Investigation of the soil thrust interference effect for tracked unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) using model track tests

Abstract

The traction force of a tracked unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) depends on the soil thrust generated by the shearing action on the soil-track interface. In the development of soil thrust, because the continuous-track system consists of a number of single-track systems connected to each other, interference occurs between the adjacent single-track systems through the surrounding soil. Thus, the total soil thrust of the continuous-track system is not equal to the sum of the soil thrust of each single-track system, and the interference effect needs to be carefully considered. In this study, model track tests were conducted on model single-, double-, and triple-track systems according to relative density of soil and shape ratio (i.e., the length of the track plate to grouser depth). The test results indicated that the interference effect reduced soil thrust due to the overlapping shear zones between adjoining single-track systems. The loss of soil thrust increased as the relative density of the soil increased and the shape ratio decreased. Based on these findings, a soil thrust multiplier that can be utilized to assess the soil thrust of a continuous-track system was developed.