Tractive effort:

Def 1:

The force available at the contact between the drive wheel tyres and road is known as ‘tractive
effort’.

Def 2:

Force exerted by the engine/motor on the wheels of an automobile.

In simpler words, the more the load on an automobile, the more tractive effort required. Tractive
effort is the force generated by a vehicle's engine or motor in order to generate motion
through tractive force.

Traction:
The ability of the drive wheels to transmit this effort without slipping is known as ‘traction’.
Hence usable tractive effort never exceeds traction.

When the tractive effort F>R, the total resistance on level road, the surplus tractive effort is
utilized for acceleration, hill climbing and draw-bar pull.
Coefficient of traction

The percentage of engine power that can be converted into forward motion by means
of friction between the tire and track

Usable traction = coefficient of traction x normal force.

Factors affecting coefficient of traction:

Traction between two surfaces depends on several factors:

 Material composition of each surface.

 Normal force pressing contact surfaces together.
 Contaminants at the material boundary including lubricants and adhesives.
 Relative motion of tractive surfaces - a sliding object (one in kinetic friction) has less traction
than a non-sliding object (one in static friction).
 Direction of traction relative to some coordinate system - e.g., the available traction of a tire
often differs between cornering, accelerating, and braking.
 For low-friction surfaces, such as off-road or ice, traction can be increased by using traction
devices that partially penetrate the surface; these devices use the shear strength of the
underlying surface rather than relying solely on dry friction (e.g., aggressive off-
road tread or snow chains)...