EFFECTS OF SOIL MOISTURE CONTENT AND TYRE INFLATION PRESSURE ON MOTION RESISTANCE OF A SINGLE NARROW WHEELS

Abstract

The aim of this research was to study the effects of soil moisture content and tyre inflation pressure on motion resistance of narrow wheels using a locally developed single wheel test rig. A single wheel Test Rig facility was developed at FUTA. Two narrow wheels of 90/10-10 in width, IRC MB90 tire were used as the test wheels on clay soil. Two inflation pressures of 274 kPa and 380 kPa and 15, 20, 30, and 40 kg load was examined at two different soil moisture conditions (8% and 10% moisture content). R²value for test wheel 1 with inflation pressure of 270 kPa at 8% moisture content was 0.9974 while that of inflation pressure of 380 kPa at 10% moisture content was 0.9952; also for test wheel two (2) R² value was 0.9977 and 0.9914 at moisture content of 8% and 10% respectively, this shows for test wheel 1 with inflation pressure of 270 kPa at 8% moisture content showed more motion resistance compared to motion resistance of test wheel 1 at inflation pressure of 380 kPa and 10% moisture content, while for test wheel 2 with inflation pressure of 270 kPa showed low motion resistance at 8% motion content.