On the energy losses due to tracks vibrations in rubber track crawler vehicles

Abstract

In spite of an increasing number of rubber-tracked vehicles, there are no engineering models for predicting and optimizing the energy consumption of vehicles of this type. To formulate those models, the models of the phenomena resulting in the internal losses of rubber-track systems need to be developed. This article presents a model describing the losses caused by the transverse vibrations of rubber tracks. The predictions made using the model are discussed against the background of the preliminary experimental tests on a sample rubber track for heavy off-road vehicles. The model predictions and the experimental tests suggest that the losses caused by the 1st mode vibration of rubber tracks are marginal in relation to the total internal resistance of rubber-track systems. However, according to the model predictions, a significant increase in the rubber-tracked undercarriage internal resistance is expected as a result of the high-amplitude track vibrations corresponding to the higher-order modes. To make the model applicable in practice, a method for determining the essential parameters of the model, including the bending stiffness and the decrement of oscillation damping, is demonstrated. The accuracy of the method is confirmed by the computations, where the sag and the frequency of the 1st mode free vibration of a sample track are predicted with an error of 10% and 1.8%, respectively. The parameter values obtained by this method are suitable for modeling a wide variety of off-road vehicles. The method can be applied to many other types of reinforced rubber belts, e.g., conveyor belts.