Numerical Design and Analysis of the Tractive Performance of Large Off-road Wheels Driving on Dry Sands by DEM

Abstract

Aimed at the typical condition of large off-road wheels operating on dry sands, in which the sand apparently gets discontinuous and rutted by lugged wheels with larger load, the numerical test for tractive performance is designed and analyzed by discrete element method. It is indicated from the analysis that: Off-road wheels equipped with paralleled lugs show the superiorly tractive performance, especially in aspects of adhesion and tractive force, while V-shaped lugs come second. Types of lugs have little relationship with the sinkage and the efficiency coefficients, which closely reach the maximum in range of 20%-30% of slip. Nonetheless, lugged wheels’ performance universally precedes a smooth one’s.