Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : June 28, 2023 - July 01, 2023
Wheeled mobile robots are expected to contribute to the extensive exploration of the lunar surface. However, since the lunar surface is characterized by soft soil covered with fine sand, wheel slippage is a significant obstacle to lunar rover exploration. The authors have used a single-wheel testbed to analyze the driving performance of a wheel on loose soil. In this study, a grouser wheel was mounted on the testbed, and driving tests were conducted. This grouser wheel is identical to the flight model used on a lunar exploration rover. In the experiment, the testbed is capable of accurately controlling the slip ratio. This paper describes detailed measurements of traction force and sinkage at each slip ratio from 0 % to 50 % and an evaluation of wheel traction performance in terms of the traction coefficient and sinkage dependencies on the driving speed and vertical load.
