A THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF RUBBER TRACK PERFORMANCE MODELS

A model has been developed to study the traction performance of a rubb er track unit on soft agricultural soils and also to predict the groun d pressure distribution beneath the track. This model takes into accou nt the effect of soil recovery under the consecutive road wheels of th e track unit by using results obtained from repeated plate sinkage tes ts. An experimental study to simulate the effects of elastic and plast ic soil deformation caused by loads under the consecutive road wheels of a rubber track unit was successfully accomplished using the soil st rength parameters obtained from soil shear and plate sinkage tests. Th e sinkage parameters were obtained from repeated plate sinkage tests t o simulate loading, unloading and reloading of soil under the track. S oil properties obtained from these tests were used in the model to val idate it against experimental results of rubber track tractive perform ance obtained by means of tests on a single rubber track unit attached at the rear of a single-wheel tester. The comparisons between theoret ical and experimental results show good agreement in a range of soil c onditions. (C) 1998 Silsoe Research Institute.