Discovery and verification of traction weakening effect between multi track shoe of deep-sea miner and sediment.

The commercial exploitation of the deep-sea massive deep-sea polymetallic nodules depends on the excellent tractive performance of the deep-sea tracked miner. The walking safety and trafficability of the deep-sea tracked miner are greatly influenced by the traction of the crawler with multi track shoes. The total tractions generated from the two cases of failure surface under the uniformed pressure are deduced and analyzed based on the principle of virtual power. By substituting specified parameters, the traction weakening effect of multi track shoes is discovered, and then corresponding expression is put forward and verified by comparing the tested and theoretical traction relationships based on the traction test of multi track shoes. The research results show that the height and the distance should be considered into the design in a comprehensive way because of the existence of the weakening effect. The mechanism revealing of the source of the multi track shoe tractions could help to achieve the appropriate size of the track shoe and more traction according to the different track shoe distance. • Based on the principle of virtual power, the total tractions of multi track shoes of tracked deep-sea miner are deduced by analyzing the two cases of failure surface. • The traction weakening effect of multi track shoes is discovered, and then the corresponding inequity expression is put forward to predict the loss of traction. • The traction weakening effect is verified by comparing the tested and theoretical traction relationships based on the traction test of multi track shoes. • The mechanism of the multi track shoe tractions could help to achieve the appropriate track shoe size and more traction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]