DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF ATV USING ROCKER BOGIE MECHANISM

Chapter – 1

INTRODUCTION
Robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine which is guided by computer or
electronic programming, and is thus able to do tasks on its own. There is an increasing
need for mobile robots which are able to operate in unstructured environments with
highly uneven terrain. these robots used for task which human cannot do and which are
not safe. In order to achieve the tasks, any mobile robot needs to have a suitable mobile
system according to each situation.

Robotic rovers and other remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are an application of
Tele robotics. Tele robotics is the area of robotics concerned with the control of
semiautonomous robots from a distance, chiefly using Wireless network (like Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, the Deep Space Network, and similar) or tethered connections. It is a
combination of two major subfields, tele-operation and telepresence. Rovers were used
and are extensively being used for planetary exploration and military operations. They
create an opportunity to make scientific experiments at places where it is impossible for
humans to explore.

In exploration robots (rovers) the ability of locomotion is very important factor to

travel on a remote surface, because there may be unexpected terrain and may be rocky or
sandy. The problem is of unexpected weather, which may be storms and high temperature
variation whole the day 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, it’s the rocker-bogie suspension system that was first used
for the Mars Rover Sojourner and its currently NASA’s favoured 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

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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.

1.1 Types of Exploration Rovers Based on Shape

These can be broadly classified into:

• Mechanisms which utilize leg motion; (legged robot Fig. l.2)

Fig.1.2 Dante-II

• Mechanisms which utilize rotation and leg motion; (wheeled leg robot Fig. 1.3)

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Fig.1.3 Athlete

• Mechanisms which utilize articulated body motion. (snake type creeping propulsion
motion Fig. 1.4)

Fig.1.4 ACM-III
Many planetary exploration rovers have been developed since 1960s. According to the
features of the mobile mechanism of robots, planetary exploration rovers have some
types: wheeled, legged and tracked, etc. Wheeled mobile mechanisms have some

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excellent features, such as high speed on a relatively flat terrain and easily control, so
many researchers trended to design their exploration rovers with wheeled structure.
Currently, wheeled structure planetary rovers have 4-wheeled, 6-wheeled and 8-wheeled,
etc. Among them, the 6-wheel mobile system with rocker bogie mechanism has superior
adaptability and obstacle climbing capability, which had been applied in Rocky series and
Sojourner Mars Rover.

1.1.1 Critical Factors for Exploration Rover

Mobility — For the remote planetary exploration the ability to travel is the most
important for the rover as these surfaces are natural and rough, and thus challenging to
traverse. Sensing and perception, traction mechanics, and vehicle dynamics, control, and
navigation are all mobile robotics technologies that must be demonstrated in a natural
untouched environment.

Teleoperation and autonomy — In deep space there is a significant time delay between a
robotic system at a work site and a human operator in an operation room on the Earth.
Telerobotic technology is therefore an indispensable ingredient in space robotics, and the
introduction of autonomy is a reasonable consequence.

Environment— Issues such as extremely high or low temperatures, high vacuum or high
pressure, corrosive atmospheres, ionizing radiation, and very fine dust. That environment
affects natural and rough terrain that affects surface mobility, there are a number of issues
related to extreme space environments that are challenging and must be solved in order to
enable practical engineering applications.

1.1.2 Main Requirements for Exploration Rover

SUSPENSION SYSTEM: This is main consideration while designing an exploration

rover as it has to be traversed on the rough terrain. The suspension system should be such
that it can cope up with every situation as there may be various craters, boulders, ditch
etc. So, it should be stable while encounter with an obstacle and should - not stuck or turn.
The suspension system should be capable to traverse on rocky and soft terrain.
DRIVE SYSTEM: The motors for driving the wheels should be of sufficient capacity
and reliable so that can withstand in space environment. There should be gear mechanism
for speed control of different wheels. Each wheel requires brake and disengagement

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mechanism and proper steering mechanism should also be considered while designing the
exploration rover.

POWER SYSTEM: The rover requires the power to operate its different subsystems so
there should be sufficient arrangement for power in the rover.

COMMUNICATION: There is requirement of communication between the rover and

the operator so that the control commands can be received and the exploration data can be
sent in least time delay.

NAVIGATION AND CONTROL: There must be an excellent software and hardware

architecture and cameras on the rover for the navigation of rover and control of different
subsystems of the rover as the control commands received from the earth

SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS: The rover is required to carry various scientific

instruments with it for doing some onsite tests.

1.1.3 ROVERS IN EXPLORATION

Ultra-fast or flash pyrolysis is an extremely rapid thermal decomposition pyrolysis, with a

high heating rate. The main products are gases and bio-oil. Heating rates can vary from
100-10,000° C/s and residence times are short in duration. In this project, pyrolysis refers
The Lunokhod 1 rover shown in figure1.2a landed on the Moon in November 1970. It
was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on any celestial body. The rover
drove 197 m, and during 10 communication sessions returned 14 closes up pictures of the
Moon and 12 panoramic views. Lunokhod 1 held the durability record for space rovers
for more than 30 years, until a new record was set by the Mars Exploration Rovers.

NASA included Lunar Roving Vehicles in three Apollo missions: Apollo 15

(which landed on the Moon July 30, 1971), Apollo 16 (which landed April 21, 1972) and
Apollo 17 (which landed December 11, 1972). The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) or lunar
rover was a battery-powered four-wheeled rover used on the Moon in the last three
missions of the American Apollo program (15, 16, and 17) during 1971 and 1972. It was
popularly known as the moon buggy, a play on the phrase "dune buggy". The LRV was
transported to the Moon on the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) and, once unpacked on the
surface, could carry one or two astronauts, their equipment, and lunar samples.

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Fig.1.5 Lunokhod Rover

The Lunokhod 2 was the second of two unmanned lunar rovers landed on the Moon by
the Soviet Union as part of the Lunokhod program in 1973. It was the second roving
remotecontrolled robot to land on any celestial body. Lunokhod 2 operated for about 4
months, covered 39 km (24 mi) of terrain, including hilly upland areas and rilles, and sent
back 86 panoramic images and over 80,000 TV pictures. Based on wheel rotations
Lunokhod 2 was thought to have covered 39 km.

The Mars Pathfinder mission included Sojourner shown in figure1.2, the first
rover to successfully reach another planet. NASA, the space agency of the United States,
launched Mars Pathfinder on 1996-12-04; it landed on Mars in a region called Chryse
Planitia on 1997-07-04. From its landing until the final data transmission on 1997-09-27,
Mars Pathfinder returned 16,500 images from the lander and 550 images from Sojourner,
as well as data from more than 15 chemical analyses of rocks and soil and extensive data
on winds and other weather factors.

Spirit shown in figure1.2 is a robotic rover on Mars, active from 2004 to 2010. It
was one of two rovers of NASA's ongoing Mars Exploration Rover Mission. It landed
successfully on Mars at 04:35 Ground UTC on January 4, 2004, three weeks before its
twin, Opportunity (MER-B), landed on the other side of the planet. Its name was chosen
through a NASA-sponsored student essay competition. The rover became stuck in late
2009, and its last communication with Earth was sent on March 22, 2010. Opportunity is
a robotic rover on the planet Mars, active since 2004. It is the remaining rover in NASA's
ongoing Mars Exploration Rover Mission.

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Launched from Earth on July 7, 2003, it landed on the Martian Meridiani Planum on
January 25, 2004 at 05:05 Ground UTC (about 13:15 local time), three weeks after its
twin Spirit (MER-A) touched down on the other side of the planet. On July 28, 2014,
NASA announced that Opportunity, after having travelled over 40 km (25 mi) on the
planet Mars, has set a new "off-world" record as the rover having driven the greatest
distance, surpassing the previous record held by the Soviet Union's Lunokhod 2 rover that
had travelled 39 km (24 mi) On 26 November 2011, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory
mission was successfully launched for Mars.

The mission successfully landed the rover Curiosity shown in figure1.4 on the
surface of Mars in August 2012, whereupon the rover is currently helping to determine
whether Mars could ever have supported life, and search for evidence of past or present
life on Mars. The rover's goals include: investigation of the Martian climate and geology;
assessment of whether the selected field site inside Gale Crater has ever offered
environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, including investigation of the role
of water; and planetary habitability studies in preparation for future human exploration.
Curiosity is quoted to be the most sophisticated rover ever built by NASA Administrator
Charles Bolden. It is also the inspiration behind this project.

Rather than sending a manned rover, it is much safer to send unmanned rover that
can survive critical conditions of the unknown surface. In the 1970s, two rovers each were
sent on the moon and on Mars by the Russians. As a breakthrough, two rovers, Lunokhod
1 and Lunokhod 2 could cover large distances away from the lander and stay for longer
durations than any other manned mission could at that time. In the year 1997, a robotic
vehicle called Sojourner was sent to explore Mars.

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Fig.1.8 Curiosity Rover

In 2004, the Mars Exploration Rover mission sent two other robotic vehicles, one named
“Spirit” and the other “Opportunity” on the two polar sides of Mars. The mobile robotic
vehicles have the potential to handle many scientific experiments in their landing areas.
Sojourner inspected the area of a radius of approx. 10m around its lander, which is larger
than the reach of the arm of length 3m.

The MER robotic vehicles inspected more than a distance of 5 km from their
landing sites, which is same as the distance the lunar rover was driven from the lander
during the Apollo program. These rover missions have confirmed that distant science can
be practiced on the surface of another planet with higher achievements. Rather than being
restricted to the local space around the lander, they allow access to the required area of the
surface.

The phrase “rocker” is derived from the rocking manner of the large links on all
the sides of the suspension system. The rockers are linked to one another and the chassis
around a differential. The chassis maintains the median pitch angle of the rocker. One end
of the rocker is linked with the drive wheel and another is hinged to the bogie.

1.2 The Rocker Bogie Mechanism

One of the major shortcomings of current planetary 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. NASA’s currently
favored design, the rocker-bogie, uses a two wheeled rocker arm on a passive pivot
Design a robotic vehicle capable of performing tasks for a sample return mission within
the parameters and requirements of the University Rover Challenge. Attached to a main
bogie that is connected differentially to the main bogie on the other side.

The rocker-bogie suspension mechanism which is currently NASA’s approved

design for wheeled mobile robots, mainly because it has sturdy or resilient capabilities to
deal with obstacles and because it uniformly distributes the payload over its 6 wheels at

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all times. It also can be used for other purposes to operate in rough roads and to climb the
steps. It is having lots of advantages but one of the major disadvantages is the rotation of
the mechanism when and where is required. The rotation can be possible by providing
individual motors to individual wheels which causes arise in cost and complicacy in
design. Here an attempt is made to modify the existing design by incorporating a gear
type steering mechanism which will be operated by a single motor which simplifies the
design as well as the total cost and operating cost of the mechanism.

The rocker bogie mechanism is one of the most popular linkage mechanisms,
which was initially designed for space travel vehicles having its own deep history
embedded in its development. By construction it is a wheel robot which comprises of 6
actuated wheels. The term “rocker” describes the rocking aspect of the larger links present
each side of the suspension system and these rockers are connected to each other and the
vehicle chassis through a selectively modified differential in order to balance the bogie.

By construction it has main frame containing two linkages on each side that are
called the “rocker”. One end of the rocker is connected to the rear wheel, and the other
end is connected to a small bogie link to maintain centre of gravity of entire vehicle as
accordance with the motion, when one rocker moves down-word, the other goes upward.
The chassis plays vital role to maintain the average pitch angle of both rockers by
allowing both rockers to move as per the situation.
As per the acute design, one end of a rocker is fitted with a drive wheel and the
other end is pivoted to a bogie which provides required motion and degree of freedom. In
the system, “bogie” refers to the conjoining links that have a drive wheel attached at each
end.

Each of the front wheels is connected to the gears at their horizontal shaft. The
body contains one motor at the lower side. The motor shaft is connected to the master
gear. The gears are connected to the wheel gears with the help of idler. The motor can be
controlled by the help of micro controller or directly. Here it is connected to a cable and
the cable is connected to a control panel. Whenever it is required to have the turn of the
mechanism then the controller in the control panel will be operated which in turn will
rotate the motor. The master gear connected to the motor will also rotate with the motor.
As the idlers are connected to the motor they will rotate in the opposite direction to the
rotation of motor. The wheel gears connected the idler will also rotate along with this
which will enable to rotate the wheels in the required direction. Here the idlers are
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incorporated to avoid the confusion of operation. This enables the operator to get sure that
if the controller is rotated clock wise the mechanism will also rotate clock wise and vice
versa.

Fig.1.9 Line diagram of Rocker bogie suspension system

Bogies were commonly used to bare loading as tracks of army tanks as idlers distributing
the load over the terrain. Bogies were also quite commonly used on the trailers of
semitrailer trucks as that very time the trucks will have to carry much heavier load.

The Rocker- Bogie system is the suspension arrangement used in the Mars rovers for both
the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration missions. It is currently NASA's favoured
design. A 6-wheeled rover with rocker bogie structure.is studied in this work. This has six
independently driven wheels mounted on an articulated passive suspension system. The
four corner wheels are steerable. With this design, while traversing rugged terrain, each
wheel trends to contact with the ground. The principle of the 6-wheel mobile mechanism
of planetary rover with rocker-bogie structure.

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Fig.1.10 Rocker bogie suspension

Six wheels independently driven by the motors are mounted on an articulated frame. The
frame has two rocker arms connected to the rover body. Each rocker has a rear wheel
connected to one end and a bogie connected to the other end. The bogie is connected to
the rocker with a free pivoting joint and at each end of the bogie there is a drive wheel,
the rockers are connected to the rover body with the differential joint.

1.2.1 Advantages
• The design incorporates independent motors for each wheel. There are no springs
or axles, making the design simpler and more reliable.
• Rocker Bogie Suspension can withstand a tilt of at least 50 0 in any direction
without overturning, which is the biggest advantage of heavy loaded vehicle.
• It can move in harsh environment
• It can work in place which are beyond human reach
• Rocker Bogie consisting of no spring and stub axle in each wheel which allows
the chassis to climb over any obstacle such as rocks, ditches, sands etc. that are up
to double the wheels’ diameter in size while keeping all the wheels on ground for
maximum time.

1.3 Proposed Work

In the work the aim is to manufacture the rocker bogie mechanism which can overcome
the obstacles of 150 mm height (like stones, wooden blocks) and can climb over stairs of
height 150 mm. Also, another target is to climb any surface at an angle of 45˚. To achieve
the above targets, we had designed the rocker-bogie model by assuming stair height 150

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mm and length 370 mm. Using Pythagoras theorems, find the dimensions of the model. It
has both angles of linkages are 90˚.

1.4 Methodology

Fig.1.11 Methodology

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Chapter – 2

LITERATURE SURVEY

2.1 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
colorization

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
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
MERs relate to mobility hardware, which allowed them to traverse the Martian terrain
with relative ease. In continuation of past mars rover design, the rocker-bogie suspension

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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 centimetres in diameter and have a unique aluminium 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.

Curiosity an advantage in terms of its path lining 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 tackler 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 60-75 cm higher, which is greater than
its wheel diameter of 50 cm. it can also safety, curiosity also has created 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.

In reviewing NASA’s 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 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 Camogie Mellon University and
others, to develop a rover and lander for their first surface lunar exploration mission,
which it 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.

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In the course of this project we have collected several research papers from national and
international journals from which we have reviewed the following 9 journals which are as
follows:

Nitin yadav et.al. [1] have analyzed a design on Rocker bogie suspension system and the
possibility to implement it in front load vehicles. It is to find suitability to implement it in
conventional loading vehicles to enhance their efficiency and also to cut down the
maintenance related expenses of conventional suspension systems.

Franziska Ullrich et.al. [2] shows the effectiveness of the optimization of a rocker bogie
suspension system using a Genetic Algorithm. It also reveals that the resulting system
meets all constraints and that significantly reduces the error of individual performance
metrics and the overall system.

D.S Chinchkar et.al. [3] This work shows how rocker bogie system works on different
surfaces. As per the different weight acting on link determines torque applied on it. By
assuming accurate stair dimensions, accurately dimensioned rocker bogie can climb the
stair with great stability. The design and manufactured model can climb the angle up to
45˚. Also, they tested for the Web cam with AV recording mounted on rocker bogie
system and found satisfactorily performance obtains during this test camera has rotated
around 360˚. During stair climbing test for length less than 375 mm (15 inch) system
cannot climb the stair. It can be possible to develop new models of rocker bogie which
can climb the stairs having low lengths.

M. Rethish et.al. [4] This work describes constructing a six wheeled rocker bogie rover
by fully using a light weight material, acrylic glass. Due to this light weight acrylic glass,
the mobility, speed of the rover is improved. This rover is controlled by RC kit, so that it
has various uses including surveillance. This rover can also further develop for future
needs. The developed rover achieved climbing capacity for the slope of 30 degrees. It can
make a 360-degree rotation.

B. Babu et.al. [5] The proposed paper introduces a novel design in pursue of increasing
the rocker-bogie mobility system in conventional heavy loading vehicle behaviour when
high-speed traversal is required and to increase the battery efficiency and operating time
of the rover, which was made possible using the independent directional control system
which utilizes minimum drive modules dependent upon the operating condition and
situation. Under reasonable assumptions, it is possible to determine the rover attitude and
configuration, given its position and ground characteristics, and whether the rover will

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slide, tip over or maintain its balance using sensors and instruments. The near zero tilt
system using the rovers power supply attached to the main body of the rover to as a
counter weight and self-balance itself reduces the percentage and chances of tilt or
overturning. The mechanics of the rover has been developed, and the over-actuation of
the system leads to the ability to affect the normal forces by applying specific wheel
torques. This property has been verified experimentally and can be used for the design of
an active traction control. A graphical interface can be designed and implemented onto
the current geosurvey rover design to enhance understanding of the system and to view all
data regarding its operation which will be helpful in further advancing the system. This
work shows how rocker bogie system works on different surfaces. As per the different
weight acting on link determines torque applied on it. By assuming accurate stair
dimensions, accurately dimensioned rocker bogie can climb the stair with great stability.
The design and manufactured model can climb the angle up to 45˚. Also, we tested for the
Web cam with AV recording mounted on rocker bogie system and found satisfactory
performance of its capabilities for providing image and video data.

Gregory McDermott et.al. [6] A methodology is presented for developing kinematic

models of articulated rovers. The kinematic model allows full 6-DOF motion and is
applicable to any high mobility wheeled rover traversing uneven terrain. Three types of
kinematics are identified in the paper including navigation, slip, and actuation. In
particular, slip kinematics can be used to detect various wheels slips to reduce undesirable
motions. Actuation kinematics makes it possible to determine individual wheel speed and
steering commands to achieve coordinated motion, which is important for rough terrain
traversals. The kinematics modelling and analysis has been applied to a prototype Mars
rover, and the simulations show consistent and expected results.

M. Tarokh et.al. [7] An approach to kinematic modelling of a high mobility robot is

described in this paper. Unlike the available methods that are only applicable to mobile
robots operating on a flat smooth surface, the proposed approach can be used for
kinematic modelling of rovers operating in rough terrain. A feature of the paper is its
treatment of the relatively common cases where rotation axis of slip and steering coincide,
making the Jacobian matrix approach inapplicable for determining the steering command.
Although the derivations are applied to Rocky 7 Mars rover, the approach is quite general
and can be easily modified for modelling of rovers with different geometric and kinematic
configurations.

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Mongkol Thianwiboon et.al. [8] In this paper, wheel-ground contact angle estimation
has been presented and integrated into a kinematic model. Unlike available methods
applicable to robots operating on flat and smooth terrain, the proposed method uses the
DenavitHartenburg notation like a serial link robot, due to the rocker-bogie suspension
characteristics. The steering angle is estimated with a geometric approach. A traction
controller is proposed based on estimation of the slip ratio. The slip ratio is estimated
from wheel rolling velocities and the robot velocity. The traction control strategy is to
minimize this slip ratio. So, the robot can traverse over obstacles without being stuck. The
traction control strategy is verified in the simulation with two conditions: climbing up the
slope and moving over a ditch. Then the control system is implemented in a robot test bed
"Lonotech 10" and tested in the real-world outdoor condition, to verify the simulation
results.

M. D. Manik et.al. [9] An analysis method to make the rocker bogie mechanism can
climb up a stair was achieved in the work. The east coast of Malaysia faced a massive
flood from heavy downpour, leading to huge flood damage and caused irreparable loss to
life and property. The flood carries the debris, soil and trees along their path, damaging
the road and building structure, leaving the road become uneven. This situation gives
difficulty to task force bearing aids during the post disaster management. The research
paper proposed an intelligent inclined motion control of an amphibious vehicle while
moving on uneven terrain surface

2.1 Objective of the Project work

After continuous study and research on all the mentioned research papers as well as other
trustable sources, it was decided to employ both the principles of Pyrolysis as well as
TEG in order to obtain electricity and oil from waste plastic. Pyrolysis is being used to
produce gasoline range gases and pyrolysis oil. TEG modules are being used to produce
electricity from exhaust heat from gas emissions and flue gases. This project utilizes
pyrolysis process to produce hot gases whose heat is used to heat water. The temperature
difference between hot and cold water is converted into electric energy by employing
TEG. This project sets itself apart because of its uniqueness in utilizing two different
concepts and combining them into a single process, which results in a final equation of
conversion of plastic waste into electricity. Also, total utilization of the process is done by
obtaining oil as a by-product of the process.

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Chapter – 3
DESIGN AND FABRICATION

3.1 Design of Rocker Bogie Rover

The important factor in manufacturing of rocker bogie mechanism is to determine the
dimensions of rocker and bogie linkages and angles between them. The lengths and
angles of this mechanism can be changed as per requirement. In the work the aim is to
manufacture the rocker bogie mechanism which can overcome the obstacles of 150 mm
height (like stones, wooden blocks) and can climb over stairs of height 150 mm. Also,
another target is to climb any surface at an angle of 45˚. To achieve the above targets, we
had designed the rocker-bogie model by assuming stair height 150 mm and length 370
mm. Using Pythagoras theorems, find the dimensions of the model. It has both angles of
linkages are 90˚.

3.1.1 Design calculation

The objective of the research work is stair climbing. To achieve proper stair climbing the
dimensions of linkages should be proper. Assume the stair height and length 150 mm and
370 mm respectively. To climb stairs with higher stability, it is required that only one pair
of wheels should be in rising position at a time. Hence to find dimension of bogie
linkages, first pair of wheels should be placed at horizontal position means at the end of
the rising as shown in Fig. And second pair should be placed just before the start of rising.
There should be some distance between vertical edge of stair and second pair of wheels to
striking of wheels.

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Fig.3.1 2D Diagram of calculation

Now, need to obtain the distance between first and second wheel through CAD software
(270 mm). Considering the right-angled triangle ABC,

Using Pythagoras in ΔABC assume lengths AB and BC is x,

AC² = AB² + BC²

270² = x² + x² 270² = 2x² x = 135 + 65

(Add data from testing) mm

Hence, AB = BC =200 mm

Fig.3.2 2D Diagram of rocker bogie suspension

Similarly, to find dimensions for rocker linkages first two-wheel pairs should be placed at
horizontal position. Third wheel pair should nearly complete its rising before starting of
rising of first pair of wheels. By placing wheel in such manner, we obtained dimension of
link BE (420mm).

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Now consider ΔBDE

420² = BD² + DE²

420² = 2y² y =

210 + 30 mm

Hence, BD = DE = 240 (Add data from testing)

Fig.3.3: 2D Diagram of rocker Bogie Suspension

3.2 Rocker – Bogie Build and Fabrication

3.2.1 3D Cad Model

The rocker-bogie design has no springs or stub axles for each wheel, allowing the rover to
climb over obstacles, such as rocks, that are up to twice the wheel's diameter in size while
keeping all six wheels on the ground. As with any suspension system, the tilt stability is
limited by the height of the center of gravity. Systems using springs tend to tip more
easily as the loaded side yields. Based on the center of mass, the Curiosity rover of the
Mars Science Laboratory mission can withstand a tilt of at least 45 degrees in any
direction without overturning, but automatic sensors limit the rover from exceeding 30-
degree tilts. The system is designed to be used at slow speed of around 10 centimetres per
second (3.9 in/s) so as to minimize dynamic shocks and consequential damage to the
vehicle when surmounting sizable obstacles.

JPL states that this rocker bogie system reduces the motion of the main MER
vehicle body by half compared to other suspension systems. Each of the rover's six wheels
has an independent motor. The two front and two rear wheels have individual steering
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motors which allow the vehicle to turn in place. Each wheel also has cleats, providing grip
for climbing in soft sand and scrambling over rocks. The maximum speed of the robots
operated in this way is limited to eliminate as many dynamic effects as possible so that
the motors can be geared down, thus enabling each wheel to individually lift a large
portion of the entire vehicle's mass.
In order to go over a vertical obstacle face, the front wheels are forced against the obstacle
by the center and rear wheels. The rotation of the front wheel then lifts the front of the
vehicle up and over the obstacle. The middle wheel is then pressed against the obstacle by
the rear wheels 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
wheel's traversal of the obstacle, forward progress of the vehicle is slowed or completely
halted. This is not an issue for the operational speeds at which these vehicles have been
operated to date. One of the future applications of rovers will be to assist astronauts
during surface operations. To be a useful assistant, the rover will need to be able to move
much faster than human walking speed or at least equivalent. Other missions which have
been proposed, such as t, require even greater speeds (4–10 km/h).

The term “bogie” refers to the links that have a drive wheel at each end. Bogies were
commonly used as load wheels in the tracks of army tanks as idlers distributing the load
over the terrain. Bogies were also quite commonly used on the trailers of semi-trailer
trucks. Both applications now prefer trailing arm suspensions. The rocker-bogie system is
the suspension arrangement used in the Mars rovers (mechanical robot) introduced for the
Mars
Pathfinder and also used on the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) and Mars Science
Laboratory (MSL) missions. It is currently NASA's favoured design. The term “rocker”
comes from the rocking aspect of the larger links [clarification needed] on each side of
the suspension system. These rockers are connected to each other and the vehicle chassis
through a differential. Relative to the chassis, when one rocker goes up, the other goes
down. The chassis maintains the average pitch angle of both rockers. One end of a rocker
is fitted with a drive wheel and the other end is pivoted to a bogie.

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Fig.3.4 3D Model

Fig.3.5 Rocker-Bogie Check point

3.2.2 Material Selection

Selection of material is an important step in designing of any component. The main
advantages of material selection are:

• It increases the reliability of product.

• It reduces the cost of product.
• It can also optimize the weight of product.

Keeping the above points in mind we finally selected aluminium for fabrication as it was
one of the best materials having very high strength to weight ratio.

Table 3.1 Material Properties of Aluminium 6063

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Performance and strength are the major parameters which reflect the reliability of a
vehicle. When constructing the body frame, low-cost material has to be selected which
will have a very high strength therefore improving rover performance. Considering many
parameters like yield strength, material availability, density, strength, various options
were considered. Then we searched for either graded aluminum or composite materials.
Composite materials like Carbon Fiber are mainly used in the NASA designs of MARS
rovers.
Based on the factors in the table 1 we choose our material of construction as Aluminium-
6063.

Aluminum 6063, it comprises of Magnesium and Silicon. It was chosen for the good
physical properties and great welding ability. Being one of the common alloys of
Aluminum, it is easily available and cheap. Pre-tempered grades such as 6063-O
(annealed) and tempered grades such as 6063-T6 (solutionized and artificially aged) and
6063-T651 (solutionized, stress-relieved stretched and artificially aged) are the
commonly available types.

Table 3.2 Dimension of Aluminium 6063

3.2.3 Nut and Bolt

Nut and Bolt is a type of fastener with a threaded hole. Nut is almost used in together
with the bolt to fasten mechanical parts together. The two partners are fixed together by a
friction between both, a slight stretching of the bolt, and compression. This use for
flexibility connecting with rocker and bogie link

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Fig.3.6 Nut and Bolt

Table 3.3 Tools and Parts necessary

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3.3 Design and Selection Wheel

Design & Selection of the Wheel is at velocity up to 0.5 m/s. So, assume speed is 60 - 100
rpm motor. Using the velocity relation, the required velocity is calculated for some
assumed value. Using this value, the diameter of wheel is 95.35 mm. Hence, we use 100
mm diameter size (standard wheel). Selection of rubber bonded to the wheel will result in
light weight, durable, provides excellent traction. The plastic wheels will provide a low-
cost solution which is durable for off-road conditions yet still light enough. For the rover
we use six wheels of

Wheel Diameter: 100 mm

Wheel Width: 40 mm
Shaft Diameter: 6mm

Fig.3.8 3D Wheel Diagram

3.4 How a Gear Motor Works

A gear motor is a specific type of electrical motor that is designed to produce high torque
while maintaining a low horsepower, or low speed, motor output. Gear motors can be
found in many different applications, and are probably used in many devices in your
home.

Gear motors are commonly used in devices such as can openers, garage door openers,
washing machine time control knobs and even electric alarm clocks. Common

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commercial applications of a gear motor include hospital beds, commercial jacks, cranes
and many other applications that are too many to list.

3.4.1 Basic Principles of Operation

A gear motor can be either an AC (alternating current) or a DC (direct current) electric
motor. Most gear motors have an output of between about 1,200 to 3,600 revolutions per
minute (RPMs). These types of motors also have two different speed specifications:
normal speed and the stall-speed torque specifications.

Gear motors are primarily used to reduce speed in a series of gears, which in turn
creates more torque. This is accomplished by an integrated series of gears or a gear box
being attached to the main motor rotor and shaft via a second reduction shaft. The second
shaft is then connected to the series of gears or gearbox to create what is known as a
series of reduction gears. Generally speaking, the longer the train of reduction gears, the
lower the output of the end, or final, gear will be.

An excellent example of this principle would be an electric time clock (the type
that uses hour, minute and second hands). The synchronous AC motor that is used to
power the time clock will usually spin the rotor at around 1500 revolutions per minute.
However, a series of reduction gears is used to slow the movement of the hands on the
clock.

For example, while the rotor spins at about 1500 revolutions per minute, the
reduction gears allow the final second-hand gear to spin at only one revolution per
minute. This is what allows the second-hand to make one complete revolution per minute
on the face of the clock.

3.4.2 Gear Motors and Increased Force

Gear motors are commonly used in commercial applications where a piece of equipment
needs to be able to exert a high amount of force in order to move a very heavy object.
Examples of these types of equipment would include a crane or lift Jack.

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If you've ever seen a crane in action, you've seen a great example of how a gear
motor works. As you have probably noticed, a crane can be used to lift and move very
heavy objects. The electric motor used in most cranes is a type of gear motor that uses the
basic principles of speed reduction to increase torque or force.

Gear motors used in cranes are usually specialty types that use a very low rotational
output speed to create incredible amounts of torque. However, the principles of the gear
motor used in a crane are exactly the same as those used in the example electric time
clock. The output speed of the rotor is reduced through a series of large gears until the
rotating, RPM speed, of the final gear is very low. The low RPM speed helps to create a
high amount of force which can be used to lift and move the heavy objects.

3.5 Selection of Acceleration

For a typical robot on flat terrain, it’s needed to take acceleration about half of maximum
velocity. Maximum velocity of robot is 0.5 m/s. Hence the acceleration of robot will be
0.5/2 means 0.25 m/s2. This means it would take 2 seconds to reach maximum speed. If
robot is going up inclines or through rough terrain, you will need a higher acceleration
due to countering gravity. We needed to climb the angle up to 45˚. Hence,

𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬: = (9.81 ∗ sin angle of inclination ∗ π) /180 = 0.121 m/s2

Total Acceleration = 0.25+0.121 = 0.371 m/s2.

3.6 Mechanical Integration

The rocker bogie suspension system, which was specifically designed for space
exploration vehicles have deep history embedded in its development. The term “rocker”
describes the rocking aspect of the larger links present each side of the suspension system
and balance the bogie as these rockers are connected to each other and the vehicle chassis
through a selectively modified differential. Fig: encounter area of rocker bogie suspension
system.
As accordance with the motion to maintain centre of gravity of entire vehicle, when one
rocker moves up-word, the other goes down. The chassis plays vital role to maintain the
average pitch angle of both rockers by allowing both rockers to move as per the situation.
As per the acute design, one end of a rocker is fitted with a drive wheel and the other end

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is pivoted to a bogie which provides required motion and degree of freedom. Design
analysis of Rocker Bogie Suspension System and Access the possibility.

Fig.3.10: 3D model of Integration of parts

Fig.3.11 Fabricated model

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3.7 Equpiments Used

1. Bench vice
2. Cutting tool
2.1 Single point cutting tool
2.2 Twist drill
3. Hand tools
3.1 Rough file
3.2 Smooth file
3.3 Centre punch
3.4 Hammer
3.5 Hand hack saw
4. Measuring instrument
4.1 Steel ruler

3.8 Machines Used For Machining

1. Lathe machine
2. Drilling machine
3. Grinding machine

3.9 Electrical

Fig.3.12 Electrical Connection Block diagram

Electronic Components:
Arduino Uno
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AT mega 328
DC motors
L298N Motor Drivers

First, it is important to examine the components we will use in the rover and understand
how both data and power travel through the system. Figure 1 shows how each of the
electrical components and boards receives power, and Figure 2 shows how data are sent
from each of the electrical systems and what communication protocol it uses.

Fig.3.14 Motor Connection Diagram

One important thing to note from the above is that there are multiple different voltages in
the system. There is the unregulated voltage coming from the battery, 5V regulated
coming from the voltage regulator, and the 12V motor voltage which is sent from the
motor controllers to the motors.

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Fig.3.15 Aurdino board circuit diagram

3.10 Components Used

Table 3.4 Components used

The following are brief descriptions and basic notes about some of the components we
use in this project.

3.10.1 Battery

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The battery is used to power all the electrical components and the motors in our rover.
The biggest driving factor for battery selection was safety of the battery chemistry while
still being able to drive the current and voltage necessary for operation of all the
electronics (we’ll go into these requirements more later). The recommended battery was
chosen because of its Poly Switch and PCB protection. These limit the amount of current
that can be pulled from the battery, as well as give protection against things like electrical
shorts and overcharging/fully discharging the battery.

Fig.3.16 Battery

3.10.2 Voltage Regulator

As our battery outputs unregulated voltage based on its charge level, voltage regulators
are added to give steady DC power to the electronic components. There is a 5V regulator
that runs the raspberry pi and the LED matrix, and a 12V regulator that supplies power to
the motors which run on 12 volts.

3.10.3 Arduino Uno

We selected the AURDINO UNO as the “brain” of the rover. We chose the UNO because
it allows users at many levels of programming knowledge to gain familiarity in basic
programming concepts without a complicated learning curve. It is also widely used in the
maker community, so modifications and additions on the base rover should be easy. The

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UNO also comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules built into the board and we therefore
don’t need additional dongles to communicate over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. This retains all 4
USB ports for add-ons and modifications to the project.

Fig.3.17 Arduino Uno

3.10.4 MOTORS
Motors cause the actual movement of the robot. There are many types of motors; in this
project, we will be used 100-RPM brushed DC motors. Brush motors are generally
inexpensive and reliable. They also offer simple two-wire control and require fairly
simple control or no control at all in fixed-speed designs. They have offer simple two-
wire control and easy to handle the connections of motor to driver.

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Fig.3.18 Motors (100 rpm)

3.10.5 Dc Motor Driver

DC motor drives are defined as power modules that interface between a controller and a
DC motor. They convert step and moving conditions input from the controller to currents
and voltages corresponding with the motor. We have selected a H-Bridge L-2980 as our
motor driver.

Fig.3.19 H-Bridge L-2980

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3.10.6 Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a wireless technology which is used for to transfer the coding language form
Mobile app to controller and it must have limited distance to connect with its connection.
It has standard for exchanging data over short distances (using short-wavelength UHF
radio waves in the ISM band from 2.4 to 2.485 GH) from fixed and mobile devices.

Fig.3.20 Bluetooth

3.11 Control Method

The first thing to do is select which control method you want to use. There are two
methods that are already built into the code to control the rover; one is a smartphone app
run on Android devices, the other is using a wireless Xbox controller.

Fig.3.21 Remote control of circuit

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3.12 Software Program

The following is a program coding of ARDUINO UNO for Rocker-Bogie Mechanism in
Basic C- LANGUAGE.

int pwm_speedA = 255;

int pwm_speedB = 255;
char command; char data
= 0; void setup()
{ Serial.begin(9600);
//pins for motor controller
pinMode(11, OUTPUT);
pinMode(10, OUTPUT);
pinMode(9, OUTPUT);
pinMode(6, OUTPUT);
pinMode(5, OUTPUT);
pinMode(3, OUTPUT);
pinMode(13, OUTPUT);
pinMode(7, OUTPUT);
pinMode(12, OUTPUT);
pinMode(4, OUTPUT);
} void loop()
{ if(Serial.available() >
0){ command =
Serial.read();
motors_stop();
switch(command){ case
'F': forward(); break; case
'B': backward(); break;
case 'L':
left(); break;
case 'R': right();
break; case 'W':
lightON();
break; case 'w':

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lightOFF();
break; case 'U':
BacklightON();
break; case 'u':
BacklightOFF();
break; case 'V':
HornON();
break; case 'v':
HornOFF();
case 'X':
WaterON();
break; case
'x':
WaterOFF();
break; }
}

} void
BacklightON()
{
digitalWrite(7, HIGH);
} void BacklightOFF()
{ digitalWrite(7,
LOW);
} void
HornON()
{ digitalWrite(12,
HIGH);
} void
HornOFF()
{ digitalWrite(12,
LOW);
} void
WaterON()

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{ digitalWrite(4,
HIGH);
} void
WaterOFF()
{ digitalWrite(4,LOW)
; } void lightON()
{ digitalWrite(13,
HIGH);

} void lightOFF()
{ digitalWrite(13,LO
W); }
// function for driving straight
void forward(){ digitalWrite(10,
HIGH); digitalWrite(11, LOW);

digitalWrite(9, HIGH); digitalWrite(6,

LOW);

analogWrite(5, pwm_speedA); analogWrite(3,

pwm_speedB);
}
//function for reversing void
backward(){

digitalWrite(10, LOW); digitalWrite(11,

HIGH);

digitalWrite(9, LOW); digitalWrite(6,

HIGH);

analogWrite(5, pwm_speedA); analogWrite(3,

pwm_speedB);

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} //function for turning

left void left()
{ digitalWrite(11,
LOW); digitalWrite(10,
HIGH);

digitalWrite(9, LOW); digitalWrite(6,

HIGH);

analogWrite(3, pwm_speedB); analogWrite(5,

pwm_speedA);
} //function for turning
right void right()
{ digitalWrite(10, LOW);
digitalWrite(11, HIGH);

digitalWrite(9, HIGH); digitalWrite(6,

LOW);

analogWrite(3, pwm_speedB); analogWrite(5,

pwm_speedA);
}
//function for stopping motors void
motors_stop(){

digitalWrite(11, LOW); digitalWrite(10,

LOW);

digitalWrite(9,LOW); digitalWrite(6,
LOW);

analogWrite(5, 0); analogWrite(3,

0);
}

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Chapter – 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Observation

The main problem associated with current suspension systems installed in heavy loading
vehicles rovers (including those with active and semi active suspension systems) is their
slow speed of motion which derails the rhythm to absorb the shocks generated by wheels
which remain the result of two factors. First, in order to pass over obstacles, the vehicle
must be geared down significantly to allow for enough torque to raise the mass of the
vehicle. Consequently, this reduces overall speed which cannot be tolerated in the case of
heavy loading vehicles. Second, if the vehicle is travelling at a high speed and encounters
an obstacle (height greater than 10 percent of wheel radius), there will be a large shock
transmitted through the chassis which could damage the suspension or topple down the
entire vehicle. That is why current heavy loading vehicles travel at a velocity of 10cm/s
through uneven terrain. The software-based testing of rocker bogie suspension system
describes the momentum and efficiency related utilities in cumulative manner.

4.2 Testing of ATV

While testing of our model first we kept on the end of rocky hill structure at a
construction site and started test and the model successfully climbed the rocky hill. Then
we tested our model on inclined uneven surface and the model climbed easily. After that

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we kept our model on flat surface with obstacles and it easily passed over the obstacles.
We tested our model on inclined rocks where we came to know that we need more ground
clearance to climb easily so we changed the wheels to grater size. After that we tested our
model on small hilly structure of soil where it climbs easily.
• The design of model found safe and reliable for various working conditions.
• All the parameters like Safety, Cost, Reliability, Performance, Durability, aesthetics,
Standard dimensions & material are satisfactorily fulfilled.
• The designed vehicle is able to stand against any road without any difficulty.
• From Results we conclude that the design and manufactured model can climb the
angle up to 60-70˚. During stair climbing test for 70mm and 100mm wheel Diameter,
it is possible to climb the stair at height of 150 mm height. At 70-degree inclination,
vehicle is travel easily in forward and reverse conditions with carrying the load of its
own.
• After the realized simulation, the results have been generated and analyzed that the
simulated model can run on a plane without any inclination with 10 cm/s.
• Rover can move on a curved path with slope
• Rover can climb on steps having less height but there is a difficulty to climb on very
large height steps.
• Centre of Gravity position in each of the two operating modes, contrasting the
response of these two distinctive configurations of the rocker-bogie suspension
against upcoming obstacles that can be present along the system generated obstacles
and roadblocks.

Chapter – 5

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE

5.1 Future Scope

One of the main problems of this rover is the limitation offered by the battery power and
the communication range. When these limitations are answered by using solar panels to
charge the battery and mobile data cards for internet connectivity, the rover can be made
operational in real time and can be left in a remote terrain for continuous operation. With
higher computing electronics, a higher level of autonomy can be given to the rover in

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navigation by using GPS modules and path planning algorithms. Devices and subsystems
like autonomous robotic arm, stereo camera and various useful sensors can also be

attached to the rover to further enhance its functionality.

• Transport of soldiers to places where trucks cannot go, with minimal engine noise
as its run by electric motors.

• Remote driven vehicle can be made using this vehicle structure that can help
transport material to remote areas.

• With the development in technology the rover can be used for investigation
purpose with the cameras installed on the rover and minimizing the size of rover.

• Can be modified to large scale for military use.

• Its future application will be assisting astronauts during space operations, it will
act as a path finder too.

• It can be useful in space mission too, recently it is used in Mars Rover. This
mechanism takes consideration on unevenness of the surface it is driving on.

• It is also used in coal mines, act as a spy robot and in military operation too.

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 connections for diffusing
the bomb.

By development of a bigger model it can be used for transporting man and material
through a rough terrain or obstacles containing regions like stairs.
We can also develop it into wheelchair too. It can be sent in valleys jungles or such places
where humans may face some danger.

It can also be developed into suspension system for the automobile vehicles through
proper research.

5.2 Conclusion
The proposed paper introduces a novel design in pursue of increasing the rocker-bogie
mobility system in conventional heavy loading vehicle behaviour when high-speed

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traversal is required and to increase the battery efficiency and operating time of the rover,
which was made possible using the independent directional control system which utilizes
minimum drive modules dependent upon the operating condition and situation. Under
reasonable assumptions, it is possible to determine the rover attitude and configuration,
given its position and ground characteristics, and whether the rover will slide, tip over or
maintain its balance using sensors and instruments. The near zero tilt system using the
rovers power supply attached to the main body of the rover to as a counter weight and
selfbalance itself reduces the percentage and chances of tilt or overturning. The
mechanics of the rover has been developed, and the over-actuation of the system leads to
the ability to affect the normal forces by applying specific wheel torques. This property
has been verified experimentally and can be used for the design of an active traction
control. A graphical interface can be designed and implemented onto the current rover
design to enhance understanding of the system and to view all data regarding its operation
which will be helpful in further advancing the system. This work shows how rocker bogie
system works on different surfaces. As per the different weight acting on link determines
torque applied on it. By assuming accurate stair dimensions, accurately dimensioned
rocker bogie can climb the stair with great stability. The design and manufactured model
can climb the angle up to 45˚. Also, we tested for the Web cam with AV recording
mounted on rocker bogie system and found satisfactory performance of its capabilities for
providing image and video data.

The unmanned terrain rover with rocker bogie suspension is completed

successfully and its operation is tested and found to be correct. The main objective of the
project, which is to show that – like the sophisticated planetary rovers which are deployed
to explore other planets, rovers can also be made at a lower cost, with commercial off-
the-shelf components to explore our own Earth and help us in better ways, is
accomplished.
Presented situation was faced presenting two modes of operation within same working
principle which is a rocker-bogie system with a robust obstacles traverse features and
another is an expanded support hexagon achieved by rotating the bogies of each side of
the vehicle. The proposed paper produces a novel design in pursue of increasing the
rockerbogie mobility system in conventional heavy loading vehicle behaviour when high-
speed traversal is required. The proposed modification increases in the stability margin
and proved with valuable and profitable contrasting with the 3D model simulations done
in SOLIDWORKS. In future, if the system installed in heavy vehicles and conventional
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offroad vehicles, it will definitely decrease the complexity as well as power requirements
to retain bumping within its Future scopes of Rocker Bogie Mechanism are in military
operations as a weapon carrier & for locating coal deposits in coal mines.

The steering mechanism was successfully installed and operated using mechanical
gears in the existing rocker bogie rover design. The drawback of this system is that the
rover designed with this steering mechanism is limited to traverse in less rough or only
plain surface. Attempts can be made to modify and solve this problem to design a more
stable rover so that the vehicle can travel in both smooth and rough surface.

REFERENCES

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2320334X, Volume 12, Issue 3 Ver. III, PP 64-67, May - Jun. 2015.

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