Effect of open spaces between grousers on the gross traction of a track shoe for lightweight vehicles analyzed using 2D DEM.

• Effect of open spaces between grousers was analyzed by DEM. • 2D DEM analysis could estimate gross traction qualitatively. • With larger open spaces, gross traction became decreased. • With larger open spaces, sinkage of grouser became increased. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of open spaces between grousers on gross traction using the discrete element method (DEM). We used a quasi-2D track shoe model in which we could control the open spacing between track shoes to observe the tractive performance experimentally. The gross traction and the sinkage of the grouser were measured on artificial sand. Moreover, we applied a 2D DEM analysis to the interaction between the open-spaced track shoes and the model soil. We confirmed the accuracy of the DEM analysis using the experiments. The analysis with the model dry sand could recreate the characteristic region of the soil under the shearing action, which depends on the track shoe spacing. The DEM also showed that the gross traction decreased with the increase in open spacing of the grousers. From the result of a 2D DEM analysis of a grouser for a prototype mesh crawler for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, we estimated a thrust coefficient of approximately 0.4 for a wider grouser pitch-to-height ratio of 4.0–7.75 because of the constant sinkage of the grouser, neglecting the role of the meshed belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]