Abstract
Power flow characteristics of a hydro-mechanical transmission system(HMT) are investigated for tracked vehicle in steering. A HMT consisting of two hydrostatic pump motors(HST), several planetary gear trains and steer differential gear is considered. In order to obtain the direction and magnitude of the power flow of the HMT, network theory for the general power transmission is used. Network model for the HMT in steering is developed, which consists of shafts, nodes and transmission elements such as clutch, gear, etc. Power flow analysis procedure consists of two stages : (1) traction force analysis in steering, (2) power flow analysis in HMT. Torque and speed of every transmission element of the HMT is determined from the network analysis. Also, efficiency, mechanical and hydraulic power loss including HST, are obtained. In addition, the regenerative power flow resulting from steering can be studied in graphic display. The power flow analysis program(PCSTEER) developed in this work can be used as a useful design tool for the tracked vehicle with HMT.