Modeling of Lunar Rover Vehicle Wheel-Soil Interaction Using Fem-Dem Method

Apollo Lunar Rover Vehicle (LRV) used wire mesh wheels to adapt to the loose and soft soil conditions on the lunar surface, aimed to meet the mobility performance of LRV on the moon. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the wheel-soil interaction characteristics of the wire mesh wheel to improve the maneuverability and traction performance of LRVs. This paper proposed a coupled analysis method of wire mesh wheel-soil based on the DEM-FEM method. Firstly, a lunar terrain DEM model was established, which conforming to the physical characteristics of the lunar soil. Then, a FEM model of the flexible wire mesh wheel with large deformation characteristics was developed, which was verified by stiffness tests. In addition, the mobility performance of the wheel model developed were studied under different slip rates and sideslip angles, respectively. The simulation results were compared and validated with NASA experiment data. The results can provide technical support for the coupling simulation of wire mesh wheels and the traction characteristics of LRV.