Paper presented at ISTVS 2025 | 55th Conference of the International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems https://doi.org/10.56884/3PKE9TEN
Authors: Sally Shoop, Elder Bruce, Stephen Meurer, Owen Parker, Nathan Kamprath, Don Halliday
Keywords: Cold regions; Arctic; Snow; Ice; Friction; Tire; Monitoring; Tire testing; Characterization; Winter
Abstract:
The RT3 Simplified Curve Unit (SCU) friction tester, by Halliday Technologies, measures surface friction by operating the test wheel at a small side-slip angle. It can be operated at highway speeds and can be used with either aircraft or truck tires and was specifically designed for robust operations in cold environments in the far north. The US Army purchased the Halliday RT3 SCU (SCU) friction tester for use at the Cold Regions Test Center in Alaska, but it was first evaluated for comparison to standard friction test techniques and cold room performance at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, NH. Afterwards, it was shipped to Alaska and used on snow and ice test surfaces during March and April of 2025. This paper reports on how the SCU tester measures and reports friction measurement, testing the SCU unit on a wide variety of on- and off-road surfaces, compares the SCU friction measurements to other friction measurement techniques, and reports on the results of cold room testing and operational and exploratory measurements on snow and ice fields in Alaska. A discussion of the measurement technique and results is presented along with conclusions for optimizing use on cold regions terrain surface characterization and monitoring for mobility testing purposes.
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