Experimental methodology to validate tracked vehicle dynamics models

An experimental methodology to validate tracked vehicle dynamics through a multibody model is presented. The methodology was conceived and implemented jointly by the Vehicle Dynamics research group of the Politecnico di Torino and Corps of Engineers officers serving at the Italian Army Experimentation Centre (CEPOLISPE). Some original solutions were applied in relation to the impossibility of making any modifications to the tracked vehicle hull. The instrumentation setup permits to measure the motions of the suspended mass (hull), the speed of the sprocket wheels and the displacement of the road wheels that transmit the vehicle dynamics to the tracks. The instrumentation is completed with wiring, connections and fasteners, designed to connect IMU, wire potentiometers and pick-ups to the data acquisition system and power supply. The measurement system was effectively validated through various track tests, leading to the results expected at the design stage. A subset of experimental results with validation is here presented, while a larger set of experimental tests will be later used for the validation of a tracked vehicle multibody model developed in ADAMS ATV software.