Soil penetration testers – State of the art – Part 2 – The bevameter approach

This article presents a review of the equipment used in the process of determining the mechanical strength of soil, in particular with regards to the vertical loads applied. Here, devices incorporating the bevameter approach, i.e. medium and large-scale testers, are discussed. The bevameter technique is described in detail, along with the most common mathematical models relating to the vertical pressure applied to the soil and its compaction. The paper also highlights important phenomena for this type of experiment, such as the scale effect, wall effect, multipass effect, and slip sinkage effect. The article presents the reasons for which plate testers are currently the most commonly used tester type for soil penetration tests for the purpose of terramechanics, including the Next Generation NATO Reference Mobility Model that is currently under development. Investigations towards the influence of the penetration rate on soil penetration are also addressed. Furthermore, the authors also present a selection of their own results of currently ongoing research on the subject of potential influence of the plate grouser on plate sinkage. The results already obtained have made it possible to identify phenomena that are not taken into account in the current research methods, in turn resulting in the development of an innovative plate tester for investigating the sinkage of the running gear components of machines and vehicles in fragmented media.