Analyzing mobility trends of tracked vehicles on fine-grained soils in a progressive slip condition using full-scale test data presented in DROVE 3.0

Abstract

In 2013, an extensive effort began to create a consolidated off-road vehicle mobility database named DROVE (Database Records for Off-road Vehicle Environments). DROVE consists of over 8,500 experimental test records measured over several decades for wheeled and tracked vehicles over various terrains. This paper introduces the third release of DROVE, which adds results from 193 tests primarily consisting of data for tracked vehicles on fine-grained soils in a progressive slip condition. Performance parameters considered in DROVE 3.0 include drawbar pull, torque, sinkage, and traction. These parameters were compared to mobility numerics, such as soil-track mobility number, contact pressure to cone index ratio, and mean maximum pressure. These parameters were used to develop mobility trends in this paper. DROVE is intended to be a resource for the mobility community applicable to many situations, including evaluating and advancing numerical simulations, improving closed-form algorithms, and understanding vehicular trends that can be used for development or purchase specifications.