Linear-/Portalachse

20:00 Nov 6, 2013 

Please be convinced that the expression 'portal axle' is certainly used as in the following example:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_axle‎

Portal axles (or portal gear) are an offroad technology where the axle tube is above the center of the wheel hub and where there is a reduction gearbox in the ...

To the best of my knowledge, the expression is also used by Bombardier and Siemens in their low-floor trams. These 'portals' are obviously upside-down - well, you couldn't very well design a low-floor tram with the axle tube ABOVE the wheel centre, now could you...

I think the expression you use may have to depend on whether there are two wheels on opposite sides of the vehicle as in a tram, but I really cannot envisage any other possibility.

Sadly, your pics don't give any size reference that I can see, nor are they very clear.

15:47 Nov 6, 2013 

yes, it sounds wierd, but they are usually called axes and the units that drive them are the linear actuators/drives/motors, no unity amongst companies as usual! there are manual linear axes as well, without motors. and probably no unity amongst translators either. Ask your client what he would prefer!

14:57 Nov 6, 2013 

I have only ever seen axis in the sense of X-axis or Y-axis, i.e. referring to a coordinate system. That's why I thought it was strange that these devices running along various axes would be called axes themselves. And all the websites I've found with the translations linear or portal axis have been German.

Here is some more context that I have since come across:

Linearachse XYZ
Antriebsart: Elektrisch, Linearmotor
Hub: ...
Geschwindigkeit: ...
Nutzlast: ...

14:04 Nov 6, 2013 

a linear axis is correct as is portal axis
a linear actuator/motor would be linearantrieb and would be the element driving the linear axis
I would not translate linearachse as a linear actuator, but always as linear axis. The portal just means overhead as opposed to linear -along.