Braking Capacity of a Hydrostatic Steering Driveline System

Zero differential power-split hydrostatic transmission forms a drive box for an armored tracked vehicle that combines a mechanical power-shift mechanism and the hydrostatic steering mechanism forming a hydrostatic unit with a variable displacement piston pump and fixed displacement motors. The present study describes the braking capacity of the hydrostatic unit. Its braking capacity is effected by fluid viscosity, system pressure, pump speed, mechanical-hydraulic efficiency and volumetric efficiency, etc. Through theoretical and experimental analysis, the braking capacity is found to be enough to brake-steer the driveline of the vehicle in running straight.