Hyperbolic Steering for Tracked Vehicles

Turning mechanisms provide for a curvilinear motion of the tracked vehicles through variations of tractive force and track rotation speed along the sides. The article defines basic parameters and provides the drawings of kinematic diagrams for hyperbolic steering of tracked vehicles delivering nonlinear relation between the values of fixed steering radius and travel speed. These mechanisms improve vehicle control and time of corner and reduce the likelihood of skidding of a tracked vehicle. This type of mechanisms is characterized by nonlinear (in the examined case—hyperbolic) dependency between values of specified (fixed) steering radius and vehicle travel speed. As a result, the authors develop a methodological framework for drawing kinematic diagrams for hyperbolic turning mechanisms and attain diagrams, which are practicable for the transmission of drives of modern fast (transporting) tracked vehicles.