Abstract The soft ground and stones on the surface of Mars may cause sinkage of and damage to the wheels of a Mars rover. Therefore, we analyzed the performance of a wheel-step Mars rover from the perspective of terramechanics and structural mechanics. Using China’s Mars rover wheel prototype and wheel-soil interaction testbed, we obtained the driving performance of the wheels of a Mars rover under various conditions, including full skidding conditions. The vertical load set in the tests was determined using the gravity of Mars and the mass of the wheel-step Mars rover. The results indicate that the driving torque, sinkage, and resistance coefficient have a linear relationship with the wheel vertical load. An analysis of the structural mechanical characteristics of the wheel of the Mars rover was conducted by testing the radial, axial, torsional, and deflection stiffness. We found that the wheel ribs can improve the stiffness of the wheel but may reduce its driving performance. The analysis methods and evaluation indices can be used to analyze the performance of the wheels of other Mars rovers. Furthermore, the findings of this study can be used to optimize wheel design and motion control of wheel-step Mars exploration rovers.

中文翻译：

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火星探测车车轮性能：从地形力学和结构力学角度的实验研究

摘要 火星表面松软的地面和石头可能会导致火星车车轮下沉和损坏。因此，我们从地形力学和结构力学的角度分析了轮步式火星车的性能。利用我国火星车车轮样机和轮土相互作用试验台，我们获得了火星车车轮在包括全滑行在内的各种条件下的行驶性能。测试中设置的垂直载荷是使用火星的重力和轮式火星探测器的质量确定的。结果表明，驱动扭矩、下沉和阻力系数与车轮垂直载荷呈线性关系。通过对火星车车轮的径向、轴向、扭转、和挠度刚度。我们发现轮肋可以提高车轮的刚度，但可能会降低其驱动性能。分析方法和评价指标可用于分析其他火星探测器车轮的性能。此外，这项研究的结果可用于优化轮式火星探测车的车轮设计和运动控制。