MiradaAcres - 3/28/2024 13:52

The belt is the steel cords in the tire and is illustrated in blue.  You can decrease the distance from the belt (blue line) to the ground by making the lugs shorter (wearing them out), but that will not make the belt shorter.  So while belt will be closer to the ground as the lugs wear it is definitely is not going to shrink as the lugs wear.

The thing you are missing is the 3-5 lugs in contact with the ground are all have the same velocity relative to ground = 0.  Since the belt and the lugs have the same velocity when in contact with the ground, but have different velocities when not in contact with the ground then either the belt of the lugs needs to slip some to have the same velocity when the lugs contact the ground.  It is far more logical to say the tip of the lug decelerates to match the velocity of the belt (since it is far more flexible) than it is to say the belt accelerates to match the velocity of lug; in the case of the former that is why rolling circumference is less than pi*diameter outer.

How much does the speed of a dozer change when you switch it from 4" deep grousers to 1/2" thick pads?