Experimental Study of the Trafficability of Agricultural Vehicles (IV)

On the Behaviour of Sinkage of Model Track Shoe

Abstract

The influence of vertical stresses and of water content in soil on the sinkage of a model track shoe and the behaviour of a model track shoe subjected to the repeated load were studied. The results obtained are summarized as follows.
1) The relation between the sinkage and time in crawler type vehicles may be expressed by expressions (4), and (5).
2) The experimental coefficient a and b in expression (4) decrease with increasing the vertical stresses and this trend becomes significant with increase in water contents.
3) The coefficient k does not exist in higher water contents, but exists in lower water contents.
4) When the shoe is subjected to the repeated vertical stresses, the coefficient a is independent of the number of cycles and the coefficient b increases with the number of cycles. The elastic sinkage holds a certain value with increasing the cycles in the repeated stress test.