Endurance study of bionic wheels for Mars rovers

Abstract

Four kinds of bionic non-smooth surfaces were designed to improve the durability of wheels designed for Mars rovers. A durability test bed was developed, and the wheels were tested over different terrain conditions. Their performance was evaluated based on abrasion mass, energy consumption, and wear morphology. Convex domes exhibited optimal abrasive mass and energy consumption 46% and 16%, respectively, lower than with original wheels under coarse quartz sand conditions. When bedrock was added to the abrasive material, the abrasive mass and energy consumption of the convex dome and scale-like unit forms were reduced by 60% and 67.5%, respectively. These two non-smooth surfaces exhibited increased wear resistance and drag reduction. These results indicate that the durability of wheels can be improved using bionic optimization methods.