Off The Road Locomotion

Terramechanics and Off-Road Vehicle Engineering, 3rd Edition provides comprehensive and in-depth coverage of terrain behavior, mechanics of wheel- and track-terrain interaction, and various types of models for cross-country performance, ranging from empirical, through theoretical, to physics-based engineering models. The physics-based models for wheeled and tracked vehicle performance developed under the direction of Prof. J.Y. Wong have been gaining increasingly wider acceptance by industry and government agencies around the world. The mathematical models established for vehicle-terrain systems will enable the engineering practitioner to evaluate, on a rational basis, a wide range of options and to select an appropriate vehicle configuration for any given mission and environment. This long-anticipated revision presents the fields’ significant developments over the past decade, both through updates to existing chapters and the inclusion of new material related to modelling applications in addition to a notable, state-of-the-art excursus on extra-terrestrial rovers. Provides a comprehensive introduction to the mechanics of vehicle-terrain interaction Demonstrates through examples the application of computer-aided engineering methods to the parametric analysis of off-road vehicle performance Covers the most recent advancements in the off-road vehicle industry, encompassing evaluation, design, development, and/or procurement of high-mobility equipment for the recreational, agricultural, construction, mining, military, and aerospace sectors

Theory of Land Locomotion is a comprehensive source of the information now available on the relations between a motor vehicle and the physical environment in which it operates. It lays the foundation for a new type of applied mechanics by systematizing the accumulated experience of men who have worked closely with automotive problems over the past forty years--engineers, designers, technicians, and production men. The result is an integrated theory of land locomotion that will advance land transportation much as aerodynamics and hydrodynamics have helped the development of air and sea travel. Placing particular emphasis on off-the-road vehicles, the book discusses in detail problems of soil and snow mechanics; size-form relationships as an index of economy; terrain conditions; the process of moving tracks, skis, sleds, toboggans, rigid wheels, and pneumatic tires; static and dynamic behavior; and dimensional analysis, testing, and overall economy.