Dynamic load acquisition method for a crawler driving structure of a roadheader robot under random road

A method utilizing an embedded sensing system to determine the dynamic load is proposed to address the problem of not being able to directly obtain the dynamic load time history of a crawler driving structure in the harsh underground working environment of a coal mine roadheader robot. A crawler driving structure and its embedded sensing system are designed. A rigid–flexible coupling simulation model of the roadheader robot is established, and the dynamic load time history parameters of the crawler obtained from the simulation and test data are compared and analyzed. Results show that the load fluctuation of the tested track plate at the idler and sprocket is significant. By contrast, the fluctuation of the free segment is minimal. The load fluctuation range of the support segment of the hard road is −5–15 MPa, and that of the soft sand road is −10–25 MPa. Moreover, the track plate exhibits noticeable warping and winding phenomenon relative to the road wheel on the soft sand road. The changing trend of the crawler dynamic load time history obtained from simulation and test is relatively consistent. This study provides a reference for the crawler driving structure’s structural optimization and reliability research.