{"paper_id":"17142b97-d59a-40d6-a09e-973e902702ba","body_text":"An analysis of the Yutu lunar rover’s mobility performance using a multibody dynamics framework and a physics-based terramechanics model | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article An analysis of the Yutu lunar rover’s mobility performance using a multibody dynamics framework and a physics-based terramechanics model Lebin Zhou, Yuemin Zhang, Junwei Shi, Wei Hu, Dan Negrut This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6489552/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The interaction between wheels and soil has a significant impact on the dynamics of extraterrestrial vehicles in terrame-chanics applications. With very few exceptions, the mobility analysis of extraterrestrial rovers has been carried out using empirical terramechanics models originally established for military vehicle mobility analysis. This contribution employs a physics-based terramechanics model, the so called continuum representation model (CRM), which employs partial differential equations solved using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method. The resulting terramechanics model displays the speed of the simpler empirical models, yet produces results comparable in fidelity to those generated by the computationally costly discrete element method (DEM). We demonstrate the versatility of the CRM approach by simulating the single-wheel system of the Yutu lunar rover. Simulations were conducted to comparatively analyze the effects of particle size, slip control policy, and soil parameters on wheel performance. The accuracy of the single-wheel CRM results was assessed using “ground truth” DEM results. Subsequently, to gain a system-level understanding of the performance of the Yutu rover, the vehicle was modeled as a multibody system, and mobility simulations were run on de-formable CRM terrain. The performance of the full rover, as captured in tractive force, wheel torque, wheel sinkage, and traction vs. slope tests, was examined under various test conditions. Finally, we examine how various wheel features, e.g., its radius and grouser width/height/count, affect the mobility performance of the rover. All simulations were conducted using an open-source, publicly available simulator called Chrono. The scripts and models used to generate the results presented in this paper are available upon request to support reproducibility studies and further research. Continuous representation model Smoothed particle hydrodynamics Wheel-soil interaction Yutu lunar rover Multibody system dynamics Granular material Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files obstacle.mp4 updown.mp4 single.mp4 full.mp4 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 10 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 05 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 23 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 May, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 07 May, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 21 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 20 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 20 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-6489552\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Research Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":455621542,\"identity\":\"501e7d07-7c8c-4251-99a8-063ec84b6063\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Lebin Zhou\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Shanghai Jiao Tong University\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Lebin\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Zhou\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":455621543,\"identity\":\"775338fc-9856-44bb-bea5-c9cd9799819b\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"Yuemin 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With very few exceptions, the mobility analysis of extraterrestrial rovers has been carried out using empirical terramechanics models originally established for military vehicle mobility analysis. This contribution employs a physics-based terramechanics model, the so called continuum representation model (CRM), which employs partial differential equations solved using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method. The resulting terramechanics model displays the speed of the simpler empirical models, yet produces results comparable in fidelity to those generated by the computationally costly discrete element method (DEM). We demonstrate the versatility of the CRM approach by simulating the single-wheel system of the Yutu lunar rover. Simulations were conducted to comparatively analyze the effects of particle size, slip control policy, and soil parameters on wheel performance. The accuracy of the single-wheel CRM results was assessed using “ground truth” DEM results. Subsequently, to gain a system-level understanding of the performance of the Yutu rover, the vehicle was modeled as a multibody system, and mobility simulations were run on de-formable CRM terrain. The performance of the full rover, as captured in tractive force, wheel torque, wheel sinkage, and traction vs. slope tests, was examined under various test conditions. Finally, we examine how various wheel features, e.g., its radius and grouser width/height/count, affect the mobility performance of the rover. All simulations were conducted using an open-source, publicly available simulator called Chrono. 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