Abstract
Loose soil called Regolith covering the surface on the Moon/Mars may impede construction machines that will be deployed for future manned mission. Track is widely utilized for the drive train of the machine because of its reliable traction performance on loose soil. However, to date, few researches have devoted to accurate estimation of traveling performance of track on loose soil. In order to investigate mechanical interaction between track and loose soil, this research develops an in-track sensor system as an experimental approach. In this system, a tiny 3-axis force sensor is installed on the surface of each track shoe which can measure normal and shear stress beneath the track while traveling. The measurement results show that the average of normal stress is much larger than that calculated by the conventional model, and the shear stress is divided in two directions. Reflecting these results in the theoretical model can lead to better estimation of the risks that have not been considered before, such as sudden rollover due to a large reaction force and lack of traction force due to negative shear stress.
