Estimation of dynamic track tension utilizing a simplified tracked vehicle model

In this paper, track tension estimation methods are developed utilizing a simplified tracked vehicle model so that the track tension can be estimated under various maneuvering tasks such as longitudinal driving on sloping and/or rough roads, turning on flat or sloping roads, etc. The real-time information of the track tension is very important for tracked vehicles because the track tension is closely related to the maneuverability and the durability of tracked vehicles. In the case of longitudinal driving, a modified 3 DOF dynamics model is derived for tracked vehicles and is utilized for estimating the tractive force and track tension. In the case of turning, kinetic models for six road-wheels are utilized for calculating the track tension around the sprocket. The estimation performance of the proposed methods is verified through simulations of the multibody dynamics tool. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method under various maneuvering tasks of tracked vehicles