Contour Line Maneuver of Tracked Vehicles on Inclined Ground

Abstract

In the previous paper, in order to disclose the maneuverability of tracked vehicles on an inclined ground, a mathematical model which considered the effect of track width and the characteristics of the track-ground interaction was developed, and numerical data were compared wlth the experimental data by using a scale model. In this paper, the constrain conditions and the equations of motion to maintain the tracked vehicle on a contour line of an inclined ground without lateral downward slip were developed, and the numerical analysis using specifications of an example vehicle on running conditions and steering input was conducted. It was found from these analysis that the tracked vehicle can traverse on a contour line, if the attitude of the tracked vehicle directs up-slope and is given optimum steering inputs.