Another area to consider is the ability of a wheel to traverse obstacles.
While moving in the primary rolling direction the wheel can overcome an obstruction of 1/2 the wheel radius with a non-destructive force.
When moving sideways, and applying the same calculation this limits the size of the obstacle to 1/2 the radius of the roller, which is considerably less.
This can be moderated by trying to not approach the obstacle directly side on. By approaching the obstacle at an angle, you are able to increase the size of the obstacle that can be overcome with the same force.
The relationship of the angle of approach to either maximum is exponential as both have a maximum value across which it can not travel.
As a rule of thumb 1/2 radius is manageable, 2/3 radius may be possible with effort.
Larger steps can be attained with articulation of the wheel chassis in a variety of ways, including the effective use of an ‘obstacle climbing’ trident.
This, however, only applies improving the overstepping in the primary rolling direction.
If you want to know more or have any questions, please let me know.
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