Abstract
This paper presents examples of the application of the TDR (Time-Domain Reflectometry) sensor in terramechanical research. Examples include the determination of soil moisture content during off-road vehicle mobility tests, the determination of snow density before and after the wheeling of a snow grooming machine and an airplane, as well as the monitoring of turf moisture on a grassy airfield for the analysis and prediction of safe and efficient flight operations (takeoff and landing). A handheld TDR meter was used in these experiments. Soil moisture data were correlated with the vehicle mobility index and a simple model for this correlation was derived. Using grassy airfield research, soil moisture data were related to meteorological impacts (precipitation, sunlight, etc.). Generally, it was concluded that the TDR meter, in its handheld version, was a useful tool in the performed research, but a field sensor that operates autonomically would be an optimal solution for the subject applications.
Highlights
Terramechanics is a science that deals with interactions between running gears of vehicles or machines and the soil or other soft, deformable surfaces, such as snow, grass, etc
This paper presents researches in which soil moisture has been determined with the use of a handheld soil moisture meter together with vehicle mobility data or atmospheric conditions data for wheel-soil interaction modeling
Soil moisture content was measured by means of a handheld time-domain reflectometry (TDR) meter in a mix of loess, sand, and gravel on a provisional road, together with vehicle performance for the entire season
Summary
Terramechanics is a science that deals with interactions between running gears of vehicles or machines and the soil or other soft, deformable surfaces, such as snow, grass, etc. Soil, being a porous, three-phase, and highly hygroscopic material, changes its moisture content in response to atmospheric impacts, such as precipitation, solar radiation, wind, and ambient air temperature, as well as in response to the presence of vegetation. The dynamics of soil moisture can be very intensive and may significantly change within hours so it affects the mechanical properties of the soil material [4,5,6]. Some synonym terms are used to describe the performance of a vehicle on soft, deformable terrain. Soil trafficability is a set of soil mechanical properties that affect the generation of tractive forces, net traction, T (N), rolling resistance, RR (N), and drawbar pull, DBP (N) [7]. In the terramechanics, the term mobility describes a situation when a vehicle passes over unpaved, Sensors 2019, 19, 2116; doi:10.3390/s19092116 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors
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