Gareth Meirion-Griffith, Matthew Spenko, A pressure-sinkage model for small-diameter wheels on compactive, deformable terrain
Journal of Terramechanics, Available online 3 July 2012, ISSN 0022-4898, 10.1016/j.jterra.2012.05.003.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489812000274
Abstract: Traditional terramechanics theorems utilize pressure-sinkage models based on the assumption that the contact area between a tire and soil can be approximated as a flat plate. Examples include work by Bernstein–Goriatchkin, Bekker, Reece, and Ishigami. Recently, the authors have demonstrated that (1) this assumption does not hold for wheels with a diameter less than approximately 50 cm and (2) an improved diameter-dependent pressure-sinkage model can yield more accurate results. Further improvements to the pressure-sinkage model for small diameter wheels are presented here that account for both wheel width and diameter on compactive soils. Results from 125 pressure-sinkage tests using 35 wheel geometries on a clay/silt mix are presented. X-ray images of sub-surface soil deformation are used to visually validate the model.
Keywords: Small wheels; Wheel diameter; Wheel width; Compactive soil; Pressure-sinkage
International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems