Kinematic Track Modelling for Fast Multiple Body Dynamics Simulation of Tracked Vehicle Robot

Abstract

This paper presents modelling technique for fast computation of multiple body dynamics of a tracked vehicle robot. Tracks are modelled as a series of small rigid plates constrained to move on a fixed path defined by the outline of the whole track. The tracks are modelled without deformation, but the external force from the ground is considered and computed based on the contact force between the track plates and the ground. The constraint on the movement of the rigid plates allows to significantly reduce both the number of degrees-of-freedom of the whole system and the simulation time. The validation of the model has been carried out against both a full dynamics model and experimentally measured data.