Computer modeling of tank track elastomers
Computer models of the T142, T156 and the British Chieftain tank tracks have been studied as part of a program to examine the tank-track-pad failure problem. The modeling is based on the finite element method with two different models being used to evaluate the thermal and mechanical response of the tracks. Modeling has enabled us to evaluate the influence of track design, elastomer formulation and operating scenario on the response of the track. the results of these analyses have been evaluated with experimental tests that quantify the extent of damage development in elastomers and thus indicate the likelihood of pad failure due to ''cutting and chunking.'' The primary characteristics influencing the temperatures achieved in the track are the heat-generation rate and the track geometry. The heat-generation rate is related to the viscoelastic material properties of the elastomer, track design and loading/operating scenario. For all designs and materials studied, stresses produced during contact with a flat roadway surface were not considered large enough to damage the pad. Operating scenarios were studied in which the track pad contacts rigid bars representing idealized obstacles in cross country terrain. A highly localized obstacle showed the possibility for subsurface mechanical damage to the track pad due to obstacle contact. Contact with a flat rigid bar produced higher tensile stresses that were near the damage thresholds for this material and thus capable of producing cutting and chunking failures.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA); Army Tank-Automotive Command, Warren, MI (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 6018057
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-92640; CONF-8507113-1; ON: DE86008766
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 32. Sagamore army materials research conference, Lake Luzerne, NY, USA, 22 Jul 1985; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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