Integration soil contact model – A flexible pressure-sinkage method for simulating low speed vehicles with wheels and tracks

An integration soil contact model and a modular terramechanics simulator VieteriSim for vehicles running on wheels and tracks were developed. The presented computational method extends the soil contact model by introducing a user defined pressure-sinkage relationship according to a theoretical function or an experimental data set, a numerical integration of pressure over a contact area with a desired resolution and vector based rolling resistance coefficient calculation. The convergence of the model and the capability of the computational method are demonstrated by simulating a cut-to-length timber forwarder running on a soft terrain with and without bogie tracks.