Path Tracking using Vector Pursuit Algorithm for Tracked Vehicles Driving on the Soft Cohesive Soil

Abstract

Generally, tracked vehicles are used in military, agricultural and recreational applications where terrain conditions are improper or unpredictable. Tracked vehicles are better than wheeled vehicles due to the larger contact area of tracks providing better floatation and traction at various ground conditions. In this paper, the path tracking method is proposed for tracked vehicle driving on the deep-sea soft cohesive soil. Firstly, to generate the vehicle's motion following the specified path, the vector pursuit algorithm is used. Next, to drive the vehicle as the generated motion, the control method based on the relation between the traction force and the track slip is proposed. Finally, to prove the performance of vector pursuit algorithm, the numerical simulation is done. Also, to directly induce the relation of traction force-slip, the draw-bar pull test is executed