Dynamic analysis of an articulated tracked vehicle on undulating and inclined ground

Abstract

The principal objective of this paper was to investigate the dynamic responses of an articulated tracked vehicle, when crawling on undulating and inclined ground. The configuration of the articulated tracked vehicle had two separate tracked vehicle systems connected by joints. The articulated tracked vehicle was modeled by using commercial software of multi-body dynamic analysis. A terramechanics model of cohesive soft soil was implemented according to the relationships of normal pressure to sinkage, of shear resistance to shear displacement, and of dynamic sinkage to shear displacement. In an effort to evaluate the dynamic responses of an articulated tracked vehicle crawling on undulating and inclined ground, a series of dynamic simulations were conducted for an articulated tracked vehicle model with respect to the initial velocity, gradient of inclined plane, soil property, joint type, steering ratio and so on. Copyright ？ 2011 by The International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE).