This study presents the design and finite element modeling (FEM) of an energy-efficient, lightweight rover robot for extreme environments encountered in space exploration. The purpose of this study is to reduce the rover’s mass while maintaining structural integrity and performance, using materials such as Titanium R50400, Aluminum Alloy 2017 and ABS.
Finite element analysis was used to simulate the rover’s components under various loading conditions to identify critical stress points and potential failure zones. The rover robot parts are divided into non-critical (stationary frame, gear housing and shaft holding) and critical (moving parts) categories. Due to the complexity of simulating all parts, the study focuses on the simulation and analysis of the critical parts under dynamic load.
The results indicate significant weight reductions of up to 82%, 49% and 69.4% compared to steel, aluminum and titanium, respectively. Structural analysis showed that the maximum von-Mises and shear stresses within the rover components are well below the material yield strengths, confirming the design’s robustness and safety. The study further demonstrates a linear relationship between applied loads and resulting stresses and deformations, adhering to Hooke’s Law.
The findings highlight the feasibility of developing lightweight, energy-efficient rover robots capable of enduring harsh operational conditions with minimal power consumption. This work contributes to the advancement of rocker-bogie based platforms technologies like in space exploration by providing a validated design approach for optimizing rover performance when exposed to extreme environments.
