May 21, 2025 | Iowa State University (ISU), Ames, Iowa, USA
ISTVS/ISU Symposium Chair: Professor Mehari Z. Tekeste, Director of Soil Machine Dynamic Laboratory (SMDL), Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
ISTVS/ISU Symposium Co-Chair: Dr. Thomas R. Way, Agricultural Engineer, USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory, Auburn, AL, USA.
Student organizer: Mohammed Abdeldayem, PhD, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
Digital Operations: Dr. Varsha Swamy, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
S U M M A R Y
The ISTVS/ISU Symposium on Terramechanics in Agricultural Soil-Vehicle Systems was held on May 21, 2025, at Iowa State University (ISU) in Ames, Iowa. Organized by the International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems (ISTVS) in collaboration with ISU, the symposium aimed to enhance awareness of ISTVS as an international society in the field of vehicle-terrain systems. The event targeted undergraduate and graduate students interested in off-road vehicle systems, engineers in the agriculture and construction equipment industries, tire and track manufacturers, digital technology developers, and farmers.
S E S S I O N O V E R V I E W
There was a total of 3 sessions
(a) Welcome, opening remarks, and invited speaker talk
The symposium began with a welcome by Prof. Mehari Tekeste, followed by opening remarks from ISTVS President Dr. Lutz Richter, who emphasized the Society's mission in advancing terramechanics.
The invited speaker, Dr. Jo Y. Wong, presented on the cone penetrometer and Bevameter techniques for assessing terrain properties critical to off-road vehicle performance. He highlighted the importance of accurate soil characterization in optimizing mobility and engineering outcomes. Dr. Wong called for updated recommended practices for the Bevameter technique to improve reliability. The session reinforced how soil-tool interaction metrics guide both research and vehicle design in diverse geotechnical contexts.
(b) Technical presentations
We had three virtual presenters and five in-person presenters. The session showcased a rich blend of historical insights, novel research, and engineering innovations in soil dynamics and vehicle-terrain interaction. Bob Schafer shared the evolution of soil dynamics research at Iowa State University starting from the 50s. Brock Birdsong presented the history of the USDA-ARS-National Soil Dynamics Laboratory (NSDL) and Auburn University's initiative to revitalize and advance the NSDL soil dynamic research. Presentations ranged from modeling tool wear on icy soils (Syed) and simulating bulldozer-soil interaction (Abdeldayem), to using cultivator shank vibrations for soil compaction assessment (Janbazi Alamdari). Kraayenbrink introduced CTIS technology to reduce soil compaction in agriculture. Veikle concluded with Altair’s multiphysics simulation approach for terrain-vehicle systems.
(c) Technical discussion about terramechanics standards
T E C H N I C A L T O U R
Tour to Soil Machine Dynamics Laboratory (SMDL) at ISU during demonstration of mobility soil bin, scaled-blade soil bin and wear circular soil bin
P L A N N I N G & O R G A N I Z I N G C O M M I T T E E
Chair: Dr. Mehari Z. Tekeste,
Co-Chair: Dr. Thomas R. Way
Digital Operation: Varsha Swamy
ISU-SMDL graduate students:
Mohamed A. A. Abdeldayem
John Sheriff
Satya Kosaraju
Nana Amma M Kusi Fordjour
Shadrack Gyamfi Boadi