DESIGN OF COMPLIANT NONLINEAR ARTICULATED SUSPENSION FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL ROVING VEHICLE

Abstract

Designing extreme-access planetary rovers requires advanced articulation mechanisms to traverse rugged terrain, conquer steep slopes, and reduce mission risk. These qualities involve balancing geometric constraints, load distribution, and passive compliance for astronauts on EVA. This dissertation develops a generalizable framework for creating compliant, articulated suspension systems with high degrees of articulation. By closely examining the relationships among kinematics, applied forces, and component-level constraints, the proposed methods address significant gaps in rover mobility research in the areas of systems design, dynamic formulation, and commonly overlooked real-world considerations. In particular, this work demonstrates a holistic approach that integrates quasi-static sum-of-moments tools with Lagrangian-based dynamic modeling and machine learning-driven parameter identification, ensuring robust performance throughout a wide range of operating conditions. The resulting methodology offers a scalable, adaptable framework for future rovers tasked with extreme-access missions.