Experimental Study On The Influence Of Gravity To Penetration Resistance Of Lunar SOIL Simulant.

The hardness or cone index (CI) of the lunar surface soil is one of the important mechanical characteristics of lunar regolith. It is closely related to the sinkage and slippage rate of lunar rover and has been wide applied in the prediction of the trafficability, adhesion property, and tractive performance of lunar rover. In this study, the penetration resistance characteristics of lunar soil simulant in various bulk densities and in different artificial gravity environment from 1G to 1/6G in different low gravity levels for the penetration resistance characteristic test. The methods to obtain the real measurement from original data with interference of side force. The effect of gravity on the hardness of the lunar soil simulant was discussed. The result has important scientific significance and application value of prepare, optimize and risk assessment in walking mechanism of lunar rover and the sampling mechanism.