Analytical prediction of forces governing vehicle mobility on snow covered and thawing soils is largely dependent upon the ability to accurately predict deformation behavior of the terrain that is subjected to loading by the vehicle's tracks or tires. The US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, NH is currently developing a numerical three-dimensional tire/deformable-terrain model using the finite element method.

This paper discusses attempts to model the deformation of snow for both static plate tests and rolling tire tests using the commercial finite element software ABAQUS. The applicability of fitting existing ABAQUS material models to describe macroscopic snow behavior, as well as the feasibility of using finite elements in general to model the large strains encountered in shallow snow and thawing ground/tire interactions, was explored and numerical results compared to test data.

Kenneth J. Kestler
Mechanical Eng. Dept.
Kingsbury Hall
University of NH
Durham, NH 03824
Tel: (603) 862-2788 or (603) 279-1184
Fax: (603) 862-1865
E-Mail: ken@mech2.unh.edu or kkestler@crrel.usace.army.mil