AN ADAPTIVE MODEL OF WHEEL-TRACK-TERRAIN INTERACTION FOR PREDICTING RIDE PERFORMANCE OF TRACKED VEHICLES

A comprehensive computer simulation model of a typical tracked vehicle , is developed for predicting its ride vibration environment. Non-line ar, in-plane vehicle ride model is formulated assuming constant vehicl e speed and non-deformable terrain profile. A special emphasis is give n to the formulation and characterization of the wheel-track-terrain i nteraction through an adaptive model: an equivalent damper and continu ous radial spring formulation is employed to model the wheel/track-ter rain interaction, whereas the track-terrain interaction is modeled con sidering initial-fitted track tension, track belt stretching, track br idging, and wheel-track-terrain separation. Field testing of a convent ional armoured personnel carrier traversing over a random course was c arried out to validate the simulation model. Computer simulation resul ts are validated against field measured results. The comparison of mea sured and predicted results exhibits a good agreement. In addition, th e effectiveness of the simulation model in terms of accuracy of respon se predictions, is demonstrated by comparing with VEHDYN II - the ride prediction module of the NATO Reference Mobility Model (NRMM).