| dc.description.abstract | Approximately 20% of Indonesian land area (39 million hectares) is organic soil,
where a mat of living vegetation on the surface with a layer of saturated peat
beneath it. Since the saturated peat beneath the mat is often weaker than the mat,
a number of problems of trafficability and mobility arise due to this kind of soil.
Mechanical land preparations for agricultural farming also almost failed in several
locations in Indonesia.
Satisfactory analysis of the tractive performance parameters (rolling resistance,
drawbar pull and tractive efficiency) of off-road vehicles, especially farm machinery,
depends on accurate prediction of the forces between the soil and the tractive
elements of the vehicles. Off-road vehicles are now expected to attain a high level
of energy efficiency and not to cause undue damage to the environment, especially
to the soil. Establishment of functional relationship of pressure-sinkage becomes
one of fundamental tasks that may be improving the tractive performance of
off-road vehicles.
Soil physical and mechanical properties may govern the sinkage as well as load and
dimensional contact area properties. Cohesion and friction as soil mechanical
parameters were also indicated in prior empirical models to predict the sinkage of
off-road vehicles, e.g. Bekker’s equation and Reece’s equation (Wong, 2001).
These parameters are responsible to the strength properties of soil which
considered may influence the sinkage-pressure relationship. However, according to
the previous research, several soil parameters (particle size distribution, moisture
content, density, etc.) also considered being the dependent factors which influence
the strength properties of soil and indirectly may role the sinkage-pressure
relationship (Saulia et al, 2007). ... | id |
