Multibody Modeling of a New Wheel/Track Reconfigurable Locomotion System for a Small Farming Vehicle

Tracks and wheels are the most widely used running gear for the locomotion of agricultural vehicles. The main difference between the two systems is the contact area with the ground and, consequently, the pressure distribution. Evaluating the pressure distribution on the ground is important because soil damage and vehicle performance depend on it. This analysis is especially difficult for tracked vehicles, owing to their complexity compared with wheeled systems. In this paper, we describe a multibody model of a flexible track to evaluate the pressure distribution upon contact with soft terrain. The track considered in this study is part of a reconfigurable locomotion system of a small farming vehicle, which can vary the pressure distribution by switching from a wheeled vehicle to a half-tracked vehicle. The aim of such a vehicle is to minimize soil damage in addition to optimizing its performance. The model is used to characterize this vehicle and evaluate the pressure distribution with varying characteristic parameters, such as track tension, the position of the vehicle's center of gravity, the weight distribution on the track itself, and the stiffness of the suspension system.