Traction Control Development for Heavy-Duty Off-Road Vehicles Using Sliding Mode Control

Construction equipment represents a unique field for operator assistance systems. These machines operate in applications where safety and productivity are paramount. One mechanism of interest recently is traction control. In order to push the limits of the traction control capability, a nonlinear controller is created. To do this, a nonlinear model of a representative construction machine is developed. Based on this model, a sliding mode-type controller is generated. The controller is then run in simulation and implemented on a prototype machine. The sliding mode design shows an improvement in both wheel slip and machine pushing force over previous work.