A general theory for skid steering of tracked vehicles on firm ground

A general theory for skid steering of tracked vehicles under steady state c onditions on firm ground, taking into account the shear stress-shear displa cement relationship on the track-ground interface, is presented. The steeri ng behaviour predicted using the general theory bears a strong resemblance to that observed in the field. The variations of sprocket torques for the o uter and inner tracks with turning radius predicted by the general theory a re in reasonably close agreement with available experimental data. On the o ther hand, predictions based on Steeds' theory developed earlier differ gre atly from measured results. Using the general theory, the lateral coefficie nt of friction used in the conventional method for predicting the moment of turning resistance of the track can be quantitatively determined as a func tion of turning radius. It is believed that the new theory presented in thi s paper provides a unified approach to the study of the mechanics of skid s teering of tracked vehicles and that it may be extended to the study of tra nsient handling behaviour of tracked vehicles.