A study of volumetric contact modelling approaches in rigid tyre simulation for planetary rover application

Abstract

For planetary rover applications, a volumetric contact modelling approach is used to capture the dynamics of the rigid tyre/soil interface. The volumetric contact model allows for determining closed-form expressions for the tyre contact forces. These volumetric force representations contain information about the shape of the contact geometry so that the analytical expressions result in fast simulations. Three different volumetric rigid tyre models are developed and evaluated from a plasticity point of view. The performance of each tyre is tested and compared with respect to the resistance force caused by the ongoing compaction of the soil and the resultant plastic deformation. The quantity used to model the plastic deformation of the soil is represented by the soil rebound. Moreover, each tyre model is compared against experimental data to evaluate its validity.