Development of a Soil-Wheel Interaction Model

Abstract : The determination of the response of a single flexible wheel traversing a yielding (or deformable) surface is essential for the analysis of the steering performance of wheeled vehicles. Specifically, the sinkage, motion resistance, drawbar pull, torque, and side forces acting on a powered flexible wheel moving on a yielding soil must be accurately determined. Due to the overwhelming complexity of this problem, previous research in this area has been directed, by and large, towards extensive experimentation and the development of empirical equations relating the various parameters of the problem.