Articles | Volume 16, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/ms-16-719-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/ms-16-719-2025
Research article
 | 
10 Nov 2025
Research article |  | 10 Nov 2025

DEM–FEM simulation of steering performance of flexible metal wheel for staffed lunar rover

Jianzhong Zhu, Yiming Hu, Kang Wang, and Meng Zou

Cited articles

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Huang, H., Xu, S., Meng, Z., Li, J., and Zhang, J.: The sinkage characteristics and prediction of a planetary rover based on a similarity model experiment, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G: Journal of Aerospace Engineering, 233, 3762–3774, https://doi.org/10.1177/0954410018806808, 2018. 
Iizuka, K. and Kubota, T.: Running Performance of Flexible Wheel for Lunar Rovers on Loose Soil, International Journal of Social Robotics, 4, 39–47, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-011-0104-0, 2011. 
Jiang, M., Dai, Y., Cui, L., and Xi, B.: Experimental and DEM analyses on wheel-soil interaction, Journal of Terramechanics, 76, 15–28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2017.12.001, 2018. 
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Short summary
In this study, we established a wheel–soil coupling simulation system to simulate the interaction between the flexible metal wheels of a staffed lunar rover and the deformable terrain during a steering maneuver. This system can accurately reproduce the discontinuous characteristics of lunar soil simulant and the deformation characteristics of flexible wheels and has been used to conduct simulation experiments under Earth gravity (1g) and Moon gravity (1/6g) conditions.
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