Validation of two reconfigurable wheel-track testbeds for military vehicles

The National Robotics Engineering Center has conceived a novel system that is able to reconfigure from a track to a wheel while in motion. The purpose of this device is to combine the benefits of wheels and tracks to provide performance optimization on a variety of terrain. The first stage of development resulted in two benchtop prototypes: one to test a transition from rotating hub to rotating tread and another to test a constantly-oriented shape transition from circle to triangle. This paper documents the testing of these devices including current draw, temperature change, and braking characteristics. Through experimentation with the first testbed, desired speed was shown to be consistent within +/-6% when transitioning between wheel and track modes at an approximated ground speed between 5 and 35 km/h while transitioning in 5 to 60 seconds. Testing on the second system identified asymmetry in testbed construction and showed consistent loading patterns throughout a 42 mm-change in sprocket position between wheel and track mode while transitioning between 10 and 50 mm/s. The evaluation of these testbeds informed the design of the next process of the reconfigurable wheel-track project, which resulted in a larger prototype capable of propelling a small ground vehicle. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of ISTVS.