An Experimental Study about Tractive Performance of Tracked Vehicle on Deep-sea Soft Sediment Based on Design of Experiment Using Orthogonal Array

This paper is concerned with an experimental investigation about tractive performance of a tracked vehicle on extremely soft soil. A tracked vehicle model with principal dimensions of <TEX>0.9\;m(L)\;×\;0.75\;m(B)\;×\;0.4\;m(H)</TEX> and the weight of 167 kg was constructed with a pair of driving chain links driven by two AC-servo motors. The tracks are configured with detachable grousers with variable span. Deep seabed was simulated by means of bentonite-water mixture in a soil bin of <TEX>6.0\;m(L)\;×\;3.7\;m(B)\;×\;0.7\;m(H)</TEX>. Slip of vehicle and driving torque of motor were measured with respect to experimental variables; grouser span, grouser chevron angle, driving speed, drawbar-pull weight, position of center-of-gravity and weight. <TEX>L₈</TEX> orthogonal array is adopted for DOE (Design Of Experiment). The effects of experiment variables on traction performance are evaluated.