Pattern Abrasion and Other Mechanisms of Wear of Tank Track Pads

Abstract

Abstract Wear of tank track pads has been studied under different conditions. With T142 pads tested on an M-60 tank, the mode of failure was found to depend on the test conditions. Among eighteen experimental compounds tested, improved wear (vs. the standard compound) under one test condition was generally at the expense of poorer wear under one or both of the other test conditions. However, in agreement with previous results, an HNBR/Zn-methacrylate/peroxide compound gave improved wear rate under all three test conditions. Wear of the T142 pads on a hilly cross-country course and on a combination course was generally by massive chunking. On a paved road course, most compounds wore by pattern abrasion. A few compounds worn on this course formed deep pockets parallel to the surface, resulting in the eventual loss of the large flaps between the pocket and the surface. Pattern abrasion was also found on T156 pads of four different compounds, tested on an M-1 tank on the paved road course. The abrasion patterns of both types of pads had a shingled appearance, with the ridges pitched so as to bite into the road surface. The abrasion patterns were characterized quantitatively by profilometry, using standard parameters calculated for surface roughness of metals and other materials. The ridge height and its ratio to ridge spacing correlated positively with wear rate on the paved road; whereas there was no correlation of ridge spacing with wear rate. The compounds which gave the lowest wear rate on the paved road, including the HNBR compounds, gave shallow ridges with little or no pattern.