Tractive performance analysis of a lugged wheel by open-source 3D DEM software

Abstract

Open-source software (OSS) is free to use and has accessible source codes, thus, it can be modified by various users. By using OSS, it is possible to easily and economically develop a target program for interaction studies in terramechanics. Yet Another Dynamic Engine (YADE) is an OSS for the 3D discrete element method (DEM), but its applicability to various contact interaction problems in terramechanics is not well-known. To investigate the applicability of YADE in terramechanics, the tractive performance of a lugged wheel was analyzed in this study. An idea of a proportional-integral-differential control model was applied to realize the constant rotation of the wheel in YADE. Our previous experiments on the locomotion of a small lugged wheel on a lunar-soil simulant were analyzed by YADE, and the results were found to be qualitatively similar to the obtained experimental results when considering the effects of the lug height, lug thickness, lug number, and wheel diameter. By applying a quasi-2D analysis with the same soil bin width and wheel width, the computational load of 3D DEM by YADE can be reduced up to 36.8% with similar net traction behavior against the wheel slip in a 3D analysis.