The influence law of a tracked vehicle grouser shape on the soil slide sinkage was investigated in this study via the numerical simulations and physical tests. A finite element model was built using the plastic incremental theory and generalized Hokker’s law, while constitutive soil parameters were obtained via triaxial test. The numerical simulation model was verified by physical test results. Based on the verified numerical simulation model, the influence law of the tracked vehicle grouser shape on the soil slide sinkage was determined. The results show that (1) shear displacement in the lateral direction can increase the soil sinkage in the vertical direction, which is referred to as the “slide sinkage”; (2) there is a linear relationship between the slide sinkage and the shear displacement; (3) the grouser width and height have a positive influence on the amount of slide sinkage. Under the same load, an increase in grouser width and height will cause an increase in the soil slide sinkage. Grouser thickness and pitch have a negative influence on the slide sinkage, and under the same load, increased grouser width and height cause a reduction in the soil slide sinkage. Grouser angle characteristics have no significant effect on the soil sinkage. The application of the slide sinkage in tracked vehicles traveling on soft roads was investigated in multibody system dynamics analysis software Recurdyn to confirm these observations. The results presented in this paper may provide a workable reference for the analysis of tracked vehicles in multibody system dynamics scenarios.
Gravity compensation and optimal control of actuated multibody system dynamics
