Research on anchoring force of the deep-sea stratum drilling robot

Abstract

To enhance the sampling and exploration of the gas hydrate resources and other seafloor mineral resources within the seafloor sediment stratum, a deep-sea stratum drilling robot inspired by the earthworm’s peristaltic movement was developed in this paper. The support anchor unit is a part of this new type of robot. When the robot moves forward, it must rely on the support anchor unit to provide enough supporting force to counteract the various resistance forces on the front body units. In this paper, the maximum anchoring force of the support anchor unit, also known as the pullout force, is determined by theoretical calculation. The soil failure area during the pulling-out was obtained by simulation for visualization. The maximum anchoring force of the unit in the soil of different properties with different speeds was also obtained by tests to verify the theoretical calculations. And the effect of the support plates’ unfolding action on the maximum anchoring force was further analyzed in this research. The test results provide a helpful research basis for subsequent analysis of the robot’s movement pattern in soil and the effect of movement at different speeds.