Vehicle movement patterns and vegetative impacts during military training exercises

The operation of off-road vehicles during military training exercises can affect the environmental conditions of training lands by removing or disturbing vegetation. The use of global positioning systems (GPS)-based vehicle tracking systems can help to characterize the movement of vehicles during training exercises for the purpose of quantifying vegetative impacts. The combination of GPS positions of vehicles in the field during a training exercise, and geographic information system (GIS) maps of the training installation can provide information about vehicle-specific vegetation impacts of a training exercise, as related to vehicle locations, turning radius and velocity. Such relationships can be used to estimate off-road vegetation impacts. Twenty GPS-based vehicle tracking systems were installed on vehicles of the US Army 3rd Brigade 1/14 Cavalry to evaluate vegetation impacts during a 10 day reconnaissance training exercise at Yakima Training Center in Yakima, WA. The vehicle tracking systems were programmed to record the position of the vehicles every second. The resulting vehicle tracking data were analyzed for quantity of travel per day of the training activity, quantity of travel on and off roads, off-road vehicle dynamic properties turning radius and velocity, and off-road vegetation removed. The vehicles were in motion an average of 8.4% (approximately 2 h per day) of the training exercise time. The average distance traveled per day on roads was 33.5 km, and the average distance traveled per day off-roads was 7.7 km. On average, the vehicles spent 16% of their off-road traveling time at turning radii less than 20 m. Vegetation impacts were compared for different missions. The zone reconnaissance mission produced the highest vegetation impact per distance traveled.     

Prediction of impacts of wheeled vehicles on terrain

Traffic of off-road vehicles can disturb soil, decrease vegetation development, and increase soil erosion. Terrain impacts caused by wheeled off-road vehicles were studied in this paper. Models were developed to predict terrain impacts caused by wheeled vehicles in terms of disturbed width and impact severity. Disturbed width and impact severity are not only controlled by vehicle types and vehicle dimensions, but also influenced by soil conditions and vehicle dynamic properties (turning radius, velocity). Field tests of an eight-wheeled vehicle and a four-wheeled vehicle were conducted to test these models. Field data of terrain–vehicle interactions in different vehicle dynamic conditions were collected. Vehicle dynamic properties were derived from a global position system (GPS) based tracking system. The average prediction percentage error of the theoretical disturbed width model is less than 20%. The average absolute error between the predicted impact severity and the measured value is less than an impact severity value of 12%. These models can be used to predict terrain impacts caused by off-road wheeled vehicles.     

Quantifying the intensity of vehicle impacts using vehicle tracking devices during live training exercises

The operation of off-road vehicles during military training exercises can affect the environmental conditions of training lands by removing or disturbing vegetation. To quantify the impact of vehicle based military training, global positioning system (GPS)-based vehicle tracking systems were used to characterize the movement of vehicles during live training exercises. Methods were developed to spatially estimate the tracking intensity (number of vehicle passes per area) resulting from the training exercises. This method was then combined with previous developed methods that identified off-road trail formation and vehicle dynamic properties to quantify the overall training mission impacts of specific training events on installation resources. This approach to characterizing training impacts results in mission impact profiles that more accurately quantify live training mission impacts.Search radius and output grid size are important parameters of the proposed traffic intensity approximation method. Traffic intensities estimated using a variety of search radii and grid sizes were compared. Results indicated that a 10 m search radius and a 10-by-10 m output grid size worked the best for the study dataset. Approximately, 89% accuracy was found for traffic intensity (number of passes) estimation when using a 10 m search radius and a 10-by-10 m output grid size.     

Use of military training doctrine to predict patterns of maneuver disturbance on the landscape. I. Theory and methodology

Modern-day military maneuvers, involving tactical formations of wheeled and tracked vehicles, can have significant physical and environmental impacts on the landscape. Numerous scientific studies of these impacts have been conducted, most notably the post-impact assessments of General Patton’s tank maneuvers of the early 1940s in the Mojave Desert of California and Arizona. On a smaller scale, numerous studies of military vehicle impacts have been conducted on military training lands throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. These studies have used a variety of measurement techniques, to include ground level photography and in situ measurements, aerial photography, satellite imagery and vehicle-mounted global positioning systems (GPS) data to define the footprint, patterns and magnitude of disturbances on the landscape. These disturbances are highly variable and can occur over tens of thousands of acres. Because scientists and land managers are generally not familiar with military decision-making, tactical doctrine, and vehicle–weapons systems capabilities, it is difficult for them to predict patterns of disturbance a priori. Even during post-event impact analysis, a full understanding of why and how maneuver disturbance patterns occur may not be readily apparent to them. This limitation can preclude knowledgeable planning, design and repair of damaged lands. In this case study, military tacticians and physical scientists developed an integrated methodology to predict these disturbance patterns more explicitly. The goal of the study was to provide land managers with a tool for understanding how these patterns evolve, and in turn, allow them to better plan and design mitigation efforts to sustain the landscape. The methodology combines a military terrain analysis technique, the modified combined obstacle overlay (MCOO), with an applied military tactics filter to predict where vehicle impacts would be most likely. A terrain and tactical analysis of the landscape at the Combat Maneuver Training Center-Live Fire (CMTC-LF) Area at the US Army Grafenwöhr Training Area, Germany, was conducted using maps, digital ortho-photography, spatial data and on-site reconnaissance to determine the tactical footprint and potential disturbance patterns caused by a new training mission. Part I of this study describes the background, theory and approach used to develop the methodology. Part II describes the field-based validation of the methodology, using post-maneuver ground observations and sampling to test the methodology’s predictions.     

Non-conventional land transport systems

Locomotion in saturated terrain and some special vehicle solutions for saturated agricultural terrain were discussed, as well as arrangements that increase the mobility of off-road vehicles for military purposes, component and motor alternatives for off-road vehicles, and the new Maglev and Eurotren Monoviga guided transport systems .     

A methodology for quantitatively assessing vehicular rutting on terrains

This paper presents a quantitative method for assessing the environmental impact of terrain/vehicle interactions during tactical missions. Area wide mobility analyses were conducted using three standard US military tracked and wheeled vehicles over terrain regions representing both fine-grained and course-grained soils. The NATO reference mobility model, Version 2, was used to perform the on- and off-road mobility analysis. Vehicle and terrain characterizations along with different climate scenarios were used as input parameters to predict vehicle rut depth performance for the different vehicles and terrain conditions. The vehicles’ performance was statistically mapped over these terrain regions for percent area traveled and the resulting rut depth created by each vehicle. A selection of tactical scenarios for each vehicle was used to determine rut depth for a range of vehicle missions. A vehicle mission severity rating method, developed at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, was used to rate the selected missions and resulting rut depths.     

Multipass coefficients for terrain impacts based on military vehicle type,size and dynamic operating properties

Quantification of multipass vehicle impacts is needed to determine terrain disturbance during military training. This study, conducted at Fort Riley, Kansas on a clay loam soil, evaluated the multipass terrain impacts of four military vehicles: the M1A1 Main Battle Tank, M998 HMMWV, M985 HEMTT, and M113 APC. Disturbed width and impact severity were assessed along 14 spirals subjected to a maximum of eight passes for a total of 696 impact points. Project goals included evaluating vegetation impacts by tracked and wheeled military vehicles across multiple passes in order to develop coefficients allowing more accurate predictive modeling of vehicle multipass impacts. Multiple passes produce increased vegetative impacts, with multipass coefficients (MPC) ranging from 0.98 to 4.44 depending on vehicle type, size and turn severity. Tracked vehicles were found to have a higher multipass coefficient than wheeled vehicles, with multipass coefficients increasing with vehicle weight and the sharpness of turns. The components of a more theoretical and universal multipass vehicle impact model are discussed. Understanding multipass dynamics will allow land managers to determine the extent and severity of terrain impacts on military training areas and quickly evaluate vehicle environmental impacts when used in conjunction with a GPS-based vehicle tracking system (VTS).     

Overland transport without roads

The need for off-road vehicles as applied to commerce, warfare, and recreation is examined. Most of the developments in the mobility of off-road vehicles have had a primarily military background. The main impediments to off-road mobility are defined as major obstacles, soft ground, and rough ground. Optimization of track design for accommodating these impediments in military vehicles reveals the importance of the ratio of Mean Maximum Pressure to Mean Pressure of a traced vehicle. It appears that contemporary commercial cross-country vehicles contain limitations in their designs which culd be overcome with available knowledge. These limitations include soft ground mobility, and speed over rough ground.The role of hovercraft in providing off-road mobility is reviewed, and special attention is given to the most recent requirements for avoiding environmental disturbance when using off-road vehicles in the Canadian North.     

The user and terrain-machine system research

Designing off-road equipment to meet user requirements assumes that research results are brought to bear on real design problems, that the user has been identified, and that the user's needs are communicated to the designer. In the area of military vehicles, these conditions are met. The U.S. Army Mobility Model is an example of how this is done.The Army Mobility Model, a computer simulation technique, allows terrain, vehicle, and driver characteristics to be combined to predict the performance of vehicles according to various criteria such as speed, fuel consumption, etc. The results of the computer analysis appear in map form, and there are also special techniques for finding the optimum route between two points. The data base has been validated by actual vehicle performance measurements.Several recent applications of the Army Mobility Model are discussed. These applications demonstrate that the need for a systematic application of terrain-vehicle research results to vehicle design has been at least partly fulfilled. This simulation technique has developed a stronger communication link between the vehicle designer and user. Establishing this link has created a new demand for a wide variety of vehicle performance predictions for which many predictive relations are not yet fully developed and validated. Adequate research will be necessary to ensure further progress in this direction.     

A roll stability performance measure for off-road vehicles

The roll stability is significant for both road and off-road commercial vehicles, while the majority of reported studies focus on road vehicles neglecting the contributions of uneven off-road terrains. The limited studies on roll stability of off-road vehicles have assessed the stability limits using performance measures derived for road vehicles. This study proposes an alternative performance measure for assessing roll stability limits of off-road vehicles. The roll dynamics of an off-road mining vehicle operating on random rough terrains are investigated, where the two terrain-track profiles are synthesized considering coherency between them. It is shown that a measure based on steady-turning root-mean-square lateral acceleration corresponding to the sustained period of unity lateral-load-transfer-ratio prior to the absolute-rollover, could serve as a reliable measure of roll stability of the vehicle operating on random rough terrains. The robustness of proposed performance measure is demonstrated considering sprung mass center height variations and different terrain excitations. The simulation results revealed adverse effects of terrain elevation magnitude on the roll stability, while a relatively higher coherency resulted in lower terrain roll-excitation and thereby enhanced vehicle roll stability. Terrains with relatively higher waviness increased the magnitude of lower spatial frequency components, which resulted in reduced roll stability limits.     

A comparison of ground vehicle mobility analysis based on soil moisture time series datasets from WindSat,LIS, and in situ sensors

Soil moisture is a key terrain variable in ground vehicle off-road mobility. Historically, models of the land water balance have been used to estimate soil moisture. Recently, satellites have provided another source of soil moisture estimates that can be used to estimate soil-limited vehicle mobility. In this study, we compared the off-road vehicle mobility estimates based on three soil moisture sources: WindSat (a satellite source), LIS (a computer model source), and in situ ground sensors (to represent ground truth). Mobility of six vehicles, each with different ranges of sensitivity to soil moisture, was examined in three test sites. The results demonstrated that the effect of the soil moisture error on mobility predictions is complex and may produce very significant errors in off-road mobility analysis for certain combinations of vehicles, seasons, and climates. This is because soil moisture biases vary in both direction and magnitude with season and location. Furthermore, vehicles are sensitive to different ranges of soil moistures. Modeled vehicle speeds in the dry time periods were limited by the interaction between soil traction and the vehicles’ powertrain characteristics. In the wet season, differences in soil strength resulted in more significant differences in mobility predictions.     

Laboratory experimental study of tire tractive performance on soft soil: Towing mode,traction mode,and multi-pass effect

Tire tractive performance, soil behavior under the traffic, and multi-pass effect are among the key topics in the research of vehicle off-road dynamics. As an extension of the study (He et al., 2019a), this paper documents the testing of a tire moving on soft soil in the traction mode or towing mode, with a single pass or multiple passes, and presents the testing results mainly from the aspects of tire tractive performance parameters, soil behavior parameters, and multi-pass effect on these parameters. The influence of tire inflation pressure, initial soil compaction, tire normal load, or the number of passes on the test data has been analyzed; for some of the tests, the analysis was completed statistically. A multi-pass effect phenomenon, different from any phenomenon recorded in the available existing literature, was discovered and related to the ripple formation and soil failure. The research results of this paper can be considered groundwork for tire off-road dynamics and the development of traction controllers for vehicles on soft soil.     

An approach to computer control for legged vehicles

Observation of the locomotion of animals and human beings in difficult terrain makes it quite obvious that legged locomotion offers substantial mobility advantages over conventional wheeled or tracked systems. However, effective adaptation of legged locomotion principles to off-road vehicles has to date been frustrated by the complexity of the joint coordination control problem and by the lack of suitable sources of power for individual leg joints. This paper is addressed to the first problem and is intended to show that some of the techniques used in aircraft autopilots can be adapted to legged vehicle control. The main results presented are derived from a computer simulation study of a system in which vehicle speed and direction are determined by a human operator while individual joint commands are generated automatically by a digital computer. Present indications are that such a vehicle might be as easy to control as a conventional wheeled or tracked automotive system.     

Motion resistance measurements on large lug tyres

Motion resistance of tyres directly contribute to the operational costs of all vehicles. Advances in the design and simulation of large off-road vehicles (construction, mining, agriculture etc.) have increased the need for accurate models of large off-road tyres. Vehicle OEMs use coast down and drawbar pull tests to determine the motion resistance of tyres used. Drum test rigs and motion resistance test trailers can also be used to determine motion resistance. Most research on motion resistance to date have been conducted on passenger car tyres with on-road truck tyres coming into focus. Motion resistance studies on agricultural tyres traversing over deformable terrain have been conducted in the past. However as more off-road vehicle are being used on-road OEMs of off-road vehicle are infesting in motion resistance measurements on non-deformable terrain. This paper compares different methods used to measure the motion resistance of a large lug tyre, as used in agricultural applications, on non-deformable terrain. Some basic considerations that need to be taken into account are the very low longitudinal forces that need to be measured compared to the large vertical load carried by the tyre and tyre operating conditions.     

Efficient generation of accurate mobility maps using machine learning algorithms

U.S Army’s mission is to develop, integrate, and sustain the right technology solutions for all manned and unmanned ground vehicles, and mobility is a key requirement for all ground vehicles. Mobility focuses on ground vehicles’ capabilities that enable them to be deployable worldwide, operationally mobile in all environments, and protected from symmetrical and asymmetrical threats. In order for military ground vehicles to operate in any combat zone, the planners require a mobility map that gives the maximum predicted speeds on these off-road terrains. In the past, empirical and semi-empirical techniques (Ahlvin and Haley, 1992; Haley et al., 1979) were used to predict vehicle mobility on off-road terrains such as the NATO Reference Mobility Model (NRMM). Because of its empirical nature, the NRMM method cannot be extrapolated to new vehicle designs containing advanced technologies, nor can it be applied to lightweight robotic vehicles.The mobility map is a function of different parameters such as terrain topology and profile, soil type (mud, snow, sand, etc.), vegetation, obstacles, weather conditions, and vehicle type and characteristics.A physics-based method such as the discrete element method (DEM) (Dasch et al., 2016) was identified by the NATO Next Generation NRMM Team as a potential high fidelity method to model the soil. This method allows the capture of the soil deformation as well as its non-linear behavior. Hence it allows the simulation of the vehicle on any off-road terrain and have an accurate mobility map generated. The drawback of the DEM method is the required simulation time. It takes several weeks to generate the mobility map because of the large number of soil particles (millions) even while utilizing high performance computing.One approach to reduce the computational time is to use machine learning algorithms to predict the mobility map. Machine learning (Boutell et al., 2004; Burges, 1998; Barber et al., 1997) can lead to very accurate mobility predictions over a wide range of terrains. Machine learning is divided into two categories: the supervised and the unsupervised learning. Supervised learning requires the training data to be labeled into predetermined classes, while the unsupervised learning does not require the training data to be labeled. Machine learning can help generate mobility maps using trained models created from a minimum number of simulation runs. In this study different supervised machine learning algorithms such as the support vector machine (SVM), the nearest neighbor classifier (k-NN), decision trees, and boosting methods were used to create trained models labeled as 2 classes for the ‘go/no-go’ map, 5 classes for the 5-speed map, and 7 classes for the 7-speed map. The trained models were created from the physics-based simulation runs of a nominal wheeled vehicle traversing on a cohesive soil.     

Determination the ability of military vehicles to override vegetation

Military operations usually include movement over existing roads and also through natural terrain. Wooded terrain is one of the most challenging environments which affect vehicle mobility. The ability of a vehicle to cross a forest area depends on the possibility of determining if the vehicle is able to manoeuvre between tree stems or can override individual trees. Overriding tree obstacles can be more effective if a vehicle needs a shorter time to cross some tree stems rather than manoeuvring around them. Vehicle movement to cross a forest stand depends on vegetation factors as the stem diameter, stem spacing, and also on tree root parameters, which determine the mechanical tree stability, and a vehicle’s ability to override the trees. Also, the technical parameters (width, length, turning radius, weight, traction force) of the selected military vehicle are important to classify the cross-country movement options. This study describes both the theoretical predictions of the movement of vehicles in forest stands and summarizes the results of one of the most extensive testing of vehicles’ ability to cross individual trees.     

Advanced mobility in difficult terrain

The development and success of the Swedish Combat Vehicle CV90 has demonstrated the abilities of the author in the field of terramechanics related to tracked military vehicles. The honour of the Bekker–Reece–Radforth Award 2002 has been granted in recognition of these achievements made during the author's employment at Hägglunds Vehicle AB since 1975. Hägglunds Vehicle AB has been a producer of military vehicles since the late 1950s, although the first years concentrated on production only. From the early 1960s, Hägglunds developed a number of its own tracked vehicles, all of which were influenced by the mobility demands dictated by their intended use in severe terrain conditions, such as those found in Northern Scandinavia. This paper presents a brief history of the advancement of tracked vehicle technology at Hägglunds Vehicle AB. The concepts discussed include: ground pressure, the number of road-wheels, articulated steering, track tension, track attack angle, sinkage, belly effects, and the use of terramechanic simulation. The success of the CV90 demonstrates that the combination of practical experience, terrain knowledge, and terramechanic simulations can effect substantial improvements in vehicle mobility. Evaluation of the CV90 versus other modern combat vehicles of the same class has shown that the CV90 possesses considerably higher mobility and speed under severe terrain conditions. These two attributes provide CV90 with the ability to access terrain that similar vehicles cannot, thus giving the military user greater mobility options.     

“Wheels vs. tracks” – A fundamental evaluation from the traction perspective

The issue of wheeled vehicles vs. tracked vehicles for off-road operations has been a subject of debate for a long period of time. Recent interest in the development of vehicles for the rapid deployment of armed forces has given a new impetus to this debate. While a number of experimental studies in comparing the performances of specific wheeled vehicles with those of tracked vehicles under selected operating environments have been performed, it appears that relatively little fundamental analysis on this subject has been published in the open literature, including the Journal of Terramechanics. This paper is aimed at evaluating the tractive performance of wheeled and tracked vehicles from the standpoint of the mechanics of vehicle–terrain interaction. The differences between a tire and a track in generating thrust are elucidated. The basic factors that affect the gross traction of wheeled and tracked vehicles are identified. A general comparison of the thrust developed by a multi-axle wheeled vehicle with that of a tracked vehicle is made, based on certain simplifying assumptions. As the interaction between an off-road vehicle and unprepared terrain is very complex, to compare the performance of a wheeled vehicle with that of a tracked vehicle realistically, comprehensive computer simulation models are required. Two computer simulation models, one for wheeled vehicles, known as NWVPM, and the other for tracked vehicles, known as NTVPM, are described. As an example of the applications of these two computer simulation models, the mobility of an 8 × 8 wheeled vehicle, similar to a light armoured vehicle (LAV), is compared with that of a tracked vehicle, similar to an armoured personnel carrier (APC). It is hoped that this study will illustrate the fundamental factors that limit the traction of wheeled vehicles in comparison with that of tracked vehicles, hence contributing to a better understanding of the issue of wheels vs. tracks.     

Digital image correlation techniques for measuring tyre-road interface parameters: Part 1 – Side-slip angle measurement on rough terrain

This paper presents inexpensive methods whereby the vehicle side-slip angle can be measured accurately at low speeds on any terrain using cameras. Most commercial side-slip angle sensor systems and estimation techniques rely on smooth terrain and high vehicle speeds, typically above 20 km/h, to provide accurate measurements. However, during certain in-situ tyre and vehicle testing on off-road conditions, the vehicle may be travelling at speeds slower than required for current sensors and estimation techniques to provide sufficiently accurate results. Terramechanics tests are typical case in point. Three algorithms capable of determining the side-slip angle from overlapping images are presented. The first is a simple fast planar method. The second is a more complex algorithm which can extract not only the side-slip angle but also its rotational velocities and scaled translational velocities. The last uses a calibrated stereo-rig to obtain all rotations and translational movement in world coordinates. The last two methods are aimed more at rough terrain applications, where the terrain induces motion components other than typical predominant yaw-plane motion. The study however found no discernible difference in measured side-slip angle of the methods. The system allows for accurate measurement at low and higher speeds depending on camera speed and lighting.     

Off-road tire modeling and the multi-pass effect for vehicle dynamics simulation

Off-road operations are critical in many fields and the complexity of the tire-terrain interaction deeply affects vehicle performance. In this paper, a semi-empirical off-road tire model is discussed. The efforts of several researchers are brought together into a single model able to predict the main features of a tire operating in off-road scenarios by computing drawbar pull, driving torque, lateral force, slip-sinkage phenomenon and the multi-pass behavior. The approach is principally based on works by Wong, Reece, Chan, and Sandu and it is extended in order to catch into a single model the fundamental features of a tire running on soft soil. A thorough discussion of the methodology is conducted in order to highlight strengths and weakness of different implementations. The study considers rigid wheels and flexible tires and analyzes the longitudinal and the lateral dynamics. Being computationally inexpensive a semi-empirical model is attractive for real time vehicle dynamics simulations. To the best knowledge of the authors, current vehicle dynamics codes poorly account for off-road operations where tire-terrain interaction dominates vehicle performance. In this paper two soils are considered: a loose sandy terrain and a firmer loam. Results show that the model realistically predicts longitudinal and lateral forces providing at the same time good estimates of the slip-sinkage behavior and tire parameters sensitivity.