A simplified dynamic model to reveal mechanical characteristic of load wheel and experimental validation

The load wheel is the main power transmission and bearing component of a tracked vehicle. In this paper, a simplified structural dynamic model of load wheel is proposed. By developing a non-contact rubber tread rolling dynamics test rig, the rolling deformation characteristics of load wheel are captured. Digital image correlation method is used to calculate the transient and continuous variation of strain rate of rubber tread under the influence of load, speed and different carbon black components. The feasibility of simplified structural dynamic model is evaluated by analyzing the fitting accuracy of strain rate of marker obtained from the non-contact measurement and the structural model simulation. The accuracy and validity of simplified structural dynamic model of load wheel are demonstrated based on the comparison results of tread mechanical model and full-field strain distribution. The developed simplified structural dynamic model of load wheel could describe and predict full-field strain and full-field stress distribution within the contact patch.