Abstract:

The design requirement and mechanism of Lunar Rover with Center of Mass Varied (CMR-1) are briefly introduced. Based on the characteristics of wheelsoil interaction mechanics, the wheel sinkage, stability margin, motion resistance and drawbar pull of lunar rover in forward mothion are analyzed using terramechanics theory. From the mechanics analysis, the relationships between the configure parameters (such as the wheel parameters and the position of mass center) and the mobility performane indexes (such as the wheel sinkage, motion resistance and drawbar pull) are obtained. The design principles of the wheel parameters, position of mass center and the wheel space are given. It is demonstrated that the mass center is crucial to the mobility performance of the lunar rover. Simulation verifies that the CMR-1 is superior in obstaclesurmounting performance.

Key words: mechanical design, mobility performance, lunar rover, changing mass center, wheel-soil interaction, terramechanics