Evaluating the Effect of Soil Deformation Rate on the Estimation of the Energy Consumption in Soil-Tire Interactions Using the Pressure-Sinkage Equation

Document Type : Research Article-en

Authors

• H. Asadollahi ¹
• B. Mohammadi-Alasti ¹
• A. Mardani ²
• M. Abbasgholipour ¹

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering of Biosystems, Bon.C., Islamic Azad University, Bonab, Iran

² Department of Mechanical Engineering of Biosystems, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22067/jam.2024.89154.1269

Abstract

Understanding soil deformation dynamics is critical in various fields, such as off-road vehicle mobility, agriculture, and soil mechanics. In particular, evaluating soil-tire interactions is essential for optimizing energy consumption and minimizing the negative effects of soil compaction. This study investigates the effect of soil deformation rates on the pressure-sinkage relationship and energy consumption using a controlled soil bin environment and a bevameter system. The primary objective of the study is to examine how different traffic levels and varying penetration rates influence the energy required to achieve specific sinkage depths. The study employed a completely randomized block design, with each treatment replicated three times to ensure precision and reliability. Quantitative measurements were obtained using a load cell attached to a bevameter, capturing the forces at a sampling frequency of 30 Hz. Results demonstrated a significant influence of both traffic level and penetration velocity on soil resistance and energy consumption. For the larger plate, the pressure required for penetration increased with higher velocities and traffic levels. At the highest velocity (45 mm s^-1) and with 8 passes, the pressure needed for sinkage was maximal. The energy consumption for each scenario was calculated by integrating the area under the force-sinkage curve. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the number of wheel passes, plate size, and penetration velocity significantly affected energy consumption. At the highest sinkage depth (60 mm), the energy consumption for the larger plate at 45 mm s^-1 and with 8 passes was nearly double that of the smaller plate. These results emphasize the importance of considering both traffic-induced compaction and velocity when designing off-road vehicles or agricultural machinery that interact with deformable terrains.

Keywords

• Bevameter
• Penetration rate
• Soil deformation
• Terramechanics
• Multiple passes

Main Subjects

• The relationship between machine and soil

©2025 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

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