Abstract: Thermography was used to observe and inspect temperatures experienced in the field by the ground pad surface of elastomer track shoes operating on a U.S. Army M1 battle tank. Observations were made to define the temperatures generated by the track pads under paved road, high speed traveling conditions in order to relate them to durability failure modes, such as abrasion, cutting and chunking, and blowout (catastrophic failure of the pad). Elastomers studied and compared included styrene butadiene rubber, natural rubber, highly saturated nitrile rubbers and cellulose fiber-filled reinforcement rubber. Local surface temperatures were affected by the natural asymmetrical weight distribution of the vehicle, track/ground pad design and failure mode. Detection of failed rubber bushings located within the pad connector pins were also observed.!7
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