Enhancing the tractive performance of unmanned vehicles using an optimised wheel-step driving system

Abstract

A wheel-step driving system that can realise a wheel-step driving mode is proposed to improve the tractive performances of wheeled unmanned vehicles when driving on soft roads. Although the wheel-step driving system proposed in this paper adopts double wishbone suspension, it also can be applied for different suspension configurations after adjustment. In this paper, a typical sandy soil and a designated tyre are selected as hypotheses to verify the enhanced effect of wheel-step driving system on tractive performance. First, the wheel-soil interaction mechanism of the wheel-step driving mode is analysed based on terramechanics theory and the wheel-step driving strategy is optimised. The tractive performances of the wheel-step driving mode and the normal driving mode are compared and analysed through numerical calculations. Then, a soil model is established using discrete element software and a wheel model is established using dynamics software; the coupled simulation of the dynamic and discrete elements compares the drawbar pull, the driving torque and the sinkage in the normal driving mode, the wheel-step driving mode and the optimised wheel-step driving mode. The simulation data verify the effectiveness of the optimisation strategy used and the enhancement effect of the wheel-step driving mode on the traction performance. Finally, a soil-bin test system is built and a tractive performance experiment is performed. The experimental data and the simulation data show good agreement, thus verifying the correctness of the simulation model.

Keywords

Tractive performance wheel-step driving system numerical calculation discrete elements soil-bin test

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Smith

Sharf

Trentini

. PAW: a hybrid wheeled-leg robot. In: IEEE International conference on robotics and automation, Orlando, Florida, 15 May 2006, pp.4043–4048. New York, NY: IEEE.

Grand

Benamar

Plumet

. Motion kinematics analysis of wheeled–legged rover over 3D surface with posture adaptation. Mech Mach Theory 2010; 45(3): 477–495.

Leppanen

Salmi

Halme

. Work partner - HUT automation’s new hybrid walking machine. In: CLAWAR’98 first international symposium, Brussels, Belgium, 26 November 1998, pp.1123–1128. New York, NY: IEEE.

Sreenivasan

Wilcox

. Stability and traction control of an actively actuated micro-rover. J Robot Syst 1994; 11(6): 487–502.

Tarokh

Mcdermott

. A systematic approach to kinematics modeling of high mobility wheeled rovers. In: IEEE International conference on robotics and automation, Rome, Italy, 10 April 2007, pp.4905–4910. New York, NY: IEEE.

Tarokh

Bouloubasis

. Systematic kinematics analysis and balance control of high mobility rovers over rough terrain. Robot Auton Syst 2013; 61(1): 13–24.

Wilcox

Nguyen

. Sojourner on mars and lessons learned for future planetary Rovers. In: International conference on environmental systems, Danvers, MA, 13 July 1998, pp.1–8. New York, NY: SAE.

Krajewski

Burke

Lewicki

. MER: From landing to six wheels on mars twice. In: Proceedings of 2005 IEEE international conference on systems, man and cybernetics, Pasadena, CA, 10 October 2005, pp.1791–1798. New York, NY: IEEE.

Bajracharya

Maimone

Helmick

. Autonomy for mars rovers: past, present, and future. Computer 2008; 41:44–50.

10.

Christopher

Peng

Lih

. Analysis and test validation to develop mars science laboratory EDL loads – mobility deploy event. In: 53rd AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, structural dynamics and materials conference, Hawaii, 23 April 2012, pp.1–15. New York, NY: AIAA.

11.

Estier

Cransaz

Merminod

, et al. An innovative space rover with extended climbing abilities. In: Proceedings of space and robotics, Albuquerque, NM, 27 February 2000, pp.781–786. New York, NY: ASCE.

12.

Cai

Hong

. Kinematic analysis of HIT-l lunar rover. J Harbin Inst Technol 2003; 35(9): 1098–1101.

13.

Zheng

Gao

Yuan

, et al. Design and terramechanics analysis of a Mars rover utilising active suspension. Mech Mach Theory 2018; 128:125–149.

14.

Gao

Jiang

, et al. Numerical analysis on tractive performance of off-road wheel steering on sand using discrete element method. J Terramechanics 2017; 71:25–43.

15.

Gao

Jiang

, et al. Development and numerical validation of an improved prediction model for wheel-soil interaction under multiple operating conditions. J Terramechanics 2018; 79:1–21.

16.

Slade

. Development of a new off-road rigid ring model for truck tires using finite element analysis techniques. Master Thesis, The Pennsylvania State University, USA, 2009.

17.

Xia

. Finite element modeling of tire/terrain interaction: Application to predicting soil compaction and tire mobility. J Terramechanics 2011; 48:113–123.

18.

Khot

Salokhe

Jayasuriya

, et al. Experimental validation of distinct element simulation for dynamic wheel–soil interaction. J Terramechanics 2007; 44:429–437.

19.

Wakui

Terumichi

. Numerical simulation of tire behavior on soft ground. J Syst Des Dyn 2011; 5(3): 486–500.

20.

Nakashima

Takatsu

. Analysis of tire tractive performance on deformable terrain by finite element-discrete element method. J Comput Sci Technol 2008; 2(4): 423–434.

21.

Nakashima

Takatsu

Shinone

, et al. FE-DEM analysis of the effect of tread pattern on the tractive performance of tires operating on sand. J Mech Syst Transp Logist 2009; 2(1): 55–65.

22.

Wang

, et al. Enhancing the passing ability of unmanned vehicles using a variable-wheelbase driving system. IEEE Access 2019; 7:115871–115885.

23.

Bekker

. Theory of land locomotion. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press, 1956.

24.

Gao

Guo

Ding

, et al. Torque distribution influence on tractive efficiency and mobility of off-road wheeled vehicles. J Terramechanics 2013; 50(5–6): 327–343.

25.

Wong

Reece

. Prediction of rigid wheel performance based on the analysis of soil-wheel stresses: Part I. Performance of driven rigid wheels. J Terramechanics 1967; 4(1): 81–98.

26.

Wong

Reece

. Prediction of rigid wheel performance based on the analysis of soil-wheel stresses: Part II. Performance of towed rigid wheels. J Terramechanics 1967; 4(2): 7–25.

27.

Wang

, et al. Development of variable-configuration wheeled driving system for enhancing the obstacle-crossing ability of unmanned vehicles. Proc IMechE, Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science 2021; 235(9): 1645–1659.

28.

Bekker

. Introduction to terrain-vehicle systems. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press, 1969.

29.

Zhang

Han

, et al. Calibration methods of sandy soil parameters in simulation of discrete element method. Trans Chin Soc Agric Mach 2017; 48(3): 49–56. (in Chinese).