Predicting terrain deformation patterns in off-road vehicle-soil interactions using TRR algorithm

Soil deformation is one of the parameters affecting the performance of off-road vehicles, including traction, mobility, and steering. This study offers an examination of soil deformation resulting from interactions with pneumatic and track wheels. Experiments were conducted using a soil bin with a single-wheel test rig, equipped with both a standard agricultural tire and a customized track wheel. Three distinct levels of vertical loads (2, 3, and 4kN) and forward velocities (1, 2, and 3 km/h) were applied using the wheel tester. The displacement and deformation of the soil layers, visualized as a vertical cross-section along the motion path, were consistently prepared and photographed for all experiments. Image analysis was undertaken with MATLAB software to scale images and extract graphical data. The highest deformation, with a value of 60.86 mm, is associated with the interaction of a pneumatic wheel with a force of 4 kN, while the lowest deformation occurs when the soil interacts with a track wheel with a force of 2 kN, with a value of 25.05 mm. Furthermore, the fitted surfaces obtained using the optimization algorithm showed good convergence with the experimental data, with R² values of 0.9783 and 0.9516 for the pneumatic tire and tracked tire, respectively. The results demonstrated that the TRR model performs well in accurately predicting soil deformation induced by various types of wheels. A comparison between soil deformations caused by track wheels and pneumatic wheels revealed that track wheels result in less deformation and disturbance, particularly in the upper soil layers. These findings underscore the importance of considering the type of traction device and loading conditions when assessing soil deformation in agricultural environments.