Modeling and validation of a novel tracked robot via multibody dynamics

This article focuses on a multibody model of a new passive articulated suspension tracked robot. The model of the vehicle is developed using the multibody software MSC Adams (acronym for automatic dynamic analysis of mechanical systems) in conjunction with the Adams Tracked Vehicle toolkit. The various subsystems that make up the vehicle assembly are described, with particular attention to the modeling strategies of the swing arms that constitute the suspension system and the characterization of the track belt. The multibody model allows the system performance to be evaluated in advance for fine-tuning of the design parameters and using different configurations, for example, with active and locked suspension. Efforts are also presented to validate the multibody twin against the real prototype, showing a good agreement with field experiments. Once validated, the digital twin is used to assess the performance of the innovative suspension system in various challenging environments.