Spatial Dynamics of Multibody Tracked Vehicles Part II: Contact Forces and Simulation Results

• Published in: Vehicle system dynamics Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 113 - 137
• Main Authors: LEE, H. C., CHOI, J. H., SHABANA, A.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colchester Taylor & Francis Group 01.02.1998; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Computer simulation; Degrees of freedom (mechanics); Equations of motion; Exact sciences and technology; Friction; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Mathematical models; Nonlinear equations; Physics; Solid dynamics (ballistics, collision, multibody system, stabilization...); Solid mechanics; System stability; Three dimensional model; Contact stress; N body system; Tracked vehicle; Dynamical system; Vehicle dynamics; Modeling
• ISSN: 0042-3114; 1744-5159
• DOI: 10.1080/00423119808969369

In this part of the paper, three dimensional computational capabilities, that includes significant details, are developed for the nonlinear dynamic analysis of large scale spatial tracked vehicles. Three dimensional nonlinear contact force models that describe the interaction between the track links and the vehicle components such as the rollers, sprockets, and idlers as well as the interaction between the track links and the ground are developed and used to define the generalized contact forces associated with the vehicle generalized coordinates. Tangential friction and contact forces are developed in order to maintain the stability of the track motion and avoid the slippage of the track or its rotation as a rigid body. Body and surface coordinate systems are introduced in order to define the spatial contact conditions. The nonlinear equations of motion of the tracked vehicle are solved using the velocity transformation procedure developed in the first part of this paper. This procedure is used in order to obtain a minimum set of differential equations, and avoid the use of the iterative Newton-Raphson algorithm. A computer simulation of a tracked vehicle that consists of one hundred and six bodies and has one hundred and sixteen degrees of freedom is presented in order to demonstrate the use of the formulations presented in this study.