Numerical analysis of lug effects on tractive performance of off-road wheel by DEM

Abstract

This paper presents the lug effects of off-road wheel in terms of lugs’ height, type, intersection and central angle. To improve the tractive performance of transport vehicles and equipments operating on dry sands nearshore, this paper numerically presents the wheel–sand interaction by the discrete element method (DEM), which is better dynamically accurate than FEM in the study of incompact terrain-like sands. According to the physical properties presented by the triaxial test, the appropriate parameters are selected to establish and verify the simulation model of the sand sample. On that basis, numerical traction tests are orthogonally carried out to analyze the different lug effects on tractive performance. It is concluded from the analysis that the intersection of lugs has no effect on tractive performance. Lugged wheel shows the best tractive performance, while the central angle of lugs reaches 24°. Both the height and type of lugs can improve the drawbar pull; the former may increase the tractive efficiency under good road conditions with low slip, while the latter is capable of influencing the efficiency under bad road conditions with high slip.