Dynamic analysis of a tracked vehicle based on a subsystem synthesis method

Abstract

This paper concerns about subsystem synthesis method for dynamic analysis of complex multi-body tracked vehicle systems which can be divided into several subsystems. Using subsystem synthesis method, subsystems in the complex model can be independently analyzed with virtual massless reference bodies. The virtual massless reference body has information of position, velocity and acceleration for base body. In the subsystem synthesis method, analyses of position, velocity and acceleration of the subsystems are carried out in a forward recursive fashion. For overall multi-body tracked vehicle system analysis, subsystems can be synthesized to the base body with effective matrix and vector from the virtual massless reference body of each subsystem. Using these effective matrix and vector of subsystems, equations of motion with base body can be solved independently. After then equations of motion of each subsystem can be solved using results of base body. Advantages of the proposed method are investigated in terms of computational efficiency and solution accuracy. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed method, a multi-body tracked vehicle of seafloor massive sulfide has been analyzed. Copyright ？ 2013 by The International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE).