Determination of the contact patch length in tractor tire–soil interaction

Soil fertility is determined mainly by its level of compaction. For a single wheel, this level depends on the pressure, which is calculated by dividing the wheel's vertical load by its contact patch area. The latter is directly related to the length of the tire's contact patch with the soil ([Formula: see text]). In this regard, this article aims to develop a strategy for selecting the parameters of a tractor chassis system based on the analysis of such an analytical dependence for determining the length of the wheel-soil contact line, which would contain the radius ([Formula: see text]) and the tire width ([Formula: see text]); the vertical load on the tire ([Formula: see text]) and the air pressure in it ([Formula: see text]); the soil characteristic in the form of the coefficient of volumetric compression ([Formula: see text]). The results of theoretical and experimental studies of such a dependence have established that an increase in the contact line length of the wheel with the soil causes an increase in the values ​​of the parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] on the one hand, and a decrease in the values ​​of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] parameters on the other. However, to practically implement the functional link of increasing the[Formula: see text] parameter and subsequently reduce the compaction effect of the wheel on the soil, it is necessary to increase the wheel radius and tire width, while reducing the tire air pressure and the vertical load on the wheel. From an agronomic perspective, it is necessary to create a soil structure with a lower coefficient of volumetric compression.