NEW OFF-ROAD DYNAMICS FACILITY AT CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY

摘要

This paper describes a new off road dynamics facility developed by the staff of Cranfield University at Silsoe for the evaluation and test of a wide variety of machines that interface with off-road environments. It has been specifically designed to support research related to machinery and land systems engineering, including terramechanics, soil-implement dynamics and the environmental effects of vehicular movement. The facility comprises a laboratory within which the research apparatus is currentlybeing completed. The equipment comprises: a 45 m long, 5 m wide soil lane within which the soil moisture and water table levels can be controlled; a single wheel test apparatus for both dynamic and quasi-static tyre performance studies; a 'smart winch' to provide a dynamically controlled load for whole vehicle performance studies; a tyre and track test device for compaction studies; and a whole vehicle articulation rig. This facility will meet the needs of a range of applications including agriculture,automotive, construction, military, motor sport and telecommunications for the provision of previously unavailable tyre, vehicle and machine performance data.