Dynamic simulation of actively-coordinated wheeled vehicle systems on uneven terrain

In this paper, a graphical dynamic simulator is developed that can simulate actively-coordinated wheeled vehicle systems on uneven faceted terrain. Based on the considerations of model fidelity and computational efficiency, a simple geometric modes for wheel-terrain contact is proposed. In addition, a computationally-efficient algorithm for contact detection is developed. We also devise a contact force model based on soil mechanics. Simulation results of a case, where the wheeled actively articulated vehicle traverses a concave edge between facets, are used to demonstrate the good performance of our contact model.