Slip and Oscillation of a Tractor

Abstract

Relations between the traction performance of a wheel tractor and the wheel slippage were studied. The slip ratio which gives maximum tractive power lies in a little lower value from the slip ratio which gives maximum tractive force.
Maximum traction slippage differs according to the traction speed, but it was observed that slippage is closely related to the slip speed. In these experiment, maximum traction was observed at the slip speed of 0.2m/s. In this case, maximum tractive power is expected at the driving speed of 0.5m/s, which is the rating speed of the first gear.
For the stability of the traction, operating point should not exceed the maximum traction slippage. Motion of the tractor in the unstable zone may be described by the Van del Pol equation. Solution of the equation using electronic analog computer gives fair agreement with the experimental results.