7523 / Assessing performance of light wheeled vehicles on GRC-1 using 3D scanned footprint...

Paper presented at the 16th European-African Regional Conference of the ISTVS

https://doi.org/10.56884/QBZW5768

Title: Assessing performance of light wheeled vehicles on GRC-1 using 3D scanned footprint measurements

Authors: Chaitanya Sonalkar, Nikhil Ravichandran, Alexandru Vilsan, Corina Sandu, and Tony Lin

Abstract: In off-road conditions, the vehicle mobility is dependent on the terrain and its properties. It is necessary to characterize the soil/terrain in order to assess its traversability and to predict the performance of the tire. If not accounted for properly, it can lead to conditions where the vehicle is stuck due to excessive sinkage or is unable to satisfactorily meet its intended performance. Navigation of wheeled vehicles on fine, dry sands, such as the Lunar Soil Simulant GRC-1, has greater challenges due to very low cohesion properties. This study aims at characterizing the terrain response of such a sandy soil to different loading and slip conditions for light ground vehicles, by studying the 3D shape of the footprint/ rut left by the tire. For this, a white light-based 3D scanner will be used to collect the data. Correlations between the normal load applied, the depth and shape of the contact area, as well as the slip conditions are made to assess their impact on the drawbar pull of the tire.

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