scholarly journals Granular Media Friction Pad for Robot Shoes—Hexagon Patterning Enhances Friction on Wet Surfaces

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 11287
Author(s):  
Halvor T. Tramsen ◽  
Lars Heepe ◽  
Stanislav N. Gorb
Keyword(s):  
Internal Friction ◽  
Granular Material ◽  
Contact Area ◽  
Granular Media ◽  
Elastic Membrane ◽  
Mechanical Interlocking ◽  
Material Flows ◽  
Friction Forces ◽  
Jamming Transition ◽  
Universal Applicability

For maximizing friction forces of the robotic legs on an unknown/unpredictable substrate, we introduced the granular media friction pad, consisting of a thin elastic membrane encasing loosely filled granular material. On coming into contact with a substrate, the fluid-like granular material flows around the substrate asperities and achieves large contact areas with the substrate. Upon applying load, the granular material undergoes the jamming transition, rigidifies and becomes solid-like. High friction forces are generated by mechanical interlocking on rough substrates, internal friction of the granular media and by the enhanced contact area caused by the deformation of the membrane. This system can adapt to a large variety of dry substrate topologies. To further increase its performance on moist or wet substrates, we adapted the granular media friction pad by structuring the outside of the membrane with a 3D hexagonal pattern. This results in a significant increase in friction under lubricated conditions, thus greatly increasing the universal applicability of the granular media friction pad for a multitude of environments.

scholarly journals Bioinspired Granular Media Friction Pad: A Universal System for Friction Enhancement on Variety of Substrates

Biomimetics ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Halvor T. Tramsen ◽  
Lars Heepe ◽  
Stanislav N. Gorb
Keyword(s):  
Contact Area ◽  
Granular Medium ◽  
Granular Media ◽  
Elastic Membrane ◽  
Friction Forces ◽  
Universal System ◽  
Flexible Membrane ◽  
Jamming Transition ◽  
Contact Formation ◽  
Substrate Topography

The granular media friction pad (GMFP) inspired by the biological smooth attachment pads of cockroaches and grasshoppers employs passive jamming, to create high friction forces on a large variety of substrates. The granular medium inside the pad is encased by a flexible membrane which at contact formation greatly adapts to the substrate profile. Upon applying load, the granular medium undergoes the jamming transition and changes from fluid-like to solid-like properties. The jammed granular medium, in combination with the deformation of the encasing elastic membrane, results in high friction forces on a multitude of substrate topographies. Here we explore the effect of elasticity variation on the generation of friction by varying granular media filling quantity as well as membrane modulus and thickness. We systematically investigate contact area and robustness against substrate contamination, and we also determine friction coefficients for various loading forces and substrates. Depending on the substrate topography and loading forces, a low filling quantity and a thin, elastic membrane can be favorable, in order to generate the highest friction forces.

Stress fields in granular material and implications for performance of robot locomotion over granular media

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 2005-2009
Author(s):  
Diandong Ren ◽  
Lance M. Leslie ◽  
Congbin Fu
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Granular Material ◽  
Granular Media ◽  
Rotation Frequency ◽  
Legged Locomotion ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Maximum Speed ◽  
Sigmoid Curve ◽  
Multi Body

 Legged locomotion of robots has advantages in reducing payload in contexts such as travel over deserts or in planet surfaces. A recent study (Li et al. 2013) partially addresses this issue by examining legged locomotion over granular media (GM). However, they miss one extremely significant fact. When the robot’s wheels (legs) run over GM, the granules are set into motion. Hence, unlike the study of Li et al. (2013), the viscosity of the GM must be included to simulate the kinematic energy loss in striking and passing through the GM. Here the locomotion in their experiments is re-examined using an advanced Navier-Stokes framework with a parameterized granular viscosity. It is found that the performance efficiency of a robot, measured by the maximum speed attainable, follows a six-parameter sigmoid curve when plotted against rotating frequency. A correct scaling for the turning point of the sigmoid curve involves the footprint size, rotation frequency and weight of the robot. Our proposed granular response to a load, or the ‘influencing domain’ concept points out that there is no hydrostatic balance within granular material. The balance is a synergic action of multi-body solids. A solid (of whatever density) may stay in equilibrium at an arbitrary depth inside the GM. It is shown that there exists only a minimum set-in depth and there is no maximum or optimal depth. The set-in depth of a moving robot is a combination of its weight, footprint, thrusting/stroking frequency, surface property of the legs against GM with which it has direct contact, and internal mechanical properties of the GM. If the vehicle’s working environment is known, the wheel-granular interaction and the granular mechanical properties can be grouped together. The unitless combination of the other three can form invariants to scale the performance of various designs of wheels/legs. Wider wheel/leg widths increase the maximum achievable speed if all other parameters are unchanged.

Granular Material Flows

2007 ◽  
pp. 37-54
Author(s):  
Peter A. Markowich ◽  
Giuseppe Toscani
Keyword(s):  
Granular Material ◽  
Material Flows

A New Simple Non Linear Modelling of the Quasi Statics of Granular Media: predictions, comparisons with experiments

2000 ◽  
Vol 627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Evesque
Keyword(s):  
Granular Material ◽  
Granular Media ◽  
Stress Ratio ◽  
Rheological Behaviour ◽  
Stress Strain ◽  
Linear Modelling ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
Strain Paths ◽  
Contact Distribution

ABSTRACTFirst, a non linear incremental modelling is proposed to describe rheological behaviour of granular material under different simple (i.e. triaxial-, oedometric-, undrained-) stress-strain paths. Validity of isotropic-response assumption is demonstrated whatever the stress ratio as far as deformation range remains small (ε1<5%). This contradicts some recent hypothesis made on the evolution of contact distribution during anisotropic loading.

scholarly journals Experimental Study of the Composition and Structure of Granular Media in the Shear Bands Based on the HHC-Granular Model

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Guang-jin Wang ◽  
Xiang-yun Kong ◽  
Chun-he Yang
Keyword(s):  
Shear Strength ◽  
Internal Friction ◽  
Granular Media ◽  
Random Distribution ◽  
Shear Bands ◽  
Friction Angle ◽  
Internal Friction Angle ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Coarse Grained Soil

The researchers cannot control the composition and structure of coarse grained soil in the indoor experiment because the granular particles of different size have the characteristics of random distribution and no sorting. Therefore, on the basis of the laboratory tests with the coarse grained soil, the HHC-Granular model, which could simulate the no sorting and random distribution of different size particles in the coarse-grained soil, was developed by use of cellular automata method. Meanwhile, the triaxial numerical simulation experiments of coarse grained soil were finished with the different composition and structure soil, and the variation of shear strength was discussed. The results showed that the internal friction angle was likely to reduce with the increasing of gravel contents in the coarse-grained soil, but the mean internal friction angle significantly increased with the increment of gravel contents. It indicated that the gravel contents of shear bands were the major factor affecting the shear strength.

scholarly journals Measurement of growing dynamical length scales and prediction of the jamming transition in a granular material

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 260-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron S. Keys ◽  
Adam R. Abate ◽  
Sharon C. Glotzer ◽  
Douglas J. Durian
Keyword(s):  
Granular Material ◽  
Length Scales ◽  
Jamming Transition
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