Numerical Simulation of the Interaction between the Grousers of Tracked Vehicle and the Soil Using Discrete Element Method

Abstract

Tracks, as the road of tracked vehicles, play an important role in improving the off-road performance. However, the studies on the interaction between the tracks and the soil are limited, especially the effect of grouser morphology and arrangement on the traction force. Firstly, the track shoe was selected as the object. The interactional mechanical model was established between the track shoe and the soil using the Discrete Element Method. Compared with the in-line grouser, the average traction force of the splay grouser has increased by 11.45 %. Secondly, the splay grouser was selected as the object. The effects of the grouser height and spacing on the traction force were studied. In a certain range, the traction force becomes larger with the increase of the height and the spacing. Finally, the influences of the soil particles on the track shoe were analyzed, and the stress concentrations are easy to appear on the surface, the corner and the edge of the grousers. This paper provides a new theoretical reference for the establishment of mechanical model and the optimization design of the track shoe.