An experimental study on steering performance of tracked vehicle on cohesive soft soil by DOE (Design of Experiment) using orthogonal arrays

Abstract

This paper is concerned about experimental investigation on steering performance of tracked vehicle on extremely soft soil. A tracked vehicle model with principal dimensions of 0.9m(L)×0.75m(B)× 0.4m(H) and weight of 167kg was constructed with a pair of driving chain links driven by two AC-servo motors. The tracks were configured with detachable grousers with variable span. Deep seabed was simulated by means of bentonite-water mixture in a soil bin of 6.0m(L)×3.7m(B)×0.7m(H). Turning radii of vehicle and driving torques of motors were measured with respect to experiment variables: steering ratio, driving speed, grouser chevron angle, grouser span, grouser height. L8 orthogonal table is adopted for DOE (Design Of Experiment). The effects of experiment variables on steering performance are evaluated. Copyright ？ 2004 by The International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers.