REKEM - A DESIGN-ORIENTED SIMULATION PROGRAM FOR OFF-ROAD TRACK VEHICLE

A design-oriented computer program, called REKEM, was developed for of f-road track vehicle simulation. The equations of motion were formulat ed using the Lagrange approach and created automatically by a symbolic program. The model includes the detailed design and features of all s uspension components, track tension, soil-track interaction, rolling r esistance and soil energy dissipation. A sixth-order Runge-Kutta integ ration method and variable time steps were used for the solution. The output of the program includes numerical and graphical options, as wel l as animation of ride simulation. The simulation program is oriented for detailed design and analysis of the suspension system and for ride comfort evaluation. One of the main features of the program is the ea sy implementation of new suspension elements and track-soil-wheel inte raction models. The source code of the model is concise in shape and s ize, and can be operated on work stations and personal computers with a mathematical co-processor as well. An example of ride simulation dem onstrates some of the design features of the simulation model.