Soil Density Increases resulting from Alternative Tire and Rubber Track Configurations in Laboratory and Field Conditions

Abstract

Increasing machine size requires improved efficiency in the design of the undercarriage systems to reduce its potential effects on soil compaction. This chapter reports on an in-depth investigation of tires and tracks on soil compaction to explore the potential of modern undercarriage gear in minimizing soil compaction, i.e. soil density increase. The study was conducted in laboratory conditions in a sandy loam soil with tire loads from 4.5 to 10.5 t, and track loads from 10.5 to 12 t at Cranfield University, Silsoe, and published by Ansorge and Godwin (Ansorge D, Godwin RJ (2007) The effect of tires and a rubber track at high axle loads on soil compaction, Part 1: Single axle studies. Biosystems Engineering 98(1): 115–126; Ansorge D, Godwin RJ (2008) The effect of tires and a rubber track at high axle loads on soil compaction, Part 2: Multi-axle machine studies. Biosystems Engineering 99(3): 338–347).