Maximum Admissible Slip of Tractor Wheels without Disturbing the Soil Structure

One of the most important parameters that characterize the traction-coupling properties of a wheeled tractor is its slip. The more tractor’s gross traction exists, the higher its traction-coupling properties are. However, this gross traction should not exceed its maximum possible value, which, in turn out, is to be determined by the maximum permissible slip, δmax. This article provides the equation to calculate this crucial parameter and establishes the dependencies between the tractor’s slip and soil structure coefficient. It was shown that the value of δmax basically depends on such soil characteristics as the bulk deformation coefficient and the coefficient of rolling resistance. Calculations showed that, for the average value of the soil bulk deformation coefficient at 4000 kN·m−3, the average value of rolling resistance coefficient at 0.16, and the ratio value of the maximum permissible soil pressure to the tractor wheel rolling radius at 222 kPa·m−1, the maximum permitted amount slip of the tractor wheels should not exceed 15%. With more slip, the soil structure deteriorates significantly. In this case, its structure coefficient may be less than critical, equal to 0.4.