Design of manned lunar rover wheels and improvement in soil mechanics formulas for elastic wheels in consideration of deformation

Most of the current lunar rover vehicle wheels are inconvenient for changing broken wheels and have poor shock absorbing in driving, so they cannot be used to carry people on the moon. To meet the demands for manned lunar transportation, a new wheel possessing a woven metal wire mesh tire and using hub-rim combination slide mechanism is designed in this article. The characteristics of the new wheel is analyzed by comparing with the same-size conventional rover wheels after demonstrating the validity of FEM simulation. The new wheel possesses lighter structure and superior shock absorbing. It also provides stronger traction because the deformation of the designed wheel increases the contact area between the tire and lunar terrain. In order to establish an on-line soil parameter estimation algorithm for low cohesion soil, the stress distribution along a driven deformable wheel on off-road terrain is simplified. The basic mechanics equations of the interaction between the wheel and the lunar soil can be used for analytical analysis. Simulation results show that the soil estimation algorithm can accurately and efficiently identify key soil parameters for loose sand.     

Performance evaluation of a wire mesh wheel on deformable terrains

Because of the unique lunar environment, a suitable wheel for lunar rover decides the rover’s trafficability on deformable terrains. The wire mesh wheel (hereinafter referred to as WMW) has the advantages of light weight and superior stability, been widely adopted for lunar rovers. But a comprehensive research on performance of WMW on deformable terrains has not been conduct. This paper would provide particular study on a type WMW, including quasi-static pressure-sinkage test and driving performance. A novel pressure-sinkage model for the WMW on deformable soils was presented. In order to investigate the sinkage characteristics of the WMW, tests were performed using a single-wheel testbed for the WMW with different loads and velocities. The effects of load and velocity on sinkage were analyzed, and the relationship between real and apparent sinkage was presented. The research on traction performance of WMW under different slip ratios (0.1–0.6) was also conducted, contrast tests were proceed by using a normal cylindrical wheel (hereinafter referred to as CW). The traction performance of WMW is analyzed using performance indices including wheel sinkage, drawbar pull, driving torque, and tractive efficiency. The experimental results and conclusions are useful for optimal WMW design and improvement/verification of wheel–soil interaction mechanics model.     

Design and mobility evaluation of tracked lunar vehicle

Past lunar vehicles have had difficulty traveling through soft sand areas due to the thick, soft and dry regolith. This paper describes the design and evaluation results of a tracked lunar vehicle which aims at achieving greater mobility, particularly improved climbing ability on pure sand slopes, by reducing contact pressure with a crawler link. The tracked vehicle uses mesh crawler links to reduce complexity, weight and parts count. Single-crawler tests on simulated lunar soil revealed that the crawler’s slip ratio was lower than that of a rigid wheel at any slope angle, and that its power consumption was lower than that of a wheel on slopes of 10° or more. Furthermore, the crawler’s slip ratio was stable or decreasing along the traveling distance on steep slopes, contrary to the wheel. Our tracked lunar vehicle, the “Light Crawler”, is equipped with four such mesh-crawlers, each of which is independently driven and steered. It is intended to realize high climbing ability, a small turning circle, and an obstacle-crossing capability using a unique suspension system. The vehicle’s climbing and obstacle-crossing capabilities were tested on both simulated lunar soil and a rock-scattered field, and its mobility performance was successfully confirmed.     

Discrete element method analysis of single wheel performance for a small lunar rover on sloped terrain

The purpose of this study is to analyze the performance of a lugged wheel for a lunar micro rover on sloped terrain by a 2D discrete element method (DEM), which was initially developed for horizontal terrain. To confirm the applicability of DEM for sloped terrain locomotion, the relationships of slope angle with slip, wheel sinkage and wheel torque obtained by DEM, were compared with experimental results measured using a slope test bed consisting of a soil bin filled with lunar regolith simulant. Among the lug parameters investigated, a lugged wheel with rim diameter of 250 mm, width of 100 mm, lug height of 10 mm, lug thickness of 5 mm, and total lug number of 18 was found, on average, to perform excellently in terms of metrics, such as slope angle for 20% slip, power number for self-propelled point, power number for 15-degree slope and power number for 20% slip. The estimation of wheel performance over sloped lunar terrain showed an increase in wheel slip, and the possibility exists that the selected lugged wheel will not be able to move up a slope steeper than 20°.     

Experimental and DEM analyses on wheel-soil interaction

In this paper, the wheel-soil interaction for a future lunar exploration mission is investigated by physical model tests and numerical simulations. Firstly, a series of physical model tests was conducted using the TJ-1 lunar soil simulant with various driving conditions, wheel configurations and ground void ratios. Then the corresponding numerical simulations were performed in a terrestrial environment using the Distinct Element Method (DEM) with a new contact model for lunar soil, where the rolling resistance and van der Waals force were implemented. In addition, DEM simulations in an extraterrestrial (lunar) environment were performed. The results indicate that tractive efficiency does not depend on wheel rotational velocity, but decreases with increasing extra vertical load on the wheel and ground void ratio. Rover performance improves when wheels are equipped with lugs. The DEM simulations in terrestrial environment can qualitatively reproduce the soil deformation pattern as observed in the physical model tests. The variations of traction efficiency against the driving condition, wheel configuration and ground void ratio attained in the DEM simulations match the experimental observations qualitatively. Moreover, the wheel track is found to be less evident and the tractive efficiency is higher in the extraterrestrial environment compared to the performance on Earth.     

Traveling and abrasion characteristics of wheels for lunar exploration rover in vacuum

This paper investigates the traveling and abrasion characteristics of rigid wheels for a lunar exploration rover at atmospheric pressure and in a vacuum. For this investigation, a traveling test system that enables the wheel to continuously travel over a long distance was developed. Using this system, tests on traveling performance and abrasion were conducted with the wheel on a lunar regolith simulant surface. In the initial tests, various wheels traveled over different ground conditions and their performances were evaluated based on the relationship between the drawbar pull and slippage. In the later tests, a wheel with grousers traveled a distance of 3 km and the abrasion was analyzed at various intervals. From the traveling performance tests, it was found that for a soft ground condition, the traveling performance of the wheels in vacuum was slightly lower than that in atmosphere. This indicates that ground tests performed in atmosphere overestimate the actual performance on the lunar surface. The abrasion tests suggested that the scratching of wheels occurs more easily in vacuum than in atmosphere. These experiments confirmed that the abrasion of the wheels do not cause any critical problem for a traveling distance of up to 3 km in a simulated lunar environment.     

Mobility performance of a rigid wheel in low gravity environments

To investigate influences of gravity on mobility of wheeled rovers for future lunar/planetary exploration missions, model experiments of a soil-wheel system were performed on an aircraft during variable gravity maneuvers. The experimental set-up consists of a single rigid wheel and a soil bed with two kinds of dry sands: lunar soil simulant and Toyoura sand. The experimental results revealed that a lower gravity environment yields higher wheel slippage in variable gravity conditions. In addition to the partial gravity experiments, the same experiments with variable wheel load levels were also performed on ground (1 g conditions). The on-ground experiments produced opposite results to those obtained in the partial gravity experiments, where a lower wheel load yields lower slippage in a constant gravity environment. In low gravity environments, fluidity (flowability) of soil increases due to the confining stress reduction in the soil, while the effect of the wheel load on sinkage decreases. As a result, both of these effects are canceled out, and gravity seemingly has no effect on the wheel sinkage. In the meantime, in addition to the effect of wheel load reduction, the increase of the soil flowability lessens the shear resistance to the wheel rotation, as a result of which the wheel is unable to hold sufficient traction in low gravity environments. This suggests that the mobility of the wheel is governed concurrently by two mechanisms: the bearing characteristics to the wheel load, and the shearing characteristics to the wheel rotation. It appears that, in low gravity, the wheel mobility deteriorates due to the relative decrease in the driving force while the wheel sinkage remains constant. Thus, it can be concluded that the lunar and/or Mars’ gravity environments will be unfavorable in terms of the mobility performance of wheels as compared to the earth’s gravity condition.     

Shape effects of wheel grousers on traction performance on sandy terrain

This paper presents the effects of different wheel grouser shapes on the traction performance of a grouser wheel traveling on sandy terrain. Grouser wheels are locomotion gears that allow small and lightweight exploration rovers to traverse on the loose sand on extraterrestrial surfaces. Although various grouser shapes have been analyzed by some research groups, a more synthetic and direct comparison of possible grousers is required for practical applications. In this study, we developed a single wheel testbed and experimentally investigated the effects of four grouser shapes (parallel, slanted, V-shaped, and offset V-shaped) on the traction performance of linear movement on flat sand. The wheel slip, sinkage, traction and side force acting on the wheel axle, the wheel driving torque, and the efficiency of each wheel were examined. Thereafter, the effects on the lateral slope traversability of a small and lightweight four-wheeled rover with different grouser shapes were also examined. The traversability experiment demonstrated the vehicle mobility performance in order to contribute to the design optimization of rover systems. These experimental results and their comparisons suggested that, of the shapes studies herein, the slanted shape was the optimal grouser design for use in wheeled rovers on lunar and planetary soil.     

Discrete element modeling of a Mars Exploration Rover wheel in granular material

Three-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) simulations were developed for the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission to investigate: (1) rover wheel interactions with martian regolith; and (2) regolith deformation in a geotechnical triaxial strength cell (GTSC). These DEM models were developed to improve interpretations of laboratory and in situ rover data, and can simulate complicated regolith conditions. A DEM simulation was created of a laboratory experiment that involved a MER wheel digging into lunar regolith simulant. Sinkage and torques measured in the experiment were compared with those predicted numerically using simulated particles of increasing shape complexity (spheres, ellipsoids, and poly-ellipsoids). GTSC simulations, using the same model regolith used in the MER simulations, indicate a peak friction angle of approximately 37–38° compared to internal friction angles of 36.5–37.7° determined from the wheel digging experiments. Density of the DEM regolith was 1820 kg/m³ compared to 1660 kg/m³ for the lunar simulant used in the wheel digging experiment indicating that the number of grain contacts and grain contact resistance determined bulk strength in the DEM simulations, not density. An improved correspondence of DEM and actual test regolith densities is needed to simulate the evolution of regolith properties as density changes.     

金属丝网橡胶压缩力学性能研究

对金属丝网橡胶进行了静态压缩试验。利用控制变量法研究了压缩量、相对密度、金属丝丝径、丝材和承压面积对金属丝网橡胶压缩力学性能的影响,并对平均刚度和能量耗散系数随压缩量和相对密度的变化关系进行了研究。试验结果表明:随着压缩量的增加,金属丝网橡胶非线性力学特性逐渐增强;相对密度越大,金属丝网橡胶承压能力越强;金属丝的丝径和丝材主要影响金属丝网橡胶非线性阶段的力学特性,丝径越大,丝材越硬,承压能力越强;承压面积越大,金属丝网橡胶的承压和耗能性能越好;随着压缩量的增加,平均刚度增大,承压能力增强,能量耗散系数减小,减震性能降低;随着相对密度的增加,平均刚度和能量耗散系数均增大,承压能力和减震性能均增强。     

Systematic design and development of a flexible wheel for low mass lunar rover

Low mass compact rovers provide cost effective means to explore extra-terrestrial terrains. Use of flexible wheels in such applications where the wheel size is restricted, improves traction at reduced slip and sinkage. Design of a flexible wheel for a given mission is a challenging task requiring consideration of stiffness of rim and spokes, stress induced in the wheel, chassis movement during wheel rotation and the operating mode of the wheel. Also, accurate mathematical models are required to save design and development time and reduce the number of prototypes for selection. It is observed that most of the research papers deal with performance testing of flexible wheels and information on analytical formulation is scarce. Therefore, in the present work, a methodology has been formulated to systematically design a flexible wheel for a low mass lunar rover. The prototype performance is tested and compared with analytical estimates and reasons for difference are investigated. Paper contains details of design criteria, mathematical modelling, realisation of wheel prototype, test fixture and analysis test comparison. Authors believe that this work provides a useful aid to the designer to systematically design flexible wheels for low mass lunar rovers.     

Trafficability analysis of lunar mare terrain by means of the discrete element method for wheeled rover locomotion

An irregularly shaped particulate system for simulation of lunar regolith is developed using discrete element modeling based on the fractal characteristics, particle shape, and size distribution of returned Apollo-14 samples. The model parameters are determined by dimensional analysis and biaxial test simulation with an improved boundary condition. Under terrestrial conditions, the trafficability of lunar mare terrain is estimated in terms of wheel-terrain interaction by experiment and simulation in order to validate the applicability of the wheel-terrain model employed here. The results show that the discrete element method combined with the wheel-terrain model is sufficiently accurate for mare terrain trafficability analysis without consideration of lunar environmental effects. To predict the trafficability of in situ lunar mare terrain, the non-contact forces attributed to the lunar surface environment are discussed and the initial mechanical model of discrete elements is modified by introduction of lunar gravitational force as well as electrostatic force. In the modified model, wheel-terrain interaction is analyzed under the same travel conditions as that of the experiment. The result shows the trafficability of the in situ lunar mare terrain is worse than that obtained by experiment and simulation with the initial model according to the value of horizontal force at any slip ratio. However, the wheel requires less drive torque on the moon than that on the earth. An explanation for these phenomena may be that lunar subsurface regolith particles are arranged in a looser manner under local environmental effects that effectively decrease the bearing and shearing strength of regolith.     

Vibration of two beams connected by nonlinear isolators: analytical and experimental study

To study the coupling vibration of nonlinear isolators and flexible bodies, test rigs of two flexible beams connected by wire mesh isolators are constructed and investigated both experimentally and analytically. A five-parameter polynomial model of wire mesh isolators is derived by identifying parameters in the frequency domain with the sine-sweep test. For obtaining the parameters that are valid in a wide range of frequency, a numerically assisted identification method is developed. With this model, the vibration of two flexible beams connected by wire mesh isolators is studied. The frequency response is obtained analytically by employing the Green’s function method and harmonic balance method. Sine-sweep test results with three test rigs show good coherence with the corresponding numerical results. With obtained experimental results and numerical results, effect of connection parameters is studied in detail. It is found that traditional design rules for isolators are no longer effective and the coupling vibration must be investigated in the design phase. Another phenomenon is that the damping has a function of weakening the effect of nonlinear stiffness. Nonlinear stiffness and nonlinear damping can decrease the transmissibility along with the increase of the excitation level.     

Wheel slip measurement in 2WD tractor

A microcontroller-based slip sensor was developed for a 2WD tractor to indicate slip values during on-farm use. The ‘zero condition’ considered for the development of slip sensor was – tractor supplied with a driving torque to propel any device across a tarmacadam surface while delivering zero net traction (self-propelled condition). This sensor comprised of four components: power supply; sensing of throttle position, gear position, and wheel rpm; processing of collected data; and display unit. Power was taken from the tractor battery. Rotary potentiometer and proximity switches were installed on the tractor to measure throttle position and wheel revolution, respectively. The performance of developed slip sensor was evaluated both on tarmacadam surface as well as in the field. The variations between indicated and actual slip were found to be within 0–5% for both the surfaces, thus indicating the accuracy of slip measurement by the developed slip sensor.     

Estimating wheel slip for a forest machine using RTK-DGPS

Wheel slip may increase the risk for wheel rutting and tear up ground vegetation and superficial roots and thereby decreasing the bearing capacity of the ground, but also reducing the growth of nearby standing forest trees. With increased slip, more energy is consumed for making wheel ruts in the ground, with increased fuel consumption as a result. This paper proposes a novel method for measuring slip in an uneven forest terrain with an 8WD forestry machine. This is done by comparing the wheel velocity reported by the machine and velocity measured with an accurate DGPS system. Field tests with a forestry machine showed that slip could be calculated accurately with the suggested method. The tests showed that there was almost no slip on asphalt or gravel surfaces. In a forest environment, 10–15% slip was common. A future extension of the method enabling estimation of the slip of each wheel pair in the bogies is also suggested.     

A study of nucleate boiling and critical heat flux with EHD enhancement

The paper describes results from an experimental and theoretical study of the effect of an electric field on nucleate boiling and the critical heat flux (CHF) in pool boiling of R123 at atmospheric pressure on a horizontal wall with a smooth surface. Two designs of electrode (parallel rods and wire mesh) were used. The experimental data exhibit some differences from the data obtained by other researchers in similar experiments on a wall with a different surface finish and with a slightly different design of wire mesh electrode. The hydrodynamic model for EHD enhancement of CHF cannot reconcile the differences. A theoretical model has been developed for the growth of a single vapour bubble on a superheated wall in an electric field, leading to a numerical simulation based on the level-set method. The model includes matching of sub-models for the micro- and macro-regions, conduction in the wall, distortion of the electric field by the bubble, the temperature dependence of electrical properties and free-charge generation. In the present form of the model, some of these effects are realised in an approximate form. The capability to investigate dry-spot formation and wall temperature changes that might lead to CHF has been demonstrated.     

From the water wheel to turbines and hydroelectricity. Technological evolution and revolutions

Since its appearance in the first century BC, the water wheel has developed with increasing pre-industrial activities, and has been at the origin of the industrial revolution for metallurgy, textile mills, and paper mills. Since the nineteenth century, the water wheel has become highly efficient. The reaction turbine appeared by 1825, and continued to undergo technological development. The impulsion turbine appeared for high chutes, by 1880. Other turbines for low-head chutes were further designed. Turbine development was associated, after 1890, with the use of hydropower to generate electricity, both for industrial activities, and for the benefits of cities. A model “one city + one plant” was followed in the twentieth century by more complex and efficient schemes when electrical interconnection developed, together with pumped plants for energy storage.     

Steering forces on undriven tractor wheel

The steering forces on an undriven, angled wheel mounting a 6-16 8PR tire were measured on a wheel test carriage at zero camber angle and at 1.5 km/h forward speed in a soil bin with sandy clay loam soil. The lateral force developed was found to be a function of slip angle, normal load, and inflation pressure for a particular soil condition. An exponential relationship could estimate the coefficient of lateral force of the 6-16 tire. The coefficients of this equation were found to be linearly related to inflation pressure. Rolling resistance of the wheel tested was found to be a function of slip angle, normal load, and inflation pressure for the soil condition tested. A linear relationship existed between the rolling resistance and slip angle, where the coefficients were found to be a function of inflation pressure and normal load. The generalized equations developed in the present study for estimating coefficients of lateral force and rolling resistance by taking both the tire and operating parameters into account, were found to be reasonably good by looking at the high coefficient of determination between experimental and estimated values.     

载人登月轨道研究综述

21世纪初叶,美国星座计划、欧洲曙光计划以及中国嫦娥工程计划的相继提出,彻底拉开了人类重返外太空的序幕,载人登月也被赋予了全新的涵义和使命.探测内容的多样化,轨道设计的复杂精细化,宇航员安全保障的突出化,进一步加大了载人登月工程任务设计的复杂度与难度.文中分别从载人登月轨道整体、地月转移轨道、空间交会对接以及全月面到达这4个方向介绍载人登月当前研究进展与现状,并列举了各研究领域的相关热点问题.基于对上述研究现状的分析,尝试展望了该研究领域未来的发展趋势.     

Identification of the shear parameters for lunar regolith based on a GA-BP neural network

Identifying the mechanical parameters of lunar soil through the rover’s wheel can provide the basic data for path planning, risk avoidance, and traction control. In this paper, the shear parameters of lunar soil are identified by a Back Propagation neural network optimized by Genetic Algorithm (GA-BP) based on a simplified wheel-soil model. For the GA-BP identified model, the input data are driving torque (T), vertical load (W) and slip ratio (s) of the wheel. The output data are internal friction angle (φ) and shear deformation modulus (K). A total of 315 sets of data are used to train GA-BP and BP algorithms. Data from single-wheel soil bin test are put into the trained algorithms to identify φ and K of lunar soil simulant. The test results demonstrate that GA-BP algorithm is accurate and effect to identify shear parameters of regolith online. The comparison between identified results and test results shows that the GA-BP algorithm is better than the BP algorithm. The cohesion is set to 1.5 kPa and then the drawbar pull is predicted according to the identified φ and K of GA-BP. The test results show that the prediction of DP is reasonable.