DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF ROCKER BOGIE

MECHANISM

A MINI PROJECT REPORT

Submitted by

ABHIJITH MANI (JYANEME001)

ABHINAV K. PRAKASH (JYANEME003)
AKSHAY K. KUMAR (JYANEME007)
AKSHAYKUMAR K. T. (JYANEME008)
AKSHAY RAJ M. (JYANEME010)

in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY

in

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

JYOTHI ENGINEERING COLLEGE, CHERUTHURUTHY

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT
APRIL 2016
 JYOTHI ENGINEERING COLLEGE, CHERUTHURUTHY
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE
This is to Certify that this main project report titled “DESIGN AND FABRICATION
OF ROCKER BOGIE MECHANISM” is the bonafide work of “ABHIIJTH MANI
(JYANEME001), ABHINAV K PRAKASH (JYANEME003), AKSHAY K
KUMAR (JYANEME007), AKSHAYKUMAR K T (JYANEME008), AKSHAY
RAJ M (JYANEME010)”, who carried out the project work under my supervision in
partial fulfillment for the award of degree of Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical
Engineering.

Prof. K.C. JOHN Mr. BIJU C.V. Mr. HAREESH N. V. Mr. ANTO ZACHARIAS
HOD Project coordinator Project coordinator Project Guide
Professor & Head Associate Professor Assistant Professor Assistant Professor
Dept. of Mechanical Dept. of Mechanical Dept. of Mechanical Dept. of Mechanical
Engg. Engg. Engg. Engg.
Jyothi Engineering Jyothi Engineering Jyothi Engineering Jyothi Engineering
College,Cheruthuruthy College,Cheruthuruthy College,Cheruthuruthy College,Cheruthuruthy
 JYO
OTHI ENG
GINEER
RING COL
LLEGE

VIS
SION
Creating eminent
e an
nd ethical leaders thrrough quallity professsional educcation withh
empphasis on hoolistic excelllence.

MIISSION
• To emergee as an institution parr excellence of global standardss by impartting qualityy
engineeringg and other professiona
p al programmmes with staate-of- the-aart facilities..
• To equip the
t studentts with apppropriate skkills for a meaningfull career in the global
scenario.
• To inculcatte ethical vaalues amongg students aand ignite thheir passionn for holisticc excellencee
t
through soccial initiativves.
• To particiipate in the t develo
opment of society throught teechnology incubation,
entrepreneuurship and inndustry inteeraction.

DEP
PARTME
ENT OF MECHAN
M NICAL ENGINEE
E ERING

VIS
SION
To providee quality edducation of international standardds in Mechaanical Engin neering andd
prom
mote professsionalism with
w ethical values, to w work in a teeam and to fface global challenges.

MIISSION
• To provide an educatioon that buildds a solid fooundation inn Mechanical Engineerring.
• To prepare graduates for employyment, higheer educationn and enablle a lifelong g growth inn
t
their professsion.
• To developp good com mmunicationn, leadershipp and entreepreneurshipp skills to enable
e goodd
k
knowledge transfer.
• To inculcatte world class research program inn Mechanicaal Engineeriing.

Dept. of Mechanicall Engineering

PR
ROGRAM
MME EDU
UCATION
NAL OBJJECTIVE
ES (PEOS
S)

PEO O I: Gradu uate Engineeers shall haave strong practical

p andd theoreticaal exposure in the field
d
of Mechanicall Engineeriing and will w contribuute to the society thrrough inno ovation and d
enteerprise.
PEO O II: Grad duate Engineers shall have
h globall outlook an nd technoloogical leadeership, goodd
emp ployments oro opt for higher
h stud
dies/researchh and havee creative thhinking to initiate and d
devvelop innovaative ideas.
PEO O III: Grraduate En ngineers shhall have excellent teamwork, communiication and d
inteerpersonal skkills, having
g high moraals and ethiccal values.

PR
ROGRAM
MME OUT
TCOMES
S

a. Ability to apply
a knowwledge of maathematics, science and d engineerinng in the fieeld of
Mechanicaal Engineeriing.
b.. Ability to design
d and conduct
c expperiments, aanalyze andd interpret daata and resuults in
Mechanicaal Engineeriing.
c. Ability to design Meechanical sy ystems, com mponents, oro processees to meet the desired d
needs with hin realistic constrain nts such ass health an nd safety, manufacturrability and d
sustainabillity with eco
onomic, env vironmentall, social, pollitical and eethical consiiderations.
d.. Ability to work indiv vidually as well
w as in m multidiscipllinary teamms as a mem mber or as a
leader to acccomplish the
t common n goal.
e. Ability to identify,
i anaalyzes, form
mulate, and solve engin neering probblems.
f. Knowledgee of professsional and ethical respo onsibility.
g. Ability to communiccate effectiv vely in anyy area of th heir field to the industry, fellow w
beings andd society.
h.. Broad knoowledge neecessary to o understan nd the impact of enggineering so olutions on n
individualss, organizatiions and society.
i. Ability to engage in life-long learning
l to update theeir knowleddge to keep p pace with h
changes caaused by dyn namic naturre of engineeering field..
j. Awarenesss of the con ntemporary issues thatt help to in ntegrate advvanced and sustainablee
n the user environmentt.
solutions in
k.. Ability to use the techniques,
t skills, andd modern engineeringg tools, so oftware and d
equipment to analyze and model complex en ngineering solutions.
s

Dept. of Mechanicall Engineering

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER NO: TITLE PAGE NO:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i

ABSTRACT ii

LIST OF FIGURES iii

LIST OF TABLES iv

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 LITERATURE REVIEW 3

2.1 POWER CONSUMPTION 3

2.2 TRACTION AND SLIP 3

2.3 OBSTACLE CAPACITY 4

2.4 LOCOMOTION 4

2.5 HISTORY OF ROVERS 4

2.6 SLOW SPEED OF MOTION 4

2.7 STAIR CLIMBING CAPACITY 5

2.8 DOWNHILL AND FRONT GRADE 6

ABILITY
2.9 CROSSHILL GRADE ABILITY 7
2.10 TRACTIVE FORCE OF WHEELS 8
2.11 GRADEABILITY OF VEHICLE 8
3 DESCRIPTION OF COMPONENTS 9

3.1 ROCKER 9

3.2 BOGIE 9

3.3 MOTOR 10

3.4 WHEEL 10

3.5 BATTERY 10

3.6 ALUMINIUM ROD 11

4 METHODOLOGY 12

5 CALCULATIONS 13

5.1 FORMULAS USED 13

5.2 FORCE CALCULATION 14

5.3 TORQUE CALCULATION 14

5.4 POWER CALCULATION 15

5.5 TRACTIVE FORCE CALCULATION 15

5.6 CALCULATION OF GRADEABILITY 16

5.7 CALCULATION OF ANGLE OF 16

FRONTHILL AND DOWNHILL

GRADEABILITY

6 COST ESTIMATION 17

7 DESIGN OF ROCKER BOGIE 18

8 ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES 19

AND APPLICATIONS

8.1 ADVANTAGES 19

8.2 DISADVANTAGES 19

8.3 APPLICATIONS 19

9 CONCLUSION AND FUTURE 20

DEVELOPMENT

REFERENCES 21
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The success accomplished in this project would not have been possible without the timely
help and guidance by many people to whom we feel obliged and grateful.

First of all we would like to express our sincere thanks to Dr. K.K. BABU, our beloved
Principal for his support and encouragement.

We use this occasion to express our thanks to Prof. K.C. JOHN, our Head of ME
Department, for his continuous encouragement and great support to fulfill our project.

We are thankful to Mr. ANTO ZACHARIAS, our project guide, Mr. BIJU C.V. and
Mr. HAREESH N.V. our coordinators for their valuable suggestions, inspiration and motivation
to develop the project.

We are thankful to all teaching and non-teaching staffs in Mechanical and other
Departments for their timely assistance in matters pertaining to project.

We thank our parents and friends for their kind co-operation and suggestions which helped
us very much for accomplishment of project.

Finally, we would like to express our sincere thanks to the Almighty God, who
empowered us to fulfill this project, by showering his abundant grace and mercy.

i
 ABSTRACT

The place, where the value of gravity remain lower than earth’s own gravitational coefficient,
at that place the existing suspension system fails to fulfil desired results as the amount and
mode of shock absorbing changes. To counter anti gravity impact, NASA and Jet Propulsion
Laboratory have jointly developed a suspension system called the rocker-bogie Suspension
system. It is basically a suspension arrangement used in mechanical robotic vehicles used
specifically for space exploration. The rocker-bogie suspension based rovers has been
successfully introduced for the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rover (MER) and
Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) missions conducted by apex space exploration agencies
throughout the world. The proposed suspension system is currently the most favoured design
for every space exploration company indulge in the business of space research. The growing
importance of Rocker-Bogie mechanism design has kindled research interests in developing
countries around the world. The aim is to design and fabricate a rocker-bogie mechanism.
Our idea is to fabricate a miniature model of rocker-bogie mechanism and to check its ability
to climb over the obstacles.

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 LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE NO: FIGURE NAME PAGE NO:

1.1 LINE DIAGRAM OF ROCKER-BOGIE 2

SUSPENSION SYSTEM
AND ITS MOBILE JOINTS

2.1 PROTOTYPE OF ROCKER BOGIE MODELS 5

2.2 SCG OF ROCKER BOGIES 6

2.3 DOWNHILL AND FRONT GRADEABILITY 7

2.4 CROSSHILL GRADEABILITY 7

3.1 ROCKER 9

3.2 BOGIE 9

3.3 MOTOR 10

3.4 WHEEL 10

3.5 BATTERY 11

3.6 ALUMINIUM ROD 11

7.1 DIMENSIONS OF ROVER 18

7.2 FINISHED PROTOTYPE OF ROCKER BOGIE 18

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 LIST OF TABLES

TABLE NO: TABLE NAME PAGE NO:

2.1 LENGTH OF TWO PROTOTYPES 5

2.2 LENGTH AND HEIGHT OF 5

TWO STAIRS

6.1 COST ESTIMATION 17

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Jyothi Engineering college Dept. Of Mechanical Engineering

CHAPTER-1

INTRODUCTION
A mobile robot is an autonomous system capable of traversing a terrain with natural or
artificial obstacles. Its chassis is equipped with wheels/tacks or legs and possibly a
manipulator setup mounted on the chassis for handling of work pieces, tools or special
devices. Various preplanned operations are executed based on a preprogrammed navigation
strategy taking into account the current status of the environment.
Locomotion is a process, which moves a rigid body. There is no doubt that a mobile robot’s
most important part is its locomotion system which determines the stability and capacity
while traversing on rough terrain.
Locomotion systems can be divided into groups as; wheeled, tracked, legged (walking
robots), limbless (snake and serpentine robots) and hopping robots. Wheeled rough terrain
mobile robots are called as “Rover”.
Wheeled locomotion’s main component is its suspension mechanism which connects the
wheels to the main body or platform.The type of locomotion used by a mobile robot is crucial
for the robot to perform its task and reach its goal in a given environment.
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.
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 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. 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
semi-trailer trucks as that very time the trucks will have to carry much heavier load.

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FIG 1.1-LINE DIAGRAM OF ROCKER-BOGIE SUSPENSION SYSTEM AND ITS

MOBILE JOINTS.

A planetary rover is a mobile robot which is especially designed to move on a planet surface.
Early rovers were teleoperated like the Lunokhod I, while recent ones are fully autonomous,
such as FIDO. The rover has to be very robust and reliable, as it has to withstand dust, strong
winds, corrosion and large temperature changes. Most rovers are powered by batteries which
are recharged by solar panels during the day.
Over the past decade, the rocker-bogie suspension design has become a proven mobility
application known for its superior vehicle stability and obstacle-climbing capability.
Following several technology and research rover implementations, the system was
successfully flown as part of Mars Pathfinder’s Sojourner rover. When the Mars Exploration
Rover (MER) Project was first proposed, the use of a rocker-bogie suspension was the
obvious choice due to its extensive heritage. The challenge posed by MER was to design a
lightweight rocker-bogie suspension that would permit the mobility to stow within the limited
space available and deploy into a configuration that the rover could then safely use to egress
from the lander and explore the Martian surface.

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CHAPTER-2

LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 POWER CONSUMPTION

As a planetary rover cannot recharge via a power plug or change batteries during its mission,
it is very important that power consumption of the rover is low. Power consumption is mainly
the energy being used by the driving and steering motors. It is given by
∗
P= (1)

where Rm is the motor resistance, gm is the motor gear ratio, Kt is the motor torque constant
and Ti is the torque applied to the ith motor. It is obvious that power consumption is
proportional to the sum of all squared traction forces Ti. In order to minimize the power
consumption of the rover during travel, the sum of the squared traction forces is to be
minimized[1].

2.2 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 coefficient. Hence, no slip occurs if the
condition Ti ≤ μNi is satisfied. In reality it is very challenging to determine the precise
friction coefficient μ for the interaction of two surfaces. As an approximation of the friction
coefficient, a virtual friction coefficient μ*is computed, as the ratio between traction and
normal force at one wheel-terrain contact point.

µ* = maxi { } (2)

The parameter μ* is similar to a friction coefficient. If the constraint μ* ≤ μ is satisfied, no

slip occurs. Hence, μ* is targeted to be minimized. The optimum solution is found ifμ* is
equal for all n wheels [2].

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2.3 OBSTACLE CAPACITY

A rover’s obstacle limit generally compared with robot’s wheel size. In four wheel drive off-
road vehicles, limit is nearly half of their wheel diameter. It is possible to pass over more than
this height by pushing driving wheel to obstacle which can be called as climbing. Step or stair
climbing is the maximum limit of obstacles. The contact point of wheel and obstacle is at the
same height with wheel center for this condition[3].

2.4 LOCOMOTION

Locomotion is a process, which moves a rigid body. There is no doubt that a mobile robot’s
most important part is its locomotion system which determines the stability and capacity
while traversing on rough terrain. Locomotion systems can be divided into groups as;
wheeled, tracked, legged, limbless and hopping robots. Wheeled rough terrain mobile robots
are called as “Rover”[3].

2.5 HISTORY OF ROVERS

The first planetary exploration rover was “Lunakhod” which has been sent Moon 2 times
with USSR – Luna missions to gather information around landing site and send pictures of
terrain.
In 1996, NASA – Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology have
designed new rovers with identical structure named Sojourner and Marie-Curie. These small
rovers were only 10.5 kilograms and microwave oven sized. Rover Sojourner launched with
Pathfinder landing module in December 1996. Marie Curie rover was also planning to send
Mars with 2001 mission which has been cancelled[3].

2.6 SLOW SPEED OF MOTION

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

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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 10 cm/s through
uneven terrain. The software based testing of rocker bogie suspension system describes the
momentum and efficiency related utilities in cumulative manner [3].

2.7 STAIR CLIMBING CAPACITY

Two rocker bogie robots with different sizes were designed to probate the analysis and the
prototypes are shown in Fig. 2.1. Fig. (a) Is the rocker bogie mechanism with a small rocker
and Fig. (b) Is the rocker bogie mechanism with large rocker linkage.

FIG 2.1-PROTOTYPE OF (a) SMALL ROCKER BOGIE; (b) LARGE ROCKER BOGIE.

Suppose that the mass of the linkages is too small compare to the main body, the centre of
mass of two robots are said to be placed on a pivot joints. The lengths of the linkages for the
two different systems are written in Table 2.1.

LENGTH(mm) SMALL ROCKER BOGIE LARGE ROCKER BOGIE

L1 210 210
L2 210 210
L3 170 170
L4 340 570

TABLE 2.1-LENGTH OF TWO PROTOTYPES

STAIR A B
LENGTH 450 150
HEIGHT 150 175

TABLE 2.2- LENGTH AND HEIGHT OF TWO STAIRS

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FIG 2.2-SCG OF (a) SMALL ROCKER BOGIE; (b) LARGE ROCKER BOGIE.
YELLOW SQUARE IS THE STAIR WITH 450 mm LENGTH AND 150 mm HEIGHT,
BLACK STAR IS THE STAIR WITH 300 mm LENGTH AND 175 mm HEIGHT.

In the experiment, the small rocker bogie did not climb up the stair because the three wheels
contacted the front sides of the stair at the same time. On the other hand, the large rocker
bogie could climb up the stair, because the three wheels did not contact the front sides of the
stair at the same time[4].

2.8 DOWNHILL AND FRONT GRADEABILITY

Down-Hill Grade ability is to measure maximum incline angles that stabilize the vehicle from
slip and flip over. Wheel slip can damage the vehicle and jeopardize the whole rescue
mission during the post-disaster occurrence. The Down-Hill Grade ability can be analysis
statically as refer in figure 2.3 and equation 1. The vehicle must have trainability aspects to
overcome the unpredicted terrain and over passed the obstacle.
Downhill grade ability can be enhancing by minimizing the wheel's slip or maximizing the
rover traction [5].Intelligently control the slip will affect the power consumption. The slip
made the vehicle use a lot of power to overcome it.

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FIG 2.3-DOWNHILL AND FRONT GRADEABILITY

αmax = min { tan-1 ,

tan-1 } (3)

Where,
Y = Zctan-1α (4)
Yc = Lcc-Y (5)

2.9 CROSSHILL GRADE ABILITY

The speed movement of rocker bogie mechanism is very slow to avoid it flipping while
turning. It consumed a time that are crucial during disaster occurrence. Furthermore, a normal
vehicle will avoid the terrain that made it flip. Cross-hill grade ability is to measure the
maximum angle that suitable for a vehicle to cross. Flip can be overcome by increasing the
tire radius or increasing the width of a vehicle [6]. However, it will change the vehicle
specification and need another analysis. Thus, the controlling distance of tire towards the
centre on a body is proposed [7].

FIG 2.4-CROSS HILL GRADEABILITY

αmax = min { tan-1 ,tan-1 } (6)

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2.10 TRACTIVE FORCE OF WHEELS

The wheel is an important component of the vehicle to manoeuvre in both land and water
surface. The tire radius supports the vehicle in climbing an obstacle, and a width prevents it
from sinking in muddy place. Using an off-road tire will reduce the slip and provide a
mechanical grip since a thread will dig the ground and increase a contact ratio. The table
shows the vehicle specifications. The advantage of a rocker-bogie mechanism is the load
equally distributed on all wheels.
The tractive force is the amount of the total traction that is parallel to the direction of motion
can be calculate during an equation below. The calculation is based on a single wheel[8].
∗ . ∗ ∗
Fz = (7)

Where,
Fz = Tractive Force on single wheel in N
Mt= Motor Torque
µ = Overall efficiency in the drive train
C= Circumference

2.11 GRADEABILITY OF VEHICLE

Gradeability is defined as the highest grade a vehicle can ascend while maintaining a
particular speed. It is commonly used in slope analysis, where the vehicle weight act against
the direction of motion which is proportional to the angle of inclination of the road surface
[9]. It can be obtained using the equation (6).

P = 100*{ – Fr} (8)

. ∗
Where,
P = Gradeability, in %
Fz = Tractive Force in N
G = Overall combined mass, in kg
Fr = Coefficient of rolling resistance
The angle of front hill and downhill Gradeability can be calculated using the equation 7.
α = tan-1p/100 (9)
Where,
α = angle of gradient, in 0
p = gradeability, in %

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CHAPTER-3

DESCRIPTION OF COMPONENTS

3.1 ROCKER

The term “rocker” comes from the rocking aspect of the larger links 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. The length of the rocker is taken 420 mm.
Material used to make rocker is aluminium. Aluminium has low density and therefore low
weight, high strength, superior malleability, easy machining, excellent corrosion resistance
and good thermal and electrical conductivity.

FIG 3.1- ROCKER

3.2 BOGIE

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. The
length of the bogie is taken 210 mm. Material used to make bogie is aluminium.

FIG 3.2 BOGIE

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3.3 MOTOR

The 60 RPM, 12V, 6mm, Gear motor is used here. The DC Gear motor, consisting of a DC
electric motor and a gearbox, is the heart of the Rocker-bogie. These geared motors have
reduction gear trains capable of providing high torque at relatively low shaft speed or
revolutions per minute (RPM).

FIG 3.3-MOTOR

3.4 WHEEL

Wooden wheel of 80 mm diameter and 40 mm thickness is fabricated.Every wheel also has

thick cleats which provides grip for climbing in soft sand and scrambling over rocks with
ease.

FIG 3.4-WHEEL

3.5 BATTERY

The battery used for this mechanism is Non-spillable sealed rechargeable battery of 12V,
7.5AH.

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FIG 3.5-BATTERY

3.6 ALUMINIUM ROD

Connection between two rockers is done by an aluminium rod of diameter 10 mm.

FIG 3.6-ALUMINIUM ROD

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CHAPTER 4

METHODOLOGY
The rocker-bogie design consisting of no springs and stub axles in each wheel which allows
the chassis to climb over any obstacles, such as rocks, ditches, sand, etc. that are up to double
the wheel's diameter in size while keeping all wheels on the ground maximum time. As
compared to any suspension system, the tilt stability is limited by the height of the centre of
gravity and the proposed system has the same.
Systems employing springs tend to tip more easily as the loaded side yields during obstacle
course. Dependent upon the centre of overall weight, any vehicle developed on the basis of
Rocker bogie suspension can withstand a tilt of at least 50 degrees in any direction without
overturning which is the biggest advantage for any heavy loading vehicle. The system is
designed to be implemented in low speed working vehicles such as heavy trucks, Bulldozers
which works 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.
As per the research it is find that the rocker bogie system reduces the motion by half
compared to other suspension systems because each of the bogie's six wheels has an
independent mechanism for motion and in which the two front and two rear wheels have
individual steering systems which allow the vehicle to turn in place as 0 degree turning ratio.
Every wheel also has thick cleats which provides grip for climbing in soft sand and
scrambling over rocks with ease.
In order to overcome vertical obstacle faces, the front wheels are forced against the obstacle
by the centre and rear wheels which generate maximum required torque. The rotation of the
front wheel then lifts the front of the vehicle up and over the obstacle and obstacle overtaken.
Those wheels which remain in the middle, is then pressed against the obstacle by the rear
wheels and pulled against the obstacle by the front till the time it is lifted up and over. At last,
the rear wheel is pulled over the obstacle by the front two wheels due to applying pull force.
During each wheel's traversal of the obstacle, forward progress of the vehicle is slowed or
completely halted which finally maintain vehicles centre of gravity.
The above said methodology is being practically proved by implementing it on eight-wheel
drive ATV system in order to gain maximum advantage by rocker bogie system.

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CHAPTER 5

CALCULATIONS

5.1 FORMULAS USED:

FORCE, F = μN
Where,
μ is the coefficient of friction
N is the reaction force on wheels

TORQUE, T = F*R
Where,
F is the force experienced by each wheel
R is the radial distance

POWER, P = 2 NT/60
Where,
N is the speed of motor in RPM
T is the torque on each wheel

POWER OBTAINED FROM ONE MOTOR, P* = VIcos β

Where,
V = Voltage of the motor in V
I = Current in A

TRACTIVE FORCE OF WHEELS

∗ . ∗ ∗
Fz =

Where,
Fz = Tractive Force on single wheel in N
Mt = Motor Torque
µ = Overall efficiency in the drive train
C= Circumference

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GRADEABILITY OF VEHICLE

P = 100*{ – Fr}
. ∗
Where,
P = Gradeability, in %
Fz = Tractive Force in N
G = Overall combined mass, in kg
Fr = Coefficient of rolling resistance

THE ANGLE OF FRONTHILL AND DOWNHILL GRADEABILITY

α = tan-1p/100
Where,
α = angle of gradient, in degree
p = gradeability, in %

5.2 FORCE CALCULATION

The only load that the rover experience is its own weight, W = 1.8 kg
Considering an additional weight of 6.2 kg for other attachments on the rover
. . . Total weight = 8 kg
Force = mg
= 8*9.81
= 78.48 N
The load experienced by each wheel = 78.48/6
= 13.08 N
Assuming factor of safety to be 2
Then force experienced by each wheel = 13.08*2
= 26.16 N
Force, F = μN
Assuming coefficient of friction, μ = 0.3
F = 0.3*26.16
= 7.848 N

5.3 TORQUE CALCULATION

Torque, T= F*R

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Where radial distance or radius of wheel = 40 mm

T = 7.848*40
= 313.92 Nmm

5.4 POWER CALCULATION

POWER, P = 2 NT/60
= (2 *60*313.92)/60
= 1972.417 Nmm/s
= 1.9724 Nm/s
Power required for one wheel = 1.9724 Nm/s
Power obtained from one motor = VIcos β
Assuming cos β= 0.8
Voltage of the motor, V = 12V
Current, A = 2A
Then power obtained from one motor = 12*2*0.8
= 19.2w
Therefore maximum torque obtained from one motor = (P*60)/2 N
= (19.2*60)/ 2 60
= 3.05577 Nm
= 3055.77 Nmm
The rover requires an initial torque of 313.92 Nmm to move, here the motor provides a
maximum torque of 3055.77 Nmm. Hence rover will be able to climb over obstacles without
any difficulty.

TRACTIVE FORCE CALCULATION

∗ . ∗ ∗
Fz =

Mt = 3.05577 Nm
µ = 0.95 for one driven axle
C=2 r
= 2* *0.040
= 0.251m

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∗ . ∗ . ∗ .
Fz =
.
Fz = 72.669 N

CALCULATION OF GRADEABILITY

P = 100*{ – Fr}
. ∗
Fz= 72.669 N
G = 8 kg

Fr = 0.032 for poor road (worst condition)

.
P = 100*{ – 0.032}
. ∗
P = 89.39 %

CALCULATION OF ANGLE OF FRONTHILL AND DOWNHILL GRADEABILITY

α = tan-1p/100
P = 89.39 %
α = tan-189.39/100
= 41.79o

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CHAPTER 6

COST ESTIMATION

TABLE 6.1-COST ESTIMATION

TOTAL COST = RS 3300

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CHAPTER 7

DESIGN OF ROCKER BOGIE

FIG 7.1-DIMENSIONS OF ROVER

FIG 7.2-FINISHED PROTOTYPE OF ROCKER BOGIE

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CHAPTER 8

ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES AND APPLICATIONS

8.1 ADVANTAGES

• When there is an uneven surface all the six wheels will bear equal load, this is extremely
useful when the robot is driving on the dry sand like surface.
• 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.
• The two sides (left and right) move independently, and hence the rover
Can travel across terrains where the left and right rockers go over
different type of obstacles.

8.2 DISADVANTAGES

• This mechanism should pick up speed when there is a flat surface, i.e. when there are no
obstacles in the terrain. This is very difficult to obtain.

8.3 APPLICATIONS

• This rover can be used to assist astronauts in surface operations.

• It can be used to take photographs of planet and or other celestial bodies.
• Rovers are also used to take samples from other planets.

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CHAPTER 9

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

The rocker bogie mechanism was designed from the ground up with the needs of research in
mind. The vehicle chassis is designed with aluminium to reduce the weight and increase the
strength and thereby improves the stability of the chassis. The project was completed
according to the specified time. The rocker bogie mechanism is working with good stability
and is able to climb over the obstacles.

Modifications that are applicable in design: ROCKER ABRASION TOOL (RAT)or other
tools can be mounted on an arm to bore into rock, which will be effective in climbing larger
obstacles. A remote controlled camera can be fixed on the rocker bogie for taking
photographs. An alpha particle spectrometer can be attached in order to detect alpha particles
and X rays given off by the soil and rocks.Magnets can be mounted at three different points
on the rover. Iron-bearing sand particles will stick to the magnets so that scientists can look at
them with the cameras or analyze them with the spectrometers.

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REFERENCES

[1] Iagnemma K. and Dubowsky S., “Traction control of wheeled robotic vehicles in rough
terrain with application to planetary rovers”, The International Journal of RoboticsResearch,
Vol. 23, No. 10-11, 2004, pp. 1029.

[2] Lamon P. and Krebs A. and Lauria M. and Shooter S. and Siegwart R., “Wheel torque
control for a rough terrain rover”, IEEE International Conference on Robotics
andAutomation, Vol. 5, 2004, pp. 4682-4687.

[3] Dissertationby Firat Barlas on Design of a Mars Rover Suspension.

[4] Dongkyu Choi, Jongkyun Oh and Jongwon Kim, “Analysis method of climbing stairs
with the rocker-bogie mechanism”, Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 27- 9,
2013, 2783-2788.

[5] Jiang Zhu, Yaonan Wang, Hongshan Yu, Wenge Wang and Yaxing Wen (2010), Sensing
Incline Terrain for Mobile Robot Autonomous Navigation Under Unknown Environment,
Proceedings of the 2010 IEEE International Conference on Information and Automation,
pp.2296~2301, ISBN:978-1-4244-5701-4.

[6] H. Yang, L. C. V. Rojas, C. Xia, Q. Guo (2014), Dynamic Rocker-Bogie: A Stability

Enhancement for High-Speed Traversal, International Journal of Robotics and Automation
(IJRA), pp. 212~220, ISSN: 2089-4856.

[7] T. Thueer and R. Siegwart (2010), Mobility evaluation of wheeled all-terrain robots,
Robotics and Autonomous Systems 58 (2010), pp. 508~519, ISSN: 0921-8890.

[8] S. F. Toha and Zakariya Zainol, System Modelling of Rocker-Bogie Mechanism for
Disaster Relief, 2015 IEEE International Symposium on Robotics and Intelligent Sensors
(IRIS 2015).

[9] Akilesh Yamsani, (2014), Gradeability for Automobiles, IOSR Journal of Mechanical and
Civil Engineering (IOSR-JMCE), pp. 35-4, ISSN: 2320-334X.

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