Wheel-Soil-Interaction under Extreme Conditions (WSI-EC)

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Grabe
• Subject Area: Geotechnics, Hydraulic Engineering
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 547783223

Unlike in on-road vehicular mobility, the interaction between wheels and soil forms a cornerstone that profoundly influences performance and safety in off-road vehicles. From construction sites and agricultural fields to off-road trails and extraterrestrial landscapes, the dynamics of soil-wheel interaction influence the traction, manoeuvrability, energy efficiency, and overall stability of the vehicle. The motion of the wheels on loose granular soil is dissimilar to that of on-road vehicles because of the different wheel slip/skid behaviours. This is the reasonwhy conventional kinematics-based steering models for on-road vehicles are not applicable in off-road vehicles, especially when moving over loose soil. Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) further expand the dimensions of soil-wheel interaction. ROVs are vital tools for exploring hazardous, inaccessible, or extraterrestrial environments. These vehicles are often operated from a distance, enabling exploration and data collection in places that are difficult or dangerous for humans to access directly. In the context of soil-wheel interaction, the challenge of maintaining traction, preventing slippage, and ensuring stability takes on a new dimension when ROVs are deployed to manoeuvre through extreme conditions like sloping terrain or underwater. In such cases, Control Strategies play a pivotal role in the optimization of vehicle behaviour in response to the dynamic soil-wheel interaction. Through real-time sensing, data processing, and actuation, control systems can adjust parameters like torque distribution, steering angles, and braking to mitigate slippage, enhance traction, and prevent overturning. The core idea of this research proposal is to develop a numerical model that simulates the accurate kinematics of a rover traversing on loose sand and to gain knowledge on the wheel-loose sand interactions so as to develop a heuristic-based traction control strategy (TCS). Successful implementation of this TCS in the numerical model can contribute to the advancement of capabilities of ROVs in extreme conditions, without the requirement of very expensive physical prototypes.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Major Instrumentation: Terrestrial 3D laser scanner with integrated HDR camera
• Instrumentation Group: 5750 Spezielle Laser-Mess-Systeme (z.B. Laser-Doppler-Vibrometer)