Amount of torque required to move truck

[fiazo1]

I am trying to determine the amount of torque at the drive shaft required to move a truck of mass m from rest, provided that coefficient of friction is sufficiently high so no slipping occurs, and it operates in an ideal environment, with no friction loss, drag etc.

Based solely on real world observations, I believe that there a vehicle of mass m won't move unless the engine provides a certain amount torque T. I have attempted to relate the two using T = (m)(a)(wheel radius) but this won't work because making a=0 would not yield any values and if (a) is made arbitrarily small, results will vary.

I am looking for a simple relationship between torque and mass of truck, with no particular amount of acceleration, just as long as it begins to move. Thanks

 

[Simon Bridge]

You don't have enough information - consider: why can't you move the truck just pushing on it?

 

[fiazo1]

I see, friction. What type of friction would this be? And the formula?

 

[Simon Bridge]

Well the truck is stationary - so... static perhaps?

Do the tires have to distort as the wheels rotate? Is the mechanical friction in the machinery of the truck? The bearings? The diff? the gearbox? Is the lubricant more slippery after it has heated up a bit? What other sorts of energy losses can you think of?

What your need to move the truck is power.
The relationship between power and torque can be interesting - technically, a low torque engine just has to operate at higher revs. However, if it doesn't have the power it cannot move the truck.

What you've taken on is not a simple calculation - most of the things you want to know need to be measured.