Dynamic modelling of the steering performance of an articulated tracked vehicle using shear stress analysis of the soil

Abstract

The steering performance is one of the major concerns in special engineering vehicle fields. This study aims to investigate the steering performance of an articulated tracked vehicle. An improved dynamic steering model for an articulated tracked vehicle is proposed when considering the shear stress–shear displacement relation of the soil at the track–ground interface. In this model, the mechanical, kinematic and dynamic models of the articulated unit are constructed to evaluate the movement performance of the articulated unit, and the kinematic and dynamic models of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are developed to evaluate the steering performance. The created dynamic model is then applied to analyse the steering performance of a specific articulated tracked vehicle. A mechanically controlled united simulation model and actual tests of an articulated tracked vehicle are utilized to verify the established steering model. The results of the comparisons show the effectiveness of the proposed dynamic steering model.