Design and Integration of Hydrostatic Transmission in a 300-HP Marine Corps Amphibious Vehicle

摘要

This report summarizes the work performed to provide the design and integration of a hydrostatic transmission in a 300-hp Marine Corps amphibious vehicle. This project was initiated to evaluate the performance and efficiency that might be obtained by utilizing this transmission concept. To optimize the efficiency of the drivetrain, two significant design enhancements were incorporated into the vehicle design. The first enhancement involved the use of two-speed final drives which allow smaller and more efficient hydrostatic components to be used, and the second enhancement involved the use of a microcomputer-based control system to adjust in real time the transmission and engine settings to provide the best overall drivetrain efficiency. This report also summarizes the test results obtained at SwRI regarding the performance and efficiency of this drivetrain option. The results of these tests indicate that the performance of the vehicle is potentially superior to that of the existing drivetrain while the efficiency is judged to be somewhat lower. All rationale regarding the selection of components, vehicle design, and control mechanism to obtain this conceptual vehicle design will also be delineated in this report. (fr)