HANDLING PERFORMANCE OF PNEUMATIC TIRES ON SANDY LOAM

摘要

Wheeled vehicles traversing deformable terrain are employed in various applications, such as military operations, mining, space exploration, and recreational use. This paper aims at enhancing the understanding of handling characteristics for a pneumatic tire traversing over deformable terrain through experimental work conducted in the Advanced Vehicle Dynamics Laboratory (AVDL) at Virginia Tech. In order to support the in-house development of the Hybrid Soft Soil Tire Model (HSSTM), funded by the Automotive Research Center (ARC), a combination of experiments has been formulated that gives insight into the effect of specific tire and soil parameters, specifically: wheel slip, toe angle, camber angle, normal load, inflation pressure, tread wear, and soil compaction level. The experimental results obtained provide valuable data required for the validation of the HSSTM. The measurements were conducted using the Terramechanics Rig at AVDL. This indoor single wheel tester allows for repeatable testing under a well-controlled environment. The data measured indicates that, with a reduced tread wear, the wheel is able to provide a higher drawbar pull in all cases. With an increase in toe angle, the lateral force increases, providing necessary forces for improving the handling dynamics of the vehicle. An increase in the camber able led to a decrease in the drawbar pull while also increasing the lateral force in the tire contact patch.