Tracked vehicle operations on sand – investigations at model scale

The paper describes experiments carried out on a one-tenth scale model of the running gear of a main battle tank. The model comprises an electrically driven, tethered, single track vehicle and is based on the geometry and suspension characteristics of Challenger MBT. The results show that, within a realistic weight range, an increase in vehicle weight increases the maximum mobilisable drawbar pull. The experimental results are shown to correlate well with predictions from the WES system of mobility numerics. The implication of this finding for tracked vehicle design for desert regions is discussed.