Steady-State Load Analysis of a Caterpillar Chassis by Finite Element Method

In this paper, according to the characteristics of caterpillar vehicles, taking the PC200 excavator as a model, a caterpillar chassis model is established using analytical finite element method by the software Analysis. According to the characteristics of operating status, the load distribution of supporting wheels, at horizontal support, across the slopes at 10°, in the state of climbing 30° slopes, is analyzed. Effective support area of any three wheels is analyzed to obtain. The condition of focus circle and vehicle stability is determined. The maximum load of static stability is obtained according to the method of stability of three wheels. The results of calculation provide load support for the strength analysis of caterpillar chassis components and stability analysis, It also provides the supporting data for the structural optimization.