An Evaluation of Wheel-Track Systems: Abridged Version for

Introduction to Robotics Course

Hannah LynessMSR Thesis Presentation

Committee: Dimitrios Apostolopoulos (Head), David Wettergreen, Venkat Rajagopalan

1

Presentation Outline

Introduction Motivation Research Question Technology History A Novel Wheel-Track Design Prototype Testing Terramechanics Background Comparative Evaluation Conclusion

2

Wheels and Tracks Each Offer Different Advantages

Wheels Tracks

HMMWV (Humvee) High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, United States of America. The Global Armoured and Counter-IED Vehicles Market 2011-2021. http://www.army-technology.com/projects/hmmvv/, Jason Fudge. M1A1 Abrams Tank 4th Tank Battalion. Nov. 22, 2008. URL: http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2008/11/m1a1-abrams-tank-4th-tank-battalion.html (visited on 08/13/2016).

Introduction 3

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/hmmvv/http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2008/11/m1a1-abrams-tank-4th-tank-battalion.html

Wheels and Tracks Each Offer Different Advantages

Wheels

Lower system losses

Tracks

HMMWV (Humvee) High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, United States of America. The Global Armoured and Counter-IED Vehicles Market 2011-2021. http://www.army-technology.com/projects/hmmvv/, Jason Fudge. M1A1 Abrams Tank 4th Tank Battalion. Nov. 22, 2008. URL: http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2008/11/m1a1-abrams-tank-4th-tank-battalion.html (visited on 08/13/2016).

Introduction 3

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/hmmvv/http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2008/11/m1a1-abrams-tank-4th-tank-battalion.html

Wheels and Tracks Each Offer Different Advantages

Wheels

Lower system losses

Lower acoustic signature

Reduced fuel consumption

Tracks

HMMWV (Humvee) High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, United States of America. The Global Armoured and Counter-IED Vehicles Market 2011-2021. http://www.army-technology.com/projects/hmmvv/, Jason Fudge. M1A1 Abrams Tank 4th Tank Battalion. Nov. 22, 2008. URL: http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2008/11/m1a1-abrams-tank-4th-tank-battalion.html (visited on 08/13/2016).

Introduction 3

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/hmmvv/http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2008/11/m1a1-abrams-tank-4th-tank-battalion.html

Wheels and Tracks Each Offer Different Advantages

Wheels

Lower system losses

Lower acoustic signature

Reduced fuel consumption

Tracks

Larger contact surface patch

HMMWV (Humvee) High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, United States of America. The Global Armoured and Counter-IED Vehicles Market 2011-2021. http://www.army-technology.com/projects/hmmvv/, Jason Fudge. M1A1 Abrams Tank 4th Tank Battalion. Nov. 22, 2008. URL: http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2008/11/m1a1-abrams-tank-4th-tank-battalion.html (visited on 08/13/2016).

Introduction 3

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/hmmvv/http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2008/11/m1a1-abrams-tank-4th-tank-battalion.html

Wheels and Tracks Each Offer Different Advantages

Wheels

Lower system losses

Lower acoustic signature

Reduced fuel consumption

Tracks

Larger contact surface patch

Reduced sinkage

Increased stability while firing

HMMWV (Humvee) High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, United States of America. The Global Armoured and Counter-IED Vehicles Market 2011-2021. http://www.army-technology.com/projects/hmmvv/, Jason Fudge. M1A1 Abrams Tank 4th Tank Battalion. Nov. 22, 2008. URL: http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2008/11/m1a1-abrams-tank-4th-tank-battalion.html (visited on 08/13/2016).

Introduction 3

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/hmmvv/http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2008/11/m1a1-abrams-tank-4th-tank-battalion.html

Wheels and Tracks Each Offer Different Advantages

Wheels

Lower system losses

Lower acoustic signature

Reduced fuel consumption

Lower resistance to turning

Tracks

Larger contact surface patch

Reduced sinkage

Increased stability while firing

Formatted for point turns

HMMWV (Humvee) High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, United States of America. The Global Armoured and Counter-IED Vehicles Market 2011-2021. http://www.army-technology.com/projects/hmmvv/, Jason Fudge. M1A1 Abrams Tank 4th Tank Battalion. Nov. 22, 2008. URL: http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2008/11/m1a1-abrams-tank-4th-tank-battalion.html (visited on 08/13/2016).

Introduction 3

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/hmmvv/http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2008/11/m1a1-abrams-tank-4th-tank-battalion.html

Large Ground Vehicles are Vital for Modern Warfare

We do need a new ground armored platform for our mechanized infantry and our tanks Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley

Motivation 4

Priorities for Our Nations Army with General Mark A. Milley. https://www.csis.org/events/priorities-our-nations-army-general-mark-milley . Gulf War: Some Lessons Learned https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/gulf-war-20th-some-lessons-learned-from-the-land-war/

https://www.csis.org/events/priorities-our-nations-army-general-mark-milleyhttps://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/gulf-war-20th-some-lessons-learned-from-the-land-war/

Mobility is Key for Military Vehicles

Motivation

Increasing number of battles fought in cities

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https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/isis-controlled-ramadi-facing-final-iraqi-army-assault-1.5382116

Bradley Fighting Vehicle

2,895x as of 2016

M1 Abrams

6,000x as of 2016

M1126 Stryker

200,000x as of 2016

The Green Book 2017-2017. Oct. 2016. URL: http://digimag.ausa.org/publication/?i=338032#, http://www.military.com/equipment/high-mobility-multipurpose-wheeled-vehicle-hmmwv, https://www.goarmy.com/about/army-vehicles-and-equipment/tanks-and-fighting-vehicles.html, http://www.businessinsider.com/m1-abrams-tank-is-still-king-of-the-battlefield-2016-2, http://www.baesystems.com/en-us/product/bradley-fighting-vehicle

Motivation 6

http://digimag.ausa.org/publication/?i=338032http://www.military.com/equipment/high-mobility-multipurpose-wheeled-vehicle-hmmwvhttps://www.goarmy.com/about/army-vehicles-and-equipment/tanks-and-fighting-vehicles.htmlhttp://www.businessinsider.com/m1-abrams-tank-is-still-king-of-the-battlefield-2016-2http://www.baesystems.com/en-us/product/bradley-fighting-vehicle

Research Question

How can we design and evaluatedevices that combine the benefits

of both wheels and tracks?

Research Question 7

Research Question

How can we design and evaluate devices that combine the benefits of both wheels and tracks?

What has been tried in the past? How is NREC designing their wheel-track system? Do NRECs prototypes show promise for use on a real vehicle? How is performance estimated for wheeled and tracked

vehicles? How does the expected performance of NRECs design

compare to other systems?

Research Question 8

Beginning of Wheel Innovation

Nicolas-Joseph Cugnots Steam-Powered Automobile: 1769

Automotive History. San Diego Museum of Automotive History. URL: http://sdautomuseum.org/education/automotive-history

History 9

Early Technological Milestones

Volcanized Rubber: 1844

Charles Goodyear. Improvements in the Manner of Preparing Fabrics of Caotchouc or India-Rubber. US 3633. June 15, 1844.John Boyd Dunlop. Pneumatic Tire. US 523270. July 17, 1894.

The Pneumatic Tire: Popularized 1894

History 10

Early Technological Milestones

The Pneumatic Tire: Popularized 1894

Abbsry New and Used Tires. Diagram of Radial Tire Parts and Wear Signs. 2015. URL: http://www.abbsrytire.com/diagramtire.htm.

History 11

Start of Off-Road Vehicle Design

Adolphe Kegresses Motor-Sledge: 1914

A 1916 Packard Twin-6 touring car from tsar Nicholas II of Russia equipped with Kegresse system (1917). URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Russo-balt5.jpg/520px-Russo-balt5.jpg

History 12

Early Track Designs

Interconnected Units:1950s

Arthyr E. Benson. Pneumatic Track. US 32746811. May 22, 1956., Walton W. Cushman. Endless tread and track assembly. US 2867480. Jan. 6, 1959. Giovanni Bonmartini. Pneumatic tubular track, driving and carrying device. US 3155436. Nov. 3, 1964.

Continuous Track: 1960s

History 13

Alternative Wheel Designs

The Resilient Wheel: 1909

William L. Martin. Resilient Wheel. US 927154. July 6, 1909.Francois Hottebart. Nonpneumatic deformable wheel. US 6170544. Jan. 9, 2001.

The Nonpneumatic Wheel: 2001

History 14

Alternative Wheel Designs

Central Tire Inflation System: 1942

Central Tire Inflation System. Spicer Drivetrain Products. 2017. http://spicerparts.com/parts/axle/commercial-off-highway/central-tire-inflation-system-ctis

History 15

http://spicerparts.com/parts/axle/commercial-off-highway/central-tire-inflation-system-ctis

Hybrid Designs

Over Tire Tracks: 1955

Roy A. Crop. Wheeled vehicle convertible to crawler type. US 2698667. Jan. 4, 1955.About Us. AD Boivin Inc. 2017. URL: http://trucktracks.com/en/aboutus/

Track N Go: 2013

History 16

http://trucktracks.com/en/aboutus/

Hybrid Designs

Cody Underwood, Military.com. Robotic Warriors: The Viper. 2017-08-23. http://www.military.com/video/logistics-and-supplies/military-equipment/robo