Publication

Power and Mobility (P&M)
2019

COMPOSITE RUBBER TRACK (CRT) FOR ROBOTIC & AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS (RAS)

by Fabien Lagier

Abstract

Militaries worldwide are increasing their Research and Development (R&D) into RAS. Within the next 10 – 15 years RAS will play an active part in operations as the future battlefield becomes more complex. CRT technology can significantly reduce platform weight, fuel consumption, noise and vibration levels[1][2][3]. Armies and vehicle manufacturers have initiated a series of independent trials that confirmed the benefits and reliability of CRT on a tracked military vehicle. With the increase in RAS technologies comes a desire to utilize the proven benefits identified from manned platforms. The author’s objective is to highlight the findings of these trials[1][2][3] and provide substantiated data on how CRT technology can benefit RAS in terms of weight saving, whilst reducing maintenance and vibration.