The amphibious walking system of the amphibious waterweed harvesting vehicle needs to operate under two completely different working conditions, on water and on land. It must not only ensure stability when sailing on the water surface to avoid rollover or shaking affecting operations, but also ensure good passability when driving on land to cope with complex terrain such as mud and slopes. This places extremely high demands on its structural design, which requires comprehensive consideration and optimization from multiple aspects.
The hull structure design of the amphibious waterweed harvesting vehicle is the basis for ensuring stability in water navigation. To improve stability, the amphibious waterweed harvesting vehicle usually adopts a wide-body, shallow-draft hull shape design. The wide-body structure can increase the lateral stability of the hull and reduce the risk of rollover. The ratio of its width to length is generally controlled between 1:3 and 1:4, ensuring that it can remain stable when operating on the water surface even when encountering wind and waves or a large load on one side of the hull. The shallow draft design enables the hull to sail in shallow waters while reducing the probability of waterweed entanglement in the propeller. In addition, the hull will be reasonably divided into compartments. By setting up multiple watertight compartments, the floating state and stability of the hull can be maintained when a compartment is accidentally flooded. Some advanced designs will also be equipped with adjustable balance wings on both sides of the hull to automatically adjust the angle according to the navigation status to further enhance stability.
In terms of land travelability, the selection and design of the walking mechanism are crucial. The crawler walking system is a common choice because it has a large contact area with the ground, which can effectively reduce the ground contact pressure and is not easy to sink when driving on muddy, soft wetlands or river beaches. The tooth shape design of the track has also been specially considered. The deep tooth track can increase the friction with the ground and prevent slipping, which is especially suitable for climbing slopes or crossing gravel areas. In addition, the tension of the track can be dynamically adjusted through a hydraulic adjustment device to adapt to different terrains. For some scenes that need to travel on hard roads, a composite walking system combining wheeled and crawler-type can also be used. When driving on land, it can switch to wheeled mode to reduce driving resistance and noise and increase driving speed; when entering water or complex terrain, it can switch to crawler mode to ensure passability.
The design of the suspension system of amphibious waterweed harvesting vehicle plays a key role in taking into account both water and land performance. When sailing on water, the suspension system needs to properly lift the walking mechanism to reduce its resistance and interference to the navigation of the hull; while when driving on land, it must be able to provide good shock absorption effect to ensure the smooth operation of the vehicle. For this reason, hydraulic suspension or oil-gas suspension systems are often used. Such suspension systems can automatically adjust the stiffness and stroke of the suspension according to road conditions and load conditions. For example, when encountering raised terrain, the suspension system can be quickly compressed to adapt the walking mechanism to terrain changes; when driving on flat roads, the suspension stiffness is reduced to improve driving comfort and speed. At the same time, the suspension system can also cooperate with the lifting mechanism of the hull to adjust the height of the hull when landing from the water or entering the water from land to ensure a smooth transition.
The optimization of power distribution and transmission system is the core of achieving efficient operation on land and water. Amphibious waterweed harvesting vehicles are usually equipped with multiple power sources or intelligent power distribution systems. When sailing on water, the main power is used to drive the propeller or water jet propulsion to obtain sufficient sailing power; when driving on land, the power is transmitted to the walking mechanism. In order to achieve efficient conversion and distribution of power, components such as transfer cases and clutches are used to ensure smooth and uninterrupted power transmission when switching between land and water. In addition, the sealing performance of the transmission system is also specially designed to prevent water or mud from entering the transmission components and affecting their service life and performance. For example, sealed gearboxes and waterproof bearings are used to ensure reliable operation in humid environments.
The control system of the amphibious walking system integrates a variety of sensors and intelligent algorithms to monitor and adjust the operating status in real time. For example, the tilt angle of the hull on the water surface is monitored in real time through the inclination sensor. When the angle exceeds the safety threshold, the balance adjustment device is automatically started; the pressure sensor is used to detect the ground pressure of the track or wheel, judge the ground bearing capacity, and intelligently adjust the driving speed and power output. At the same time, the operator can switch the water and land driving mode with one click through the control panel in the cockpit. The system will automatically adjust the suspension height, power distribution and other parameters to simplify the operation process and improve the operation efficiency.
In terms of material selection, the components of the walking system must take into account both corrosion resistance and mechanical strength. Due to long-term operation in the alternating water and land environment, metal parts are easily eroded and worn by water and mud. Therefore, key components such as track plates, drive wheels, suspension brackets, etc. are mostly made of high-strength stainless steel or alloy steel with special anti-corrosion treatment, and the surface is treated with hot-dip galvanizing, spraying anti-corrosion coating and other processes to extend the service life. For rubber tracks, special rubber materials that are resistant to hydrolysis and wear will be selected to enhance their durability in humid environments.
The maintenance design of the amphibious walking system should not be ignored. In order to facilitate maintenance in water and land environments, the layout of key components follows the principle of easy disassembly and easy maintenance. For example, the transmission system, suspension device, etc. are designed as a modular structure. When a component fails, it can be quickly disassembled and replaced to reduce downtime. At the same time, lubrication points and inspection ports are set at key parts of the traveling system to facilitate regular refilling of lubricating oil and inspection of component wear, ensuring that the traveling system is always in good operating condition, thereby continuously taking into account both water navigation stability and land driving passability.
