1997 Volume 59 Issue 2 Pages 3-11
It is required to clarify soil deformation under a wheel in order to improve the tractive performance of the off-the-road vehicles, e. g. farm machinery and construction machinery. A new system which is able to measure soil deformation more precisely than the existing methods is developed. A series of photographs for the displacements of the markers which are stuck inside a soil bin wall is taken. The coordinates of the positions of the markers are read from the photographs using the coordinate detecting device. To calculate the strain of soil from the coordinates of the markers, a method used in the finite element analysis is employed. The experiments for the rigid wheel were carried out on sand stratum. The measured strain distribution in the sand is discussed from the mechanical point of view.
