Rubber-tracked crawler undercarriage multibody dynamic simulation for agriculture operation

This paper presents a novel multibody dynamic model for agricultural vehicles and applies it to study the effects of dynamic loading on a tracked wheel crawler vehicle used for agricultural purposes. Multibody dynamic simulation (MBS) is used to analyze the vehicle’s behavior under various operating conditions, considering the stiffness between tracks and the arrangement of a rubber track system. The model accounts for soil interaction with the crawler and the load effects on different soil types, resulting in slip ratios up to 9% for dry sand, 8% sandy loam, and 6% clay soil. The rubber crawler vehicle is simulated in different scenarios, including a 20^∘ slope plane climb and a draft load of 13 kN representing a planter and with seeding equipment. Under these conditions, the model reveals that the slip ratio increases to 20% in certain conditions. The results also show that the tension in the crawler belt element increases until it reaches 7.5 kN due to the type of soil on the bottom rollers when the vehicle has no draft load operation. The approach adopted here is a promising way to design better agricultural machinery optimized for efficiency and sustainability.