Yang Yang, Yi Sun, Shugen Ma, Ryohei Yamamoto
Journal of Terramechanics, Volume 55, October 2014, Pages 47-59, ISSN 0022-4898, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2014.05.006.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489814000391
Abstract: Lugs (i.e., grousers) are routinely attached to the surfaces of wheels/tracks of mobile robots to enhance their ability to traverse loose sandy terrain. Much previous work has focused on how lug shape, e.g., height, affects performance; however, the goal of this study is to experimentally confirm the effects of lug motion on lug–soil forces. We measured normal and tangential forces acting on a single lug as functions of inclination angle, moving direction angle, sinkage length, horizontal displacement, and traveling speed. The experimental results were mathematically fitted by using least square method to facilitate quantitative analyses on effects of changes in these motion parameters. Moreover, we compared the measured tangential forces to values calculated from a conventional tangential force model to evaluate the effects of the lug-tip surface, which is generally ignored in existing terramechanics models. The conclusions from this study would be useful for estimating the traveling performance of locomotive mechanisms equipped with lugs, modeling interaction mechanics between lugged wheels and soil, etc.
Keywords: Terramechanics; Sandy terrain; Lug motion; Normal force; Tangential force
International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems