A prediction model for the selection of tyres for towed vehicles on tilled soil

Abstract

The efficiency of transport on soft tilled soils can be improved by the use of low-pressure tyres, which reduce sinkage and field damage. In view of the limited information available, rolling resistance and sinkage measurements have been carried out with a single wheel tester on different plots. First, the bearing capacity of the soil was determined by measuring the rolling resistance of a rigid test wheel. The rolling resistance of tyres is in fact lower than that of rigid wheels of the same size. Therefore, an investigation was carried out to determine the extent to which flexible tyres are equivalent to rigid wheels of larger diameter. It proved to be possible to relate this increased diameter to the inflation pressure of the tyre, the wheel load and the stability of the soil. Once tyre results are converted into rigid wheel data in this way, the existing rolling resistance equations may be applied to pneumatic tyres and the rolling resistance of different tyres on different soils may be predicted.