Wikipedia
Tractive effort
Tractive effort is the force generated by a vehicle's engine or motor in order to generate motion through tractive force. Tractive effort differs from tractive force, which is the actual force applied at the road surface, by the amount of rolling resistance present. In mathematical terms,
Tractive effort = tractive force + rolling resistance
Tractive effort is a function of vehicle speed and can refer to tractive effort available or tractive effort required:
- Tractive effort available: maximum tractive effort of a vehicle as limited by the available power (or at low speeds, friction).
- Tractive effort required: the amount of tractive effort required to overcome the resistive forces caused by rolling resistance, air resistance, and grade or drawbar pull.
Usage examples of "tractive effort".
The maximum speed is that at which the tractive effort exerted by the locomotive is only enough to overcome the movement resistance of the locomotive and its tender alone.
There would be a serious loss of tractive effort if there was an angle in the cable from anchor to capstan.