ABSTRACT
Mobility is the ability to move freely and rapidly over the terrain of interest to accomplish
varied combat objectives. The vehicle weight and its footprint determine the resultant
ground pressure that the vehicle imparts on the soil. The soil strength, coupled with the
ground pressure, determines vehicle cone index, VCI, which is the key for vehicle
mobility. This paper presented a theoretical evaluation of the vehicle mobility and
predicts its performance on deformable soil. For this purpose, soil field test was carried
out using cone penetrometer in situ to measure the strength of different soils. The
vehicle cone index was calculated using vehicle parameters.
A comparison of rating cone index with the vehicle cone index indicates whether the
vehicle can negotiate the given soil condition for a given number of passes.