CONCEPT DESIGN AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF VEHICLE LAUNCHED TRACKWAY SYSTEM

Abstract

In military, movement of the troops and vehicles is carried out cross country during operations. This necessitates the use of specialized equipment’s such as bridges and tracks to assist the move. Pakistan Army in 1990’s made vehicle launched track laying system of 50 m length rolled over a spool and mounted on a truck to assist the movement of heavy vehicles in soft terrain. This existing vehicle launched track laying mechanism rolls/retrieves the track from the front side (in front of windscreen) of the vehicle. Army using this system in the field has communicated few problems in it which includes; obstruction in the view of operator, considerable amount of time required to lay the track, wear and tear of track and fatigue factor for crew due to manual handling of system. These factors have necessitated the need to study the entire system critically and devise a new system which can cater for the problems being faced by user. This project will follow the new trends in assault track laying systems in the world, which will benefit in developing the new design. The scope of work in this thesis will address problems areas in the existing system and present a complete CAD assembly of the newly designed system. It will automate the process of track laying by using hydraulic power, to reduce crew members and fatigue factor. It will focus on identification of suitable materials for manufacturing of the new assembly and narrowing down most suitable material considering availability, functionality and manufacturability. Analyze functional and operational capability of new system, by carrying out engineering analysis (Mechanism analysis and Structural analysis) of critical parts in the new system. In the end the track wear and maintenance issues will be conversed to reduce failures and enhance life of track.