{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/33457"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/33457","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Experimental Analysis of the Effects of the Variation of Drawbar Pull Test Parameters for Exploration Vehicles on GRC-1 Lunar Soil Simulant","abstract":"A drawbar pull (DP) test procedure was developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) for testing and developing designs for off-road vehicles. The motivation was to develop a procedure that would produce repeatable results and could be replicated by other researchers. While developing the test methodology, it became apparent that there was a certain degree of scatter in the results among identical tests. In order to characterize the disparities, an experimental study was conducted consisting of systematically varying specific test parameters. The selected performance metric was the DP-TR (travel reduction) relation. The selected parameters were: 1) the starting terrain condition, 2) the distance traveled by the vehicle under an applied, constant DP force, and 3) the density of the prepared terrain. Respectively, these parameters were selected to observe: 1) how differences in the starting area, or \"launch pad,\" would affect the resulting performance of a test, 2) if a steady-state region of performance exists and how does performance change with the distance traveled, and 3) the relationship between prepared terrain density and performance. These experiments were conducted in a dry, granular, cohesionless, silica based soil called the GRC-1 Lunar Soil Simulant. The results of these studies were that the variations in both the starting terrain condition and the distance traveled did not significantly affect performance. The relationship between performance and terrain density was that only in a region of low density was the TR constant; subsequently, the TR decreased steadily with increasing density.","abstract_html":"A drawbar pull (DP) test procedure was developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) for testing and developing designs for off-road vehicles. The motivation was to develop a procedure that would produce repeatable results and could be replicated by other researchers. While developing the test methodology, it became apparent that there was a certain degree of scatter in the results among identical tests. In order to characterize the disparities, an experimental study was conducted consisting of systematically varying specific test parameters. The selected performance metric was the DP-TR (travel reduction) relation. The selected parameters were: 1) the starting terrain condition, 2) the distance traveled by the vehicle under an applied, constant DP force, and 3) the density of the prepared terrain. Respectively, these parameters were selected to observe: 1) how differences in the starting area, or "launch pad," would affect the resulting performance of a test, 2) if a steady-state region of performance exists and how does performance change with the distance traveled, and 3) the relationship between prepared terrain density and performance. These experiments were conducted in a dry, granular, cohesionless, silica based soil called the GRC-1 Lunar Soil Simulant. The results of these studies were that the variations in both the starting terrain condition and the distance traveled did not significantly affect performance. The relationship between performance and terrain density was that only in a region of low density was the TR constant; subsequently, the TR decreased steadily with increasing density.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Woodward, Adam Charles"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Mechanical Engineering","degree_department":"Mechanical Engineering","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Sandu, Corina"],"committee_members":["Taheri, Saied","Ferris, John B."],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011-06-01","date_published":"2011-06-01","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:03Z","subjects":["Terrain Density","Travel Reduction","Lunar Soil Simulant","Drawbar Pull","Terrain Preparation"],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-06062011-094609"],"render_values":[{"text":"etd-06062011-094609","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/33457","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Sandu, Corina"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Taheri, Saied","Ferris, John B."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Woodward, Adam Charles"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2014-03-14T20:39:31Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-03-14T20:39:31Z","2011-07-20"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2011-06-01"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Terrain Density","Travel Reduction","Lunar Soil Simulant","Drawbar Pull","Terrain Preparation"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-06062011-094609"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/33457"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["A drawbar pull (DP) test procedure was developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) for testing and developing designs for off-road vehicles. The motivation was to develop a procedure that would produce repeatable results and could be replicated by other researchers. While developing the test methodology, it became apparent that there was a certain degree of scatter in the results among identical tests. In order to characterize the disparities, an experimental study was conducted consisting of systematically varying specific test parameters. The selected performance metric was the DP-TR (travel reduction) relation. The selected parameters were: 1) the starting terrain condition, 2) the distance traveled by the vehicle under an applied, constant DP force, and 3) the density of the prepared terrain. Respectively, these parameters were selected to observe: 1) how differences in the starting area, or \"launch pad,\" would affect the resulting performance of a test, 2) if a steady-state region of performance exists and how does performance change with the distance traveled, and 3) the relationship between prepared terrain density and performance. These experiments were conducted in a dry, granular, cohesionless, silica based soil called the GRC-1 Lunar Soil Simulant. The results of these studies were that the variations in both the starting terrain condition and the distance traveled did not significantly affect performance. The relationship between performance and terrain density was that only in a region of low density was the TR constant; subsequently, the TR decreased steadily with increasing density."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Experimental Analysis of the Effects of the Variation of Drawbar Pull Test Parameters for Exploration Vehicles on GRC-1 Lunar Soil Simulant"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Sandu, Corina"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Taheri, Saied","Ferris, John B."],"dc:contributor.department":["Mechanical Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Woodward, Adam Charles"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2014-03-14T20:39:31Z"],"dc:date.available":["2014-03-14T20:39:31Z","2011-07-20"],"dc:date.issued":["2011-06-01"],"dc:description.abstract":["A drawbar pull (DP) test procedure was developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) for testing and developing designs for off-road vehicles. The motivation was to develop a procedure that would produce repeatable results and could be replicated by other researchers. While developing the test methodology, it became apparent that there was a certain degree of scatter in the results among identical tests. In order to characterize the disparities, an experimental study was conducted consisting of systematically varying specific test parameters. The selected performance metric was the DP-TR (travel reduction) relation. The selected parameters were: 1) the starting terrain condition, 2) the distance traveled by the vehicle under an applied, constant DP force, and 3) the density of the prepared terrain. Respectively, these parameters were selected to observe: 1) how differences in the starting area, or \"launch pad,\" would affect the resulting performance of a test, 2) if a steady-state region of performance exists and how does performance change with the distance traveled, and 3) the relationship between prepared terrain density and performance. These experiments were conducted in a dry, granular, cohesionless, silica based soil called the GRC-1 Lunar Soil Simulant. The results of these studies were that the variations in both the starting terrain condition and the distance traveled did not significantly affect performance. The relationship between performance and terrain density was that only in a region of low density was the TR constant; subsequently, the TR decreased steadily with increasing density."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Science"],"dc:identifier.other":["etd-06062011-094609"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/33457"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Terrain Density","Travel Reduction","Lunar Soil Simulant","Drawbar Pull","Terrain Preparation"],"dc:title":["Experimental Analysis of the Effects of the Variation of Drawbar Pull Test Parameters for Exploration Vehicles on GRC-1 Lunar Soil Simulant"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Mechanical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:03Z"}