DESIGN & FABRICATION OF

ROCKER-BOGIE MECHANISM
MAJOR PROJECT
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD
OF THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
BY

ANUBHAV KUMAR

DEERGHA GARG

(12001004009 )

(12001004015 )

NITIN VERMA

RAHUL HANS

(12001004037)

(12001004044 )

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Dr. AJAY KUMAR

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

D.C.R. UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

MURTHAL, SONEPAT, HARYANA (INDIA) 131 039
(JUNE 2016)
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DECLARATION BY THE CANDIDATES

We hereby certify that the work which is being presented in this Project report
entitled DESIGN & FABRICATION OF ROCKER-BOGIE MECHANISM in partial
fulfillment of requirements for the award of degree of BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, submitted to the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering,
Faculty of Engg. & Technology, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science &
Technology, Murthal, Sonepat (Haryana) is an authentic record of our own work carried
out during a period from July 2015 to May 2016 under the supervision of Dr. AJAY
KUMAR The matter presented in this project work has not been submitted to any other
University / Institute for the award of B.Tech or any other Degree / Diploma.

Name (Roll. No.)

1)

Anubhav Kumar (12001004009)

2)

Deergha Garg (12001004015)

3)

Nitin Verma (12001004037)

4)

Rahul Hans (12001004044)

Signature

This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidate is correct to the best
of my knowledge & belief.

Signature of Supervisor

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ABSTRACT
The rocker-bogie suspension mechanism its currently NASAs favored design
for wheeled mobile robots, mainly because it has robust capabilities to deal with
obstacles and because it uniformly distributes the payload over its 6 wheels at all
times. Even though it has many advantages when dealing with obstacles, there is one
major shortcoming which is its low average speed of operation, making the rockerbogie system not suitable for situations where high-speed traversal over hard-flat
surfaces is needed to cover large areas in short periods of time, mainly due to stability
problems. Our propose is to increase the stability of the rocker-bogie system by
expanding its support polygon, making it more stable and adaptable while moving at
high speed, but keeping its original robustness against obstacles.
The Rocker-Bogie Mobility system was designed to be used at slow speeds. It
is capable of overcoming obstacles that are on the order of the size of a wheel.
However, when surmounting a sizable obstacle, the vehicles motion effectively stops
while the front wheel climbs the obstacle. When operating at low speed (greater than
10cm/second), dynamic shocks are minimized when this happens. For many future
planetary missions, rovers will have to operate at human level speeds (~1m/second).
Shocks resulting from the impact of the front wheel against an obstacle could damage
the payload or the vehicle.We will develop a method of driving a rocker-bogie vehicle
so that it can effectively step over most obstacles rather than impacting and climbing
over them.

Most of the benefits of this method can be achieved without any

mechanical modification to existing designs only a change in control strategy. Some

mechanical changes are suggested to gather the maximum benefit and to greatly
increase the effective operational speed of future rovers.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We are highly grateful to the Honble Vice-Chancellor, Deenbandhu Chhotu
Ram University of Science & Technology, Murthal, Sonepat for providing us this
opportunity to carry out the present project work.
The constant guidance and encouragement received from Dr. Rajender Singh,
Prof. & Chairperson, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram
University of Science & Technology, Murthal, Sonepat has been of great help in
carrying our the present work and is acknowledged with reverential thanks.
We would like to express a deep sense of gratitude and thanks profusely to our
Project Supervisor, Dr. Ajay Kumar , Asstt. Prof., Dept. of Mechanical Engineering,
Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University

of Science & Technology, Murthal, Sonepat.

Without his able guidance, it would have been impossible to complete the project in
this manner.
The help rendered by Dr. M.S. Narwal B.Tech. Project Coordinator, Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science &
Technology, Murthal, Sonepat for his wise counsel is greatly acknowledged. We also
express our gratitude to other faculty members of Dept. of Mechanical Engineering,
Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science & Technology, Murthal, Sonepat for
their intellectual support throughout the course of this work.
Finally, We are indebted to all whosoever have contributed in this project work.

Name

Roll. No.

1) Anubhav

12001004009

2) Deergha Garg

12001004015

3) Nitin Verma

12001004037

4) Rahul Hans

12001004044

Signature

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LIST OF FIGURES & TABLES

Figure 1

MER (Mars Exploration Rover)

Figure 2

NASAs Curiosity Rover

Figure 3

Red Rover

Figure 4

Lateral Stability

Figure 5

Longitudinal Stability

Figure 6

Centre Stage Stairs

Figure 7

Calculations at Centre Stage Stairs

Figure 8

Library Stairs

Figure 9

Calculation at Library Stairs

Figure 10 Step Down Transformer

Figure 11 Full Wave Rectifier
Figure 12 12-0-12 V Transformer & Rectifier
Figure 13

Motors & Linkages Assembly

Figure 14

Joystick

Figure 15

Rocker Bogie Mechanism

Table 1

Calculation of Wheel Diameters

Table 2

Calculation of Diameter and RPM

Table 3

Hardware to be Purchased

Table 4

Electrical Equipments to be Purchased

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Decleration by the Candidates

ii

Abstract

iii

Acknowledgement

iv

List of Figures & Tables

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction
1.2 Need & Motivation for the Selection of the Project
1.3 Objective of the Project
CHAPTER 2 : PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

11

2.1 Introduction
2.2 Recent Rovers & their Missions
2.3 Rover Mobility
CHAPTER 3: RELATED CONCEPTS &THEORIES

17

3.1 Design Requirements & Specification

3.2 Related Concepts
3.2.1

Traction & Slip

3.2.2

Lateral Stability

3.2.3

Longitudinal Stability

3.2.4

Static Stability Factor

3.3 Design Analysis

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CHAPTER 4: CALCULATIONS

25

4.1 Diameter of Wheel

4.2 Calculation of Wheel Base
4.3 Length of Links
4.4 Height Calculation
4.5 Track Width
CHAPTER 5 : FABRICATION

33

5.1 Power House

5.1.1

Transformer

5.1.2

Full Wave Rectifier

5.2 Linkages
5.3 Controls
5.3.1 Joystick
5.3.2 PCB
CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS

38

6.1 Conclusion
6.2 Budget & Table of Requirements
6.3 Future Scope

References

40

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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

There is an increasing need for mobile robots which are able to operate in
unstructured environments with highly uneven terrain. These robots are mainly
used for tasks which humans cannot do and which are not safe. In order to achieve
these tasks, any mobile robot needs to have a suitable mobile system according to
each situation. Among these mobile systems, its the rocker-bogie suspension
system that was first used for the Mars Rover Sojourner and its currently NASAs
favored design for rover wheel suspension. The rocker-bogie suspension is a
mechanism that enables a six-wheeled vehicle to passively keep all six wheels in
contact with a surface even when driving on severely uneven terrain. There are two
key advantages to this feature. The first advantage is that the wheels' pressure on
the ground will be equilibrated. This is extremely important in soft terrain where
excessive ground pressure can result in the vehicle sinking into the driving surface.
The second advantage is that while climbing over hard, uneven terrain, all six
wheels will nominally remain in contact with the surface and under load, helping to
propel the vehicle over the terrain. Exploration rovers take advantage of this
configuration by integrating each wheel with a drive actuator, maximizing the
vehicle's motive force capability. One of the major shortcomings of current rockerbogie rovers is that they are slow. In order to be able to overcome significantly
rough terrain (i.e., obstacles more than a few percent of wheel radius) without
significant risk of flipping the vehicle or damaging the suspension, these robots
move slowly and climb over the obstacles by having wheels lift each piece of the
suspension over the obstacle one portion at a time. While performance on rough
terrain obstacles is important, it should be also considered situations where the
surface is flat or it has almost imperceptible obstacles, where the rover should
increase its speed to arrive faster from point A to point B.

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1.2 Need and Motivation for the selection of the project

Rocker-bogie suspension system that was first used for the Mars Rover
Sojourner and its currently NASAs favored design for rover wheel suspension.
This is a very less explored field of study and could be developed into exploration
purpose instrument. The need to develop specialized high-fidelity systems capable
of operating in harsh earth environments typically leads to longer development
timelines and greater expenditures. While specific applications will always require
unique designs, there are many commonalities in planetary rovers. Issues such as
mobility, navigation, and vision, may differ slightly between missions but are largely
the same in most scenarios. Given these fundamental characteristics of many
planetary rovers we believe that a modular and ruggedized system meeting these
basic requirements would aid in the process of developing space-ready technology.
There are currently many mobile research platforms available, yet few are designed
to operate in the harsh earth environments that are often used for planetary surface
rover testing. By creating a rover that is suitable for these types of environments,
our goal is to facilitate the development of rovers and their related technologies, in
addition to lowering development costs. We also hope that the platform developed
can be tested and improved upon, to potentially serve as a model for a rover that
could go to the moon or Mars in the future.
Our mission is to design, develop, and test a rover to serve as a research
platform, suitable for testing planetary surface exploration technologies in harsh
earth environments. The design will focus on incorporating features that are
believed to be essential for most planetary exploration missions.The Rocker bogie
Suspension system can be sent for reconnaissance purpose,which is exploring the
surrounding to give a visualisation to a person or operator sitting somewhere for
carrying the operation, by the help of a video camera. Hence, due to this feature of
the rocker bogie suspension system this can be used in military for visualising the
scenario at a region where a bomb is planted. Not only this, the rocker bogie
suspension system can be developed into a wheel chair too to take the patients
from one place to another climbing the stairs on its own. It can also be used for
material delivery purposes. As explained this is a wide field of study and very less

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explored. So this gave the motivation for the development of this suspension
system.

1.3 Objective of the Project

We will be focusing on eliminating the shortcomings of the rover. one of the

major shortcomings of current rocker-bogie rovers is that they are slow. In order to
be able to overcome significantly rough terrain without significant risk of flipping the
vehicle or damaging the suspension, these robots move slowly and climb over the
obstacles by having wheels lift each piece of the suspension over the obstacle one
portion at a time. While performance on rough terrain obstacles is important, it
should be also considered situations where the surface is flat or it has almost
imperceptible obstacles, where the rover should increase its speed to arrive faster
from point A to point B. The rovers made for the exploration purposes are very
costly too. Due to the high cost of space exploration, most missions to date have
been conducted by NASA and other government-supported organizations.
However, the continually decreasing cost of technology and economic potential in
natural resources has led some private companies to pursue space transportation
and exploration as a core business. For example, Astrobotic Technology, Odyssey
Moon, and Armadillo Aerospace are just a few companies that are developing
rovers and landers for different space missions. While companies like these have
made progress in the commercialization of space exploration, the inherently high
costs continue to hinder economic feasibility. We, in India have not conducted any
mission for the exploration purposes. Not only mars exploration the rocker bogie
can also be used for military and civil purposes but there also it is needed to be a
little cost effective and fast. Thus our concern during the development of the rover
would be to optimise the speed such that the rover do not flip and may travel a litle
faster too and make it cost effective with maximum possible rigidity and
ruggedness.

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CHAPTER 2
PAST PRESENT & FUTURE
2.1 Introduction
This chapter will begin by reviewing some past space exploration rovers as well
as rovers currently in development. It will discuss specific missions along with the
corresponding design features and capabilities, specifically relating to mobility and
navigation, that made these rovers successful in meeting their objectives on the
Martian or lunar surface. Next, specific features of these rovers are discussed in order
to learn more about the types of technologies that are often used on exploration rovers.
Both hardware and software design choices are reviewed, as they relate to the mobility
challenges of ground compliance and hazard avoidance. Lastly, research into analog
testing presents what is currently being done by NASA and others to validate planetary
rovers on Earth. A variety of harsh Earth environments are examined for their suitability
in analog testing based on how well they represent certain aspects of the Martian and
Lunar environments. A few NASA sponsored competitions are also reviewed, as they
can often provide unique opportunities for analog testing at NASA facilities.

2.2 Recent Rovers and their Missions

Much of space exploration can be divided into three categories: a quest to better
understand our universe, interest, and economic potential in using natural resources
outside our planet, and the future colonization of extra-terrestrial bodies. Furthermore,
most interest has been in our moon and Mars, as these planetary bodies are close by,
and have environments that are hospitable enough for rovers, and potentially for future
colonization.
The moon is also very well suited for scientific equipment such as radio observatories
or IR telescopes, as it has no atmosphere, instruments such as these can measure
signals that would otherwise be disturbed or eliminated on Earth. Interest in Mars
mostly relates to expanding our knowledge of the planet, specifically with respect to its
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ability to support a human colony. Learning more about the composition of its
atmosphere and soil can tell us whether Mars could potentially support microbial life.
Since 1976, NASA has been exploring the surface of Mars with rovers, starting
with the dual landing of Viking 1 and Viking 2 landers. In 1997, The Mars Pathfinder
(MPF) lander delivered the Sojourner Rover to the surface successfully. Most recently,
in early 2004, NASA again landed two more rovers on Mars, Spirit and Opportunity. In
November 2011, NASA has launched the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) with a rover
named Curiosity. Despite the multiple rovers that NASA has sent to Mars, each
mission has similar objectives. Making improvements from past Mars rovers, NASA
has continued to develop autonomous navigation to make it easier and quicker to
control their rovers, given the relatively large time delays in sending commands. To do
this, on-board stereo vision processing was used to develop an image on the
environment, which identified positive and negative obstacles relative to the ground
plane. The other main features of the MERs relate to mobility hardware, which allowed
them to traverse the Martian terrain with relative ease. In continuation of past Mars
rover designs, the rocker-bogie suspension was used. It consists of six wheels and
multiple axles that allow the rover to overcome obstacles larger than its wheel
diameter. The specialized wheels of the rover are approximately 26 centimeters in
diameter and have a unique aluminum flexure structure to connect the hub to the rim
of the wheel. These flexure joints act as shock absorbers which help to reduce the
shock loads on other components of the rover. Each wheel also has small cleats,
which have been found to be effective both for soft sandy terrain and in navigating over
rocks.

Fig. 1 MER Rover

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Curiosity an advantage in terms of its path planning ability. It has a three axis
inertial measurement unit (IMU), enabling the rover to make precise movements while
also monitoring the degree of tilt that the rover is experiencing. To tackle the mobility
challenge, the 900kg rover has a very similar 6 wheel rocker-bogie suspension as
previous Mars exploration rovers have. The larger size combined with the rocker- bogie
suspension allows the rover to go over obstacles 60-75cm higher, which is greater than
its wheel diameter of 50cm. It can also safely traverse slopes up to 45, but is limited to
30 slopes by software to ensure a factor of safety. Curiosity also has cleated treads
that are similar to the MER rovers, which were found to be an optimal solution for
Martian terrain. With a top speed of 4cm/sec, it was the fastest rover sent to Mars.

Fig 2. NASAs Curiosity Rover

In reviewing NASAs rovers for surface exploration on Mars, there were many
similarities in both their mechanical design and software that enable the rovers to
perform on-board path planning. Autonomous planetary navigation combined with
hazard avoidance and other self-preservation autonomy makes these rovers excellent
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platforms to reliably transport and position their scientific instruments. The biggest
changes between missions have been the size of the rover and the types of scientific
instruments it supports.
Astrobotic Technology Inc. is one such company that has founded itself on
making space exploration profitable, by delivering payloads and performing robotic
services on the moon. They are currently in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon
University and others, to develop a rover and lander for their first surface lunar
exploration mission, which if successful will satisfy the X-prize criteria as well as other
objectives. Their robot, called Red Rover, is reviewed here because it is one of the
most developed lunar exploration rovers. Red Rover is designed to be a scout,
exploring places such as polar ice fields or skylights into lunar lava tubes. Its goal is to
determine where the interesting locations are, based on its analysis of chemical
composition and high resolution 3D images. To facilitate roving about the lunar surface,
Red Rover uses a 4 wheel rocker differencing suspension system. This type of passive
suspension is based on the rocker-bogie design but is simplified by reducing the
number of wheels and free-pivoting axles. It drives the two wheels on each side of the
rover together, and thus relies on skid-steering to rotate the rover. For vision, Red
Rover has a stereo camera and flash LIDAR which will allow it to make high-resolution
terrain maps. While it will likely have some form of on-board autonomous hazard
avoidance or path planning it is unclear exactly to what extent, as available information
only suggests that the rover is teleoperated. Figure 3 is a picture of one of the recent
prototypes of Red Rover.

Fig 3. Red Rover

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2.3 Rover Mobility

One of the most challenging aspects of rover operation in planetary
environments is effective mobility. In order for a rover to complete any science tasks, it
first must be able to move confidently in unforgiving terrain. This may include both
challenging surfaces and wider-scale terrain discontinuities. Surface challenges to
rover mobility include fine powders such as lunar regolith, screen fields, and larger
rocks. Topographic features such as craters, hills, gullies, and cliffs present different
forms of challenges. To complicate the problem further, many planetary environments
are not well studied, so rover mobility systems must be flexible to accommodate
unknown factors. Effective rover mobility systems combine robust mechanical
hardware with sensors and programming to detect impassible terrain. The goal of any
rover mobility system is to reduce the impact of variable terrain on the rovers ability to
traverse a given path. This typically involves a suspension system which allows the
rover to travel over certain obstacles in its path as well as absorb shocks and
unevenness. The most basic mobility system is the wheel, and an effective wheel
design becomes a major part of any rover drive system. Most planetary rovers have
used all-metal wheels for their high strength-to-weight ratio. NASA/JPLs 10.5 kilogram
Sojourner rover used 13 centimeter one- piece aluminum wheels with sharp stainless
steel cleats to climb obstacles and gain traction in soft soil. Sojourners wheels were
rigidly connected to the drive motors with no suspension elements. It has large billet
aluminum with thin straight spokes and a zigzag aluminum pattern machined into the
outer surface. These 50 centimeter wheels support the 900 kilogram rover over
obstacles up to 75 centimeters in height. Additionally, MSLs wheels are needed to
support the rover during its final landing, a large shock load. The Mars Science
Laboratory plans to drive about 12 kilometers during its mission, most of it
autonomously. These components are typically articulated to increase the maximum
obstacle the rover is capable of traversing, as well as maintain stability on tilted terrain.
These mobility systems can also incorporate passive or active suspension elements
which help reduce the shock loading experienced by the rover chassis. The two most
common methods of articulating mobility systems include rocker bogie and rocker
differencing. The primary benefit to a rocker-bogie suspension is that a rover is able to
climb an obstacle up to twice the diameter of its wheels while keeping all 6 wheels in
contact with the surface. Because the front and rear wheels can help to push or pull the
free-floating bogie link, it is able to go over relatively large obstacles compare to its
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wheel size. As a suspension system, the rocker-bogie contains no spring elements,

and this helps provide stability while going over large obstacles.

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CHAPTER 3
RELATED CONCEPTS & THEORIES
3.1 Design Reqiurement & Specifications
Our main goal is to design, develop, and test a rover to serve as a mobility
platform, suitable for testing planetary surface exploration technologies in harsh earth
environments. The design will focus on incorporating features that are believed to be
essential for most planetary exploration missions based on research of past and
current rovers. Given what we have learned about existing rovers and the types of
missions they aim to accomplish, our design goals for our rover have been made into
these categories:
1. Mobility and navigation
2. Size and weight restrictions
While our rover will not be travelling to space, it is our goal to make a robust
and ruggedized platform that will be suitable for testing in harsh earth environments, on
terrain similar to that of our moon and Mars. Given sufficient mobility in planetary
environments, the rover must also be able to accommodate payloads,if possible.
Transporting sensitive scientific instruments across rough terrain is the main goal for
nearly all exploration rovers, and thus one of our central requirements. Additionally, to
be useful for other users both in academia or industry, the rover needs to easily
integrate new hardware and software as part of its payloads. By providing a robust
mobility platform that can accommodate a wide range of payloads, the rover should
prove useful to anyone interested in testing rover related technologies or conducting
research in the field of space exploration. Lastly, the rover will aim to recognize the
size and weight constraints that all space bound vehicles face. While there are many
resource constraints that prohibit us from designing a space-ready rover, the design
will attempt to accommodate space considerations when possible. In formulating the
design specifications relating to mobility we wanted to ensure that the rover could
traverse a wide variety of harsh Earth environments. Such terrain includes deserts,
rock fields, gravel pits, sand dunes, and mountainous areas in many different climates.
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In examining these terrains we will make design criterias relating to the size of
obstacles, inclines, and speeds that the rover must achieve, in order to ensure that it
could maneuver in many different environments. in most scenarios the ability to go
over larger obstacles always increases mobility potential. For our rover we set the goal
of being able to traverse obstacles, both positive and negative to the ground plane.

3.2 Related Concepts

3.2.1 Traction and Slip

The rover must maintain good wheel traction in challenging rough terrains. If traction
is too high, the vehicle consumes a lot of power in order to overcome the force and
move. If traction is too low, the rover is not able to climb over obstacles or inclined
surfaces. Slip occurs when the traction force at a wheel-terrain contact point is larger
than the product of the normal force at the same wheel and the friction coefcient.
Hence, no slip occurs if the condition
Ti Ni
is satised. In reality it is very challenging to determine the precise friction coefcient
for the interaction of two surfaces.

3.2.2 Lateral Stability

The rover is said to be stable when it is in a quasi-static state in which it does not tilt
over. The simplest approach to nd the static stability is using the geometric model,
which is commonly referred to as stability margin. As the asymmetric suspension
system of the passively articulated rover has a great inuence on the vehicles effective
stability, a more advanced approach is using a static model.
The lateral stability of the rover ensures that the rover does not tip sideways. As the
rover has two symmetric sides, the geometric model is used to nd the lateral stability
of the vehicle. Lateral stability is computed by nding the minimum allowed angle on
the slope before the rover tips over. Lateral stability is ensured if this angle is smaller
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than the maximum angle of incline on the slope at the wheel-terrain contact points.
The angles l and r are obtained geometrically. The overall stability angle stab can
be computed by
stab = min(r,l)
Lateral stability of the rover is ensured if the overall stability angle
stab
.:. min(r,l)

Fig 4 Lateral Stability

Let N1 be the reaction on the right wheel and N2 be the reaction on the left wheel.
Let be the slope of the inclination, r & l be the angle that the point of contact
makes with the Centre of Gravity on the left and right wheels respectively.Z be the
height of the centre of gravity. And yl and yr be the perpendicular between the point of
contact and the Centre of Gravity.
In this condition to ensure the stability the rover should not tip off the inclined. And
hence the normal reaction on any of the wheel should not be 0. Taking moment at the
left wheel.

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Mg z sin + Mg yl cos = N1 (yl+yr)

Dividing the equation by z
Mg sin + Mg yl/z cos = N1 (yl+yr)/z
From the figure above the yl/z = tan l and yr/z =tan r
Mg sin + Mg tan l cos = N1 (tan l + tan r)
Let l r and be very small then
Mg + Mg l = N1 (l + r)
Mg( + l ) = N1 (l +r)
Mg > N1
( + l ) < (l +r)
< r
Hence to ensure stability this condition should be fulfilled.

3.2.3 Longitudinal Stability

The computation of the longitudinal stability of the rover makes use of a statical model
as it is not symmetric in longitudinal direction. Using a statical model, the mechanical
properties of the suspension system are taken into account. According to , longitudinal
stability of the vehicle is given when all wheels have ground contact and the condition
Ni > 0 is satised, where Ni is the normal force at wheel i. It should be noted that even
though this condition is compulsory for the statical model to work, a physical rover does
not necessarily tip if a wheel looses contact to the ground. However, it is less
steerable.

Figure 5 Longitudinal Stability

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3.2.4 Static Stability Factor

The Static Stability Factor (SSF) of a vehicle is one half the track width, TW, divided by
h, the height of the center of gravity above the road. The inertial force which causes a
vehicle to sway on its suspension (and roll over in extreme cases) in response to
cornering, rapid steering reversals or striking a tripping mechanism, when sliding
laterally may be thought of as a force acting at the CoG to pull the vehicle body
laterally. A reduction in CoG height increases the lateral inertial force necessary to
cause rollover by reducing its leverage, and the advantage is represented by an
increase in the computed value of SSF. A wider track width also increases the lateral
force necessary to cause rollover by increasing the leverage of the vehicle's weight in
resisting rollover, and that advantage also increases the computed value of SSF. The
factor of two in the computation "TW over 2h" makes SSF equal to the lateral
acceleration in g's (g-force) at which rollover begins in the most simplified rollover
analysis of a vehicle represented by a rigid body without suspension movement or tire
deflections

3.3 Design & Analysis

Under this section we will discuss our complete rover design and discuss how
our key design decisions were made in order to meet the requirements and goals
presented in the previous sections. Each one of these is related to meeting
fundamental requirements.
3.3.1 Mobility
Mobility relates to the rovers capacity to traverse varying terrains, slopes, and
obstacles. In beginning the process of formulating the drive architecture we reviewed
current and past rovers in consideration of chassis design, suspension methods, wheel
design, and power requirements. Since nearly all rover hardware is related to mobility,
this section will review most of the mechanical design including the chassis,
suspension, and wheel components. These rovers move slowly and climb over the
obstacles by having wheels lift each piece of the suspension over the obstacle one
portion at a time.

NASAs currently favored design, the rocker-bogie, uses a two

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wheeled rocker arm on a passive pivot attached to a main bogie that is connected
differentially to the main bogie on the other side. The ride is further smoothed by the
rocker which only passes on a portion of a wheels displacement to the main bogie.
Each wheel is independently driven. The maximum speed of the robots operated in this
way is limited to eliminate as many dynamic effects as possible, and so that the motors
can be geared down so that the wheels can individually lift a large portion of the entire
vehicles mass.
In order to go over an obstacle, the front wheels are forced against the obstacle
by the rear wheels. The rotation of the front wheel then lifts the front of the vehicle up
and over the obstacle. The middle wheel is the pressed against the obstacle by the
rear wheel and pulled against the obstacle by the front, until it is lifted up and over.
Finally, the rear wheel is pulled over the obstacle by the front two wheels. During each
wheels traversal of the obstacle, forward progress of the vehicle is slowed or
completely halted. We will be using the same mechanism the six wheel independent
drive to cross the obstacles but without any differential. To further simplify the design
we choose to use one motor to directly drive each wheel. Since it is a skid steering
rover an alternative solution could be to have one motor drive two wheels on either
side, resulting in fewer motors and less mass. However, having one motor for each
wheel reduces the need for a complex power transfer system, which is often done with
belts, gears, or drive shafts. The material used for the links should be cheap as well as
light in weight thats why we will use the Acrylic material which has the required
properties of light weight and rigidity.

3.3.2 Wheel Design

The wheels are needed to be wider for increasing the traction to traverse upon
the obstacles. And their diameter depend upon the availability and amount of speed
required. The actual rover uses billet wheels, and machine the wheel and tread from
one piece of round aluminum stock.The main problem during the selection of the
wheels is light weight consideration and the distribution of load on the wheels.

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Velocity
RPM
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140

8cm/s
Diameter
M
0.153
0.076
0.051
0.038
0.031
0.025
0.022
0.019
0.017
0.015
0.014
0.013
0.012
0.011

Velocity
RPM
Cm
15.277
7.638
5.092
3.819
3.055
2.546
2.182
1.910
1.697
1.528
1.389
1.273
1.175
1.091

10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140

10cm/s
Diameter
M
0.191
0.095
0.064
0.048
0.038
0.032
0.027
0.024
0.021
0.019
0.017
0.016
0.015
0.014

Velocity
RPM
cm
19.096
9.548
6.365
4.774
3.819
3.183
2.728
2.387
2.122
1.910
1.736
1.591
1.469
1.364

10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140

12cm/s
Diameter
M
0.229
0.115
0.076
0.057
0.046
0.038
0.033
0.029
0.025
0.023
0.021
0.019
0.018
0.016

Table 1 Calculation of Wheel Diameters

Hence for the light weight and cost effectiveness of the rover we will choose plastic
wheels with rubber treads available in the market depending upon the calculations.
While our wheel design may not be optimized in terms of strength and weight
reduction, it will result in a cost effective solution with minimal manufacturing time, and
a wheel that should meet all design goals.

3.3.3 Drive motor Selection

Since the rover consists of six indepently drive wheels hence the drive motor is
needed for every wheel. The Selection of drive motor depends upon the speed of the
rover that is desired. We will try to design the rover for a speed of 10 cm/s and will
choose the parameters based upon it. The rover is designed to cross the obstacle and
hence need more traction thus the motor choosed should be of low rpm but the rpm
cannot be very low because to maintain the speed the diameter of the wheel will have
to be increased thus an optimum rpm motor is needed to be selected. We will be using
a 30 rpm motor with 12V DC because it is well suited depending upon the
requirements and calculations.
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cm
22.915
11.458
7.638
5.729
4.583
3.819
3.274
2.864
2.546
2.292
2.083
1.910
1.763
1.637

3.3.4 Power Supply

The MER has to travel the surface of mars where there is no availability of
power source thus it used solar cell to charge the battery and derive the power from
the battery for the motors and other equipments. But since we are using the rover on
the earth surface and our main focus is the development of mechanism rather than the
power source so we will be using the cheapest possible alternative that is the 12 0 12
Step down Transformer and a Full wave Rectifier for converting the AC into DC to
supply the adequate power to all motors in connection.

3.3.5 Control
The Control of the rover will be manual with the help of a joysticks for driving
each side of the rover separately. It will be helpful while taking

a turn. All the

connections will be wired and no wireless means will be used because we need to
simulate the mechanism and not the actual rover and to make it cost effective in all
possible manners.

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CHAPTER 4
CALCULATIONS

Calculation 1
4.1 Diameter of Wheel
=

DN
60

Assumed speed be 10 cm/s i.e. 100mm/s

Therefore,
100 =

DN
60

DN=1909.86
D
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100

N
190.99
95.49
63.66
47.75
38.2
31.83
27.28
23.87
21.22
19.1

Table 2 Calculation of Diameter and RPM

So the selected D-N combination isD = 70 mm
N = 27.28 rpm

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4.2 Calculation of Wheel Base

Fig 6 Centre Stage Stairs

= tan1

= tan1
Therefore,

y
x

160
400

= 21.80

Now, width of the stairs is 400 mm. So the maximum length of the rover can be
400mm.
To deduce the wheel base,
Total length (radius of front wheel + radius of rear wheel)
=400-(35+35)
=330 mm

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4.3 Length of Links

Figure 7 Calculations at Centre Stage Stairs

Total Wheel base = 330 mm
Let us assume,

=45

In Triangle BNC,

angle BNC = 90
Angle NBC = Angle NCB = 45

Therefore,

NC = NB
NC2 + NB2 = BC2

(Pythagporas Theorem)

BC2 = 2(NC)2

(1)

=2(165)2
=54450
Therefore,

BC = 233.33mm

Rounding off to 230mm.

BC = 230mm
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Substituting to eqn (1) we get,

2302 = 2(NC) 2
NC = 162.63
Also,

AN = NC = 162.63

In triangle AMN,

angle AMN = 90
AM2 + MN2 = AN2

(Pythagoras Theorem)

2AM2 = AN2
2AM2 = 162.63 2
AM = 114.99
=115 mm
Now, due to symmetry,
AM = MN = 115 mm
BM = AB AM
=230 115
=115 mm
Therefore,

BM = 115

4.4 Height Calculation:

Height2 = BC2 NC2
(2302 162.632)1/2 = 162.639 mm
Net Height = 162.639 + 35

(net ht = ht + radius)

= 197.639 mm

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4.5 Track Width

=
1.3 =

2 197.639

Tw = 513.86

Calculation-2
4.6 Calculation of Wheel Base

Figure 8 Library Stairs

= tan1

= tan1
Therefore,

y
x

140
300

= 25.016

Now, width of the stairs is 300 mm. So the maximum length of the rover can be
300mm.

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To deduce the wheel base,

Total length (radius of front wheel + radius of rear wheel)
=300-(35+35)
=230 mm

4.7 Length of Links

Figure 9 Calculation at Library Stairs

Total Wheel base = 230 mm

Let us assume,

=45

In Triangle BNC,

angle BNC = 90
Angle NBC = Angle NCB = 45

Therefore,

NC = NB
NC2 + NB2 = BC2

(Pythagporas Theorem)
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BC2 = 2(NC)2

(1)

=2(115)2
=26450
Therefore,

BC = 162.63 mm

Rounding off to 162 mm.

BC = 162mm
Substituting to eqn (1) we get,
1622 = 2(NC) 2
NC = 114.55
Also,

AN = NC = 114.55

In triangle AMN,

angle AMN = 90
AM2 + MN2 = AN2

(Pythagoras Theorem)

2AM2 = AN2
2AM2 = 114.55 2
AM = 80.999
=81 mm
Now, due to symmetry,
AM = MN = 81 mm
BM = AB AM
=162 81
=81 mm
Therefore,

BM = 8

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4.8 Height Calculation:

Height2 = BC2 NC2
(1622 1152)1/2 = 114.101 mm
Net height = Height + Radius of wheel

= 114.101 + 35
= 149.101 mm

4.9 Track Width

=
1.3 =

2 149.101

Tw = 387.66 mm

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CHAPTER 5
FABRICATION
5.1 Power House
The Power House of the Mechanism is a collection of some electrical equipments
equipped to Supply DC Power to the rocker bogie. The power is supplied to the Step
Down Transformer of 12-0-12 V. The AC is Converted to DC by a Full Wave Rectifier.
And there is a provision of 2 way switch for supplying 12V Supply and 24V Supply
according to the requirements.
5.1.1 Transformer

A Step down transformer is one whose secondary voltage is less than its
primary voltage. It is designed to reduce the voltage from the primary winding to
the secondary winding. This kind of transformer steps down the voltage
applied to it. As a step-down unit, the transformer converts high-voltage, lowcurrent power into low-voltage, high-current power. The larger-gauge wire used
in the secondary winding is necessary due to the increase in current. The
primary winding, which doesnt have to conduct as much current, may be made
of smaller-gauge wire.

Fig 10. Step Down Transformer

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5.1.2 Full wave rectifier

A Full Wave Rectifier is a circuit, which converts an ac voltage into a pulsating
dc voltage using both half cycles of the applied ac voltage. It uses two diodes of which
one conducts during one half cycle while the other conducts during the other half cycle
of the applied ac voltage.

Fig 11. Full Wave Rectifier

Fig 12. 12-0-12 V Transformer & Rectifier

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5.2 Linkages
The Linkages used are made up of fibre. It provides flexibility as well as good stiffness.
The Linkages are connected in a way to form the rocker as well as the bogie. With
holes of appropriate sizes for the connection of motors as well as the wheels of
required specifications. And there is a provision for the connection of screws to connect
the rocker to the bogie. The term rocker comes from the rocking aspect of the larger
links on each side of the suspension system. The term bogie refers to the links that
have a drive wheel at each end.

Fig 13. Motors & Linkages Assembly

5.3 Controls
For controlling the motion of the Rocker Bogie Mechanism we have provided joysticks
which will control the forward and backward motion of each part of the rocker bogie i.e
the left and the right part individually.

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5.3.1 Joysticks
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its
angle or direction to the device it is controlling. There are two joysticks for each portion
the left portion as well as the right portion of the mechanism. The connections are done
by soldering.
5.3.2 PCB
A printed circuit board (PCB) mechanically supports and electrically connects
electronic components using conductive tracks, pads and other features etched from
copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. The structure of circuit is
laid on the PCB.

Fig 14. Joystick

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Fig 15. Rocker Bogie Mechanism

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CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSIONS
6.1 Conclusion
This project will try reaching nearly all of our design requirements, and in many
respects exceeding original design goals. Furthermore all components, mechanical
and electrical, will be thoroughly tested as a completed system in real-world field
testing conditions to validate their success. Overall, preliminary estimates for the
general scope, budget, and timeline, for the project will be closely followed; with the
exception if the project goes moderately over budget.

6.2 Budget and Table of Requirements

S. No

Item

Qty

Material

Budget

Link

Acrylic

50

200

Shaft

SS

50

50

Bearing

SS

20

40

Wheel

Plastic

40

240

Motor

Alloy

150

900

Total

Net

1430

Table 3 Hardware to be Purchased

Electrical
purchase
S. No

Item

Qty

Budget

Transformer

150

150

Rectifier

30

30

Joystick

30

60

PCB

25

50

Wires and Cables

150

150

Total

Net

440

Table 4 Electrical Equipments to be Purchased

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With the total of Electrical and Hardware Purchases the rover will cost around Rs. 1770
or a little more.
The Electrical equipments are purchased from the Lajpat Rai Market Near Red
Fort New Delhi and the Material for the links is purchased from Sonepat rest bearings
and other nut bolts type material are from Junk Yard at Murthal and hardware stores.

6.3 Future Scope

As modular research platform the rover developed by this project is designed
specifically to facilitate future work. With the development in technology the rover can
be used for reconnaissance purposes with the cameras installed on the rover and
minimising the size of rover. With some developments like attaching arms to the rover
it can be made useful for the Bomb Diffusing Squad such that it can be able to cut the
wires for diffusing the bomb. By the development of a bigger model it can be used for
transporting man and material through a rough terrain or obstacle containg regions like
stairs.We could develop it into a wheel chair too. It can be send in valleys, jungles or
such places where humans may face some danger. It can also be developed into low
cost exploration rover that could be send for collecting information about the
environment of some celestial bodies.

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REFERENCES

mars.nasa.gov/mer/home

robots.mit.edu/publications/papers/1998_07_Hac_Dub_Bid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP7p5Bd2d50

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitudinal_static_stability

www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/regrev/evaluate/809868/pages/IntroBack

www.esmats.eu/amspapers/pastpapers/pdfs/2004/harrington

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