Study on Soil-Lugged Wheel Interaction (Part 2)

Characteristics of Soil Reaction on a Lugged Wheel

Abstract

Many experimental studies on a lugged wheel-soil interaction have been conducted. In most of them, the method of mechanically giving predetermined level of slip and sinkage to a lugged wheel is adopted. The reaction forces to lugs as the result of the above conditions seem to be equal to cutting resistance of metal. We thought that the situation of soil-lug system by such method does not represent the actual behaviour. In this study, therefore, a test device giving a freedom of vertical direction to a lugged wheel and selfpropelled mechanism was constructed. Slip, sinkage and reaction forces obtained were thought to represent the actual phenomena of soil-lug interaction well.
In this paper, soil reaction forces acting on a lug and both pull force and lift force induced at lugs-soil contact were discussed. Estimation of soil reaction forces to a lug was also investigated analytically.