A Study on the Control and Optimization of Electric Tracked Tractors Operating on Uneven Terrain

To address the issues of trajectory deviation, attitude fluctuations, and reduced driving stability that electric tracked tractors often encounter on uneven terrain in hilly and mountainous fields, this paper proposes a driving stability control strategy based on torque distribution. First, based on the operational requirements of hilly and mountainous terrain, the overall structural design and key parameter calibration of a dual-side independently driven electric crawler tractor were completed. Second, a vehicle dynamics model and a C/D/E-level stochastic road profile model were constructed, and a four-stage progressive driving control strategy was designed, consisting of path analysis, torque distribution, heading-error compensation, and closed-loop feedback. Finally, a co-simulation platform was established using RecurDyn 2024–MATLAB/Simulink R2023b, and straight-line driving simulations were conducted under C-, D-, and E-grade stochastic road excitations at low speeds of 1–5 km/h. A physical prototype was also built and validated through field tests. The results indicate that, under the tested straight-line driving conditions, the proposed control strategy improves trajectory tracking accuracy, yaw stability, roll stability, and speed smoothness compared with the constant-torque distribution strategy. Field tests with the actual vehicle provided preliminary validation of the strategy’s effectiveness in improving driving stability and path-keeping capability under the measured uneven-terrain condition.