ON-THE-MOVE MONITORING OF TIRE RUT DEPTH ON DEFORMABLE SOIL USING AN INSTRUMENTED INCLINOMETER

This study examined online measurement of tire-induced rut depth on a soft soil using an instrumented inclinometer. The experiments were carried out in a soil bin facility equipped with a single-wheel tester. Three levels of wheel load (2, 3, and 4 kN), velocity (0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 m s-1), and slippage (8%, 10%, and 15%) were considered for implementation of the tests. The experiments were planned as a complete randomized block design with three replicates on clay loam soil. The potential of the instrumented inclinometer for online monitoring of the imposed rut depth was assessed when the obtained data were statistically analyzed at the 1% significance level. The results showed that increase in wheel load as well as slippage led to increased rut depth (p < 0.01). Contrary to the effects of wheel load and slippage, increased velocity led to reduced rut depth (p < 0.01) owing to decreased contact duration. This instrumented approach has the ability to quantify the rut depth induced by a wheel traversing undisturbed soft soil.

Inclinometer, Load, Rut depth, Slippage, Soil bin, Tire tester