Regularities of pressure distribution under a crawler with elastic tracks

Abstract

It is possible to increase the efficiency of an agricultural tractor and reduce the pressure on the soil by installing a crawler with elastic tracks on it, for example, using a pneumatic caterpillar or a caterpillar with rubber-cord tracks. To develop a design and select rational parameters of such a propulsor, it is necessary to know the patterns of pressure distribution under the caterpillar, the relationship between the parameters of the caterpillar propulsor and the maximum pressures arising under it. The process of interaction of a caterpillar with a deformable base is considered and the dependences of the pressure distribution under a crawler with elastic tracks on its design parameters and physical and mechanical properties of the soil are established. Theoretical dependences are obtained for determining the maximum pressures under the support rollers of the pneumatic track mover. They allow you to plot and determine the patterns of pressure distribution under a crawler with elastic tracks, select the parameters of the mover according to the criterion of permissible pressures on the soil. the calculated pressure distribution plots are qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with the experimental plots, the discrepancy of the maximum pressures does not exceed 20 %.