A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF SEAFLOOR TRAFFICABILITY AND ITS PREDICTION.
Abstract
In anticipation of the growing need for various types of seafloor-crawling vehicles, problems of seafloor trafficability and of its prediction are outlined. The qualitative comparison between trafficability-related land and seafloor features showed that soft-soil mobility is the central problem for seafloor-crawling vehicles. Therefore, the soft-soil mobility problem was given the strongest emphasis within the state-of-the-art review, which includes a discussion of existing seafloor-crawling vehicles. The relative merits of the existing basic running gears are discussed and weighted with respect to different mission profiles and seafloor characteristics, and four (wheel, track, hanging chain, and sled) selected as prime contenders. A largely laboratory-confined test program with these four running gears is outlined to respond to the problems of immediate concern: (a) applicability of existing land trafficability prediction techniques to seafloor trafficability prediction and (b) determination of go-no go criteria, which, for practical reasons, must be related to the response of remotely operated seafloor probing devices. A free-falling two-part cone penetrometer is proposed for this latter purpose. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0710965
Entities
People
- Klaus W. Wiendieck