page_title: Continuous track
section_title: Rubber track pads
hierarchical_section_title: Continuous track / Engineering / Rubber track pads
caption_attribution_description: English: The rough terrain of Afghanistan takes a toll on tank pads (top) and must be replaced (bottom). The Company D tankers with 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division (Forward), work tirelessly to maintain their M-1A1 “Abrams” Main Battle Tanks. Each tank has more than 300 track pads that require replacement about every three months.
context_page_description: Continuous track is a system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles, running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the weight of the vehicle better than steel or rubber tyres on an equivalent vehicle, enabling continuous tracked vehicles to traverse soft ground with less likelihood of becoming stuck due to sinking.
  Modern continuous tracks can be made with soft belts of synthetic rubber, reinforced with steel wires, in the case of lighter agricultural machinery. The more common classical type is a solid chain track made of steel plates, also called caterpillar track or tank tread, which is preferred for robust and heavy construction vehicles and military vehicles.
  The prominent treads of the metal plates are both hard-wearing and damage resistant, especially in comparison to rubber tyres. The aggressive treads of the tracks provide good traction in soft surfaces but can damage paved surfaces, so some metal tracks can have rubber pads installed for use on paved surfaces.
context_section_description: Tracks are often equipped with rubber pads to improve travel on paved surfaces more quickly, smoothly and quietly. While these pads slightly reduce a vehicle's cross-country traction, they prevent damage to any pavement. Some pad systems are designed to remove easily for cross-country military combat.
caption: Worn and new track pads on an M1 Abrams battle tank.
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 5D Mark II", "Image XResolution": "240", "Image YResolution": "240", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2011:04:28 16:13:08", "Image ExifOffset": "162", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "786", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "14269", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/400", "EXIF FNumber": "7/2", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Manual", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "160", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Unknown", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2011:04:24 08:56:45", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2011:04:24 08:56:45", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "540241/62500", "EXIF ApertureValue": "361471/100000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF SubjectDistance": "19/50", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "16", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "27", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "27", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "5616000/1459", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "1872000/479", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "1320811012", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[16, 35, 0/0, 0/0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM"}