Research on forest terrain roughness as a source of dynamic action on the vehicle

Abstract

The issue of terrain conditions is very complex and its description is approached from different perspectives and with different objectives. Because it consists of the gathering of basic information for a mobile object, a wheeled forestry tractor, the terrain-vehicle approach was taken as the basis. Ground conditions are part of the operating conditions of wheeled forestry tractors. Uneven ground can be regarded as a source of vibration in the vehicle - towing truck. In this respect, given the random shape of the surface roughness, the solution to vibrations leads to a terrain correlation analysis in order to obtain a correlation function and power spectral density of the ground surface. Scanning of the ground micro-profile was performed using a device for quick terrain scanning, which from the mechanical aspect consists of a towing vehicle and a measuring carriage. Correlation function and power spectral density are the evaluation based on ground micro-profile measurements and the results of calculations. Measurements of forest terrain (road) micro-profile were done in the area of Little Fatra and Little Carpathians in Slovakia. In geological terms, the measurements were done in an area with the occurrence of gneiss, granite, limestone and flysch. No measurements were performed in a sandy area.

Keywords

• forest soils
• micro-profile
• correlation analysis
• power spectral density
• wheeled forestry tractor