Three-Dimensional Analyses of Powder with PEPT for Evaluation of Motion Performance of Planetary Rover

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24360352
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Aerospace engineering
• Research Institution: Okayama University of Science
• Principal Investigator: KUWAGI Kenya 岡山理科大学, 工学部, 教授 (80302917)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KINUGASA Tetsuya 岡山理科大学, 工学部, 教授 (20321474)
• Research Collaborator: PARKER David J. Birmingham大学 ; LEADBEATER Thomas W. Birmingham大学 ; GARGIULI Joseph Birmingham大学 ; SEVILLE Jonathan P. K. Surrey大学
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 宇宙利用・探査 / 紛体工学 / 混相流 / ロボティクス / 可視化 / テラメカニクス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Planetary rovers may have to move on soft terrain. The movement of sand or soil particles under the wheels or tracks greatly affects the robot’s ability to maneuver. There is a simple but difficult problem with measuring particle movement. Only 2D visualization techniques that take a surface picture of the ground or use transparent boards are available. A nuclear 3D imaging technique called positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) was adopted in this study. PEPT detects pairs of gamma rays emitted by a positron-emitting radionuclide of a tracer particle. We proposed a 3D dynamic imaging technique for describing the movement of sand under a rotating wheel using PEPT, and we examined the trajectory of sand particles for slippage ratios from -25% to 50%. The obtained results are novel and significant because there was previously no method available to observe the 3D trajectory of a sand particle under a wheel.

Free Research Field

工学