Design Parameters Optimization Simulation of a Prototype Segmented Rubber Track Vehicle for Sepang Peat in Malaysia

Azmi Yahya,Mohd Zohadie,Ataur Rahman,Desa Ahmad,Wan Ishak

doi:10.3844/ajassp.2005.655.671

Abstract

This study describes a simulation model for studying the basic design parameters of a special rubber track vehicle with rigid link tracks system on Sepang peat terrain in Malaysia. The prototype parameters for a track system, including proper track width, ground contact length, pitch and grouser height, idler diameter and location, sprocket diameter and location, road-wheel diameter and geometrical arrangement, the ratio of the road-wheel spacing to track pitch and location of the center of gravity to ensure good tractive performance. The vehicle track width significantly affects the vehicle external motion resistance. The road-wheel spacing ensures the number of road-wheels and significantly affects the vehicle external motion resistance. The vehicle traveling speed affects the vehicle engine power requirement and vehicle steerability during turning on peat terrain. The simulated performance results such as vehicle average motion resistance coefficient of 6.8 to 7.9%, drawbar pull coefficient of 25.22 to 47% and the tractive efficiency of 74 to 77% for the vehicle slippage of 5 to 20% and indicate that the vehicle can meet the peat terrain field requirement with its optimal power consumption.

Highlights

Study and selection the basic design parameters are the major concern for designing a special rubber track vehicle with rigid links track system on peat terrain, Sepang, Malaysia
This study represents the simulation model for a Sepang peat prototype segmented rubber track vehicle. The aim of this model to evaluate the effects of vehicles design parameters on the motion resistance, tractive effort, drawbar pull, engine power requirement and tractive efficiency of the vehicle as functions of track slip on peat terrain
From the comparison of the vehicle based on the location of center of gravity, it is found that the tractive efficiency of the vehicle with center of gravity is located at 200 mm rearward from the mid point of the track ground contact length is 13.2% higher than the tractive efficiency of the vehicle with the center of gravity is located at the mid-point of the track ground contact length

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Study and selection the basic design parameters are the major concern for designing a special rubber track vehicle with rigid links track system on peat terrain, Sepang, Malaysia. Amount of Slippage: The slippage is one of a functional parameter for the vehicle traction mechanism which is the mainly function of terrain sinkage parameters: surface mat stiffness mm and underlying peat stiffness kp, terrain hydraulic diameters Dh, vehicle normal load W, sinkage of the vehicle z, vehicles track entry angle θfi and exit angle θrs It will reveal different value at the bottom track part of front idler, main straight part and rear sprocket if the vehicle traverses on the unprepared peat terrain with non-uniform ground pressure distribution. For the tractive effort developed at the side of the ground contact front idler track element, the relationship between the tractive effort Fs developed at the side of the track ground contact part, track grouser height H, track ground contact length L, terrain cohesiveness c, normal stress σ, shear stress τ, shear deformation modulus Kw and slippage i of the vehicle trackterrain interfaces can be modeled by the following equation:. The motion resistance for the main straight part track element can be modelled by the following equation: z

Dh mmz

Findings

CONCLUSION