The shearing edge of tracked vehicle – Soil interactions in path clearing applications utilizing Multi-Body Dynamics modeling & simulation

• Mobility comparison of path/route clearance vehicles equipped with soil implements.
• Full-system Multi-Body Dynamics simulations performed over soft soil terrains.
• Dynamics modeling of non-horizontal, rapid flail impacts on soil and rake shear.
• Application of Coulomb soil theory and Terzaghi passive failure formulation.
• Flail offered increased mobility and lower reaction loads at the vehicle interface.

Tracked vehicle – soil interactions were modeled and analyzed to compare the mobility of two notional path clearing implements pushed by a tracked vehicle. This exploration assesses the capabilities and limitations of the state-of-the-art in tracked vehicle dynamics modeling and simulation over soft-soil terrain. Unique modeling and simulation methods to stretch the capability of the current state-of-the-art contribute to the overall discussion. One path clearing implement was a roller and rake combination. The other was a quickly rotating flail system that cleared a definitive path by impacting and flinging the soil away. Geotechnical forcing functions implemented Coulomb’s lateral earth pressure theory and Terzaghi passive soil failure models to compute the forces at the soft-soil – implement interfaces. Coulomb theory was reimagined to account for anomalies present when modeling the flail, mainly its arced motion and non-semi-infinite soil resistance zone. The path-clearing implements were simulated over discrete events and compared by means of load and acceleration time histories. The discrete events include side-slopes, grades, half-rounds, potholes, cross country terrain, and ‘V’ shaped ditches (V-ditch). Overall, the flail system experienced lower peak loads at the interface brackets and lower peak accelerations at the vehicle’s center of gravity than the roller-rake system.