Risk of farmland degradation induced by traffic of tracked and a tired
vehicles: Soil stress measurements and model simulations
Abstract
Vehicle traffic induced soil compaction has negative effects on soil
functions and ecosystems which may cause the degradation of farmland.
This study investigated the magnitude and distribution of soil stress
under the tracked and tired vehicles to explore the penitential of using
rubber track instead of tire to reduce the subsoil compaction. The field
experiment in this study included three replicates and was conducted on
a sandy loam soil. Vertical and horizontal soil stress were measured
under the centerlines of the rubber track and tire at a depth of 0.35m
by using embedded transducers. The SoilFlex model was applied to
simulate vertical and horizontal stress in the soil profile. Unevenly
distributed vertical and horizontal stress were observed under the tire
and rubber track. The vertical stress was characterized by one peak
under the tire and several peaks under each of track wheels and rollers.
The horizontal stress exhibited peaks before and after the tire and each
of track wheels and rollers. The measured maximum stress was
significantly higher under the tire than under the rubber track: that
is, vertical and horizontal stress were approximately 3.4 and 2.0 times
higher, respectively. This finding indicated that using rubber track
maybe an effective method to reduce soil stress when compared with the
tire, and was more effective in reducing the vertical stress than
horizontal stress. Improving the uniformity of stress distribution under
the track is the key to improve the ability of tracked vehicle to
mitigate soil compaction.