An Experimental Study On Tractive Performance of Tracked Vehicle On Cohesive Soft Soil

Abstract

This paper is concerned with an experimental investigation about tractive performance of a tracked vehicle on extremely soft soil. A tracked vehicle model with principal dimensions of 0.9m × 0.8m and the weight of 144kg was constructed with a pair of driving chain links driven by two AC-servo motors. The tracks are configured with detachable grousers, of which the span can be varied. Deep seabed was simulated by means of bentonite-water mixture in a soil bin of 6.0 m × 3.7m. Slip of vehicle and torque of motor were measured with respect to experimental variables; grouser span, grouser chevron angle, driving speed, drawbarpull weight, center of gravity and weight. L8 orthogonal table is adopted for DOE(Design Of Experiment). The effects of experiment variables on traction performance are evaluated.