EFFECT OF BELT WIDTH AND GROUSER WEAR ON THE TRACTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF RUBBERTRACKED VEHICLES

Abstract

Extensive field tests were conducted using a Caterpillar Challenger 45 rubbertracked tractor to study the effectof belt width and grouser wear on tractive characteristics of rubbertracked tractors. The results of this study indicated thatbelt width does not significantly influence traction characteristics of a belted tractor whereas grouser wear significantlyinfluences both the maximum net traction coefficient and the maximum gross traction coefficient. However, grouser wear didnot influence the maximum tractive efficiency significantly. Moreover, the results indicated that maximum gross tractioncoefficient is linearly related to the maximum net traction coefficient with a coefficient of determination of over 98%.