Ensuring smooth running of the tracked vehicle on a random uneven surface at low temperatures

This article discusses the issues of operation of tracked vehicles in a cold climate. Research has established that with an increase in the viscosity of the shock absorber fluid, the resistance to movement of hydraulic shock absorber parts and the blocking of the suspension system increases. When the temperature reaches -27°C (246К) and below, hydraulic shock absorbers almost completely lose their performance, since their rebound and compression resistance increases many times. The output of the shock absorber to the performance characteristics during the movement of cars at such temperatures takes quite a long time, which is confirmed by the research of many scientific schools. This leads to a deterioration in the smoothness of the car, increases the load on its driver and the efficiency of the crew, which in turn affects a decrease in the average speed of the car. The authors propose a mathematical model of the movement of a two-link tracked vehicle on a surface with random irregularities at low temperatures, taking into account the temperature control of the shock absorber fluid. This model revealed that when using a shock absorber heating device, the amplitude of vertical vibrations of the driver’s seat decreases by 38%, and the amplitude of longitudinal-angular vibrations of the I-link body decreases by 24%. The height of the main peak in the spectrum of vertical vibrations of the driver’s seat decreases by 35%, and the spectrum itself takes on a smoother appearance without pronounced multiple peaks. The use of a device for forced heating of the shock absorber from -30°C to -10°С (from 243 to 273K) in the range of amplitudes of irregularities up to one meter makes it possible to reduce the vertical acceleration of the driver’s seat by 2.1 times, the characteristic amplitude of vertical vibrations of the driver’s seat by 1.8 times, the characteristic amplitude of longitudinal angular vibrations of the I link by 1.7 times. Equipping the shock absorbers with a heating device allows for a 75% increase in the speed of movement of the two-link tracked vehicles along the support surface with an average height of random irregularities of 0.4 m.