inner track isn’t powered, halving power output to the ground.
The more complex mechanisms involving multiple differentials that allow you to control the rate of power delivery to both sets of tracks, including fully reversing their directions. [Here’s a video of a double differential mechanism.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWSYa7b3Vjo)
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