Granular Resistive Force Theory Implementation for Three-Dimensional Trajectories

Modelling interaction forces as bodies intrude into granular media is a longstanding challenge in the design and control of machines that navigate and manipulate these highly complex materials. Granular Resistive Force Theory, or RFT, is a flexible, reduced-order model for predicting intrusion force...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE robotics and automation letters Vol. 6; no. 2; pp. 1887 - 1894
Main Authors: Treers, Laura K., Cao, Cyndia, Stuart, Hannah S.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Piscataway IEEE 01.04.2021
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Subjects:
Computational geometry
Contact modeling
Convexity
Discrete element method
dynamics
Force
Granular materials
Granular media
Hulls
Media
methods and tools for robot system design
Plant roots
Reduced order models
Scaling factors
Software
Solid modeling
Substrates
Three dimensional models
Three-dimensional displays
Trajectory
Trajectory analysis
Two dimensional bodies
Two dimensional displays
Two dimensional models
ISSN:2377-3766, 2377-3766
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Modelling interaction forces as bodies intrude into granular media is a longstanding challenge in the design and control of machines that navigate and manipulate these highly complex materials. Granular Resistive Force Theory, or RFT, is a flexible, reduced-order model for predicting intrusion forces on bodies in granular media. 2D RFT describes the forces on a plate whose velocity and normal vectors lie in the same vertical plane. We introduce a 3D RFT method that projects the total velocity vector into two scenarios that can already be described by 2D RFT, which allows us to extend the model into 3D with minimal additional experimental characterization. We then superimpose these independently calculated forces, weighted by experimentally fit scaling factors, to determine the total force on the plate. When applied to discretized convex hulls, this method performs force estimates of arbitrary trajectories in 3D space. The proposed formulation predicts forces experienced by oscillating and circumnutating bodies, motions motivated by mole crab burrowing and plant root growth respectively. This method is well-suited to complement more complex computational tools, such as Discrete Element Method. By expanding the application of RFT to 3D scenarios, a broader set of real-world applications can now be analyzed.
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ISSN:2377-3766
2377-3766
DOI:10.1109/LRA.2021.3057052