Amphibious Vehicle Wheel Cover Segmentation for Water Resistance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Tracked amphibious vehicles experience resistance due to the convex-concave shape of wheels and suspension junctions, leading to reduced propulsive performance on water, as existing solutions like side covers are inadequate in preventing water flow collisions.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of wheel covers on the outer or inner sides of wheels, specifically designed to cover side surfaces and junctions, combined with a sealing mechanism to form a watertight space, reduces turbulence and water resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If side covers are used to cover wheels, then water flow collision is reduced, but the side covers cannot completely prevent water flow from colliding with wheels due to size restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The side cover is divided into multiple segments along the width direction of the vehicle body, with each segment covering a portion of the wheel. This segmentation allows the side cover to achieve complete wheel coverage without requiring a single large-piece cover, thus resolving the contradiction between coverage area and individual component size.
Solution Approach 2:
The side cover extends in the width direction of the vehicle body, utilizing the lateral dimension to achieve complete wheel coverage. By distributing coverage across multiple width-direction segments rather than relying on a single large cover, the design overcomes the size restriction while maintaining effective water flow protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If wheel covers are added to cover wheel side surfaces, then turbulence is suppressed, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel cover serves multiple functions: it covers the side surface of the wheel to suppress turbulence, and simultaneously covers the junction between the wheel and suspension. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving comprehensive turbulence suppression.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel cover is designed as an integrated component that combines the functions of covering both the wheel side surface and the wheel-suspension junction. By merging these coverage functions into a single component rather than using separate covers, the design suppresses turbulence effectively while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If wheel covers cover the junction between wheel and suspension, then turbulence from complicated shape is suppressed, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel cover is designed as a flexible or semi-flexible shell that can conform to the complicated shape of the wheel-suspension junction. This shell structure allows the cover to adapt to complex geometries without requiring complex manufacturing processes, as flexible shells can be formed through molding or bending operations rather than precision machining.
Data Source
AI summary
An amphibious vehicle according to some embodiments includes a vehicle body, a plurality of wheels disposed on each of both sides of the vehicle body, a crawler disposed on each of both sides of the vehicle body so as to surround the plurality of wheels, and one or more wheel covers mounted to an outer side or an inner side of at least one wheel of the plurality of wheels so as to cover a side surface of the wheel.