Abstract
Track used on military vehicles is being studied to establish conditions responsible for increases in track tension, the source of which has been identified as slow steady-state negotiation of an obstacle by a military tracked vehicle. A two-dimensional finite element model, formulated to predict track tension in a double-pin track used in the M60 tank, is employed to assess increases in track tension produced by obstacles between road wheels and directly under a road wheel. The model shows that the increase in track tension is significantly greater when the obstacle is located between road wheels than it is when the obstacle is located under a road wheel. Track tension can more than double when the tank traverses obstacles of moderate height. The coefficient of friction between road pads and the ground has a large effect on track tensions for moderate height obstacles. The track longitudinal stiffness (rubber bushings) has an increasingly significant effect on track tension as obstacle height increases. Track tension does not increase as rapidly when traversing an obstacle at greater track pretension values. Parameters such as road wheel load, torsion bar suspension stiffness, and track bending stiffness have only small effects on track tension. Appended is a description of the finite element algorithm.
Published Version
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