RU2770387C1 - Engineering moon machine and method for its operation - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: engineering machines.SUBSTANCE: inventions group relates to engineering machines intended for operation in natural conditions of the Moon and other celestial bodies having a solid surface. Engineering lunar machine contains a supporting truss frame, running gear, control panel and control units, earth-moving construction equipment, caterpillar-wheel modules with the possibility of transforming them into wheel propellers and flooring. The equipment is built into the truss frame in such a way that an arrow with an excavator bucket and a bulldozer blade are built into one of its ends, a ripper, racks with handrails and autonomous portable consoles, fixing platforms with means for fixing spacesuit boots, a semi-rigid stop under the cosmonaut's spacesuit backpack, a fixation and cushioning of an astronaut in a semi-rigid space suit.EFFECT: creation of a monoblock multifunctional engineering machine with built-in soil excavation units is achieved.2 cl, 4 dwg

Description

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to space technology, namely, engineering machines intended for operation in the natural conditions of the Moon and other celestial bodies having a solid surface.

The trend actively declared in the scientific press and the media in the development of world space activities is the Moon, its exploration, development, scientific and economic exploitation as the seventh continent of the planet Earth. To achieve this goal, humanity must learn to live and work on the moon.

The arrangement of habitable objects delivered from the Earth or being built on the Moon will become a promising and inevitable task when deploying a lunar base station.

The construction process is preceded by work on the preparation of the construction site and the zero cycle. Under the conditions of the mining and technical situation on the Moon, when planning a construction site, it will be necessary to remove large stones into a dump, dump or cut off microrelief elements, crater ramparts, lay trenches and pits, embankment and soil protection of objects.

For the development of soils on the Moon, technologies and engineering machines will be created that are adequate to the construction tasks and natural conditions of the Moon. At the same time, the practice of land management and the experience of operating engineering machines on Earth, as well as predecessor projects, are analyzed as criteria for choosing the appearance of engineering machines for hypogravitational space.

A well-known lunar engineering vehicle contains a four-wheeled special power chassis, which houses a sealed, heat-insulated cabin with a manhole, viewing windows, spotlights and cameras, with a control panel, blocks of individual systems (life support, remote control), designed to work in it alone cosmonaut-operator without a spacesuit, while including a set of attachments: a bulldozer blade, a crane, a drill, a manipulator, etc. with electromechanical drives, powered by a special internal combustion engine running on rocket fuel components. (http://gagarin.energia.ru/past-future/267-iz-arkhiva-sozdanie-zaryvayushchejsya-lunn). Prototype.

The method of using the well-known lunar engineering vehicle is that the vehicle is placed in the garage of the living compartment of the lunar station, the astronaut from the workshop passes through the manhole into the cabin of the vehicle, leaves the garage through the hinged door, which simultaneously serves as a ladder (ramp), after completing work they enter the car along the ladder into the garage, close the ladder door, the operator goes through the manhole into the workshop. (http://gagarin.energia.ru/past-future/267-iz-arkhiva-sozdanie-zaryvayushchejsya-lunn). Prototype.

Consider the main factors that shape the design of an engineering machine.

For the types of soil development mentioned above, there is and is operated a fleet of multi-purpose engineering mobile machines equipped with special units: a bulldozer, a scraper, a grader, an excavator, etc.

It seems expedient to use the principle of a basic tractor with a set of interchangeable equipment, which is what general specialists write about and offer.

However, the work of remounting units and working parts on a tractor in lunar conditions is estimated as difficult: for the time being, one cannot count on the fact that in the early stages of the exploration of the Moon this work will be carried out in a hermetically sealed hangar, with a normal atmosphere and temperature, by an experienced mechanic in overalls, and not an astronaut in an inflated space suit.

Therefore, one should strive to create a monoblock multifunctional engineering machine, in its initial configuration capable of ensuring the execution of all operations in the flow of a given technical process, i.e. machines with built-in digging units.

The type of mover is one of the characteristic features of earth-moving machines. Caterpillar and wheel propellers are widespread. Less well known are walking, wheel-walking, jumping, etc. (http://epizodyspace.ru/bibl/ziv/1991/5/planetoh.html). The mover of an engineering vehicle must have a reference cross-country ability and stability, cross-sectional cross-country ability, high coupling properties with various soils, reliability and maintainability.

Caterpillar undercarriage provides a more even distribution of pressure on the ground, good stability during operation, high cross-country ability and adhesion to the ground, high traction.

Disadvantages of caterpillars: low transport speeds, design complexity, large mass of undercarriage (30 ... 40% of the mass of the machine), significant wear of caterpillar links.

Wheeled undercarriage provides maneuverability and mobility, high transport and working speeds, smooth running, relatively simpler design, high wear resistance, soil transportation over long distances (less operator fatigue with direct control).

Disadvantages of wheeled vehicles: relatively large specific pressure on the ground, lower than that of tracked vehicles, the coefficient of adhesion to the ground (wheel slip is possible in the lifting areas).

Multi-axle with all-wheel drive wheels is an effective means of ensuring all-terrain (cross-country) vehicles by reducing the load on the axle (wheel) and dispersing the total mass of the vehicle over many wheels on a large bearing area. Domestic "Lunokhod-1" was equipped with eight motor-wheels with independent suspension each. The light metal frame of the wheels was covered over the working surface with a metal mesh with lugs. This decision of the chassis turned out to be rational and sufficient for a light research vehicle. (I.I. Cherkasov, V.V. Shvyrev. Ground science of the Moon. Nauka Publishing House. Moscow. 1979. P. 85, 86).

However, the analysis of the data on the movement of Lunokhod-1 showed that the coefficient of wheel slip on the horizontal sections of the route reached 15%, on the slopes of craters this coefficient increased to 20-30%, and the specific free thrust varied from 20 to 41% of the vehicle's own weight. on the Moon (I.I. Cherkasov, V.V. Shvyrev. Soil science of the Moon. Nauka Publishing House. Moscow. 1979. P. 88), which is unacceptable for an engineering machine.

The key question that needs to be answered and an appropriate decision needs to be made when creating an engineering lunar machine: should the lunar machine be equipped with a pressurized cabin for the crew, or should an astronaut dressed in a spacesuit be entrusted with direct and remote control during movement and implementation of its technological mission?

Distinctive features of the pressurized cabin: comfortable conditions for the crew and moderate energy consumption; the duration of the work shift may exceed the temporary resources of the spacesuit operation without recharging; sufficient overview of the treated surface area; the presence of a docking system and an internal transition facilitates communication with the base module.

The pressurized cabin must contain a life support system, as well as, in case of failure of the undercarriage, an airlock compartment, an airlock system, an airtight exit hatch and spacesuits - to be able to return to the base module on foot. In case of failures, malfunctions of the airlock system, crew rescue can only be ensured by the presence of a mobile rescue apparatus with a docking unit as part of the base station. In the absence of such a situation is regarded as catastrophic.

An engineering moon machine that does not contain a pressurized cabin and related systems and units is characterized by a higher level of reliability and reliability.

Taking into account the experience of extravehicular activities of the crew at orbital stations, it can be concluded that an engineering lunar machine that does not contain a pressurized cabin, controlled by an astronaut in a spacesuit, is a rational configuration option for the initial period of lunar exploration (O.S. Tsygankov. The concept of labor activity in the hypogravitational space of the Moon. Aerial - space sphere No. 4 (105) 2020).

The operator in a spacesuit, being at the control post, receives the maximum possible visual contact with the surrounding landscape. A crew member can, without intermediate procedures (for example, locking), go to the ground, inspect the work area, assess the state of the ground, and correct the control actions of the lunar machine operator. This soil-cutting complex contains an autonomous remote control panel that can be used while being close to the surface area being developed. Eliminates the need to dock with the base module, which can be buried and lined with regolith. If the undercarriage fails, the cosmonauts can start walking to the base module without loss of time.

The placement of crew members on the platform of an engineering vehicle in the processes of movement, cyclic functioning of working bodies, on uneven surfaces with a sand-dust layer covering rock-detrital placers and boulder inclusions, is associated with the impact on crew members of multidirectional and different-sized loads. The safety of the crew of mobile technical means is ensured by known means: seat belts in a car, harness systems in aviation, fixation systems in space technology.

Known Rover (Lunar Roving vechicle), equipped with seats for astronauts in soft spacesuits with a soft shell, with seats and backs made of nylon and strips of adhesive material on the back to fix the life support pack, and ribbed nylon seat belts (Cosmonautics. Editor-in-Chief V.P. Glushko, Moscow, Soviet Encyclopedia Publishing House, 1985, p. 227.

It is expected that the operator of the engineering lunar machine will be dressed in a domestic semi-rigid suit of the Krechet-94 type or a structurally similar Orlan. Based on the configuration of the mentioned spacesuits, it is obvious that the “sitting” position is unacceptable, since the dorsal satchel and the container with equipment attached to it are located in such a way that they block that part of the human body that they usually sit on (I.P. Abramov et al. Space suits of Russia, OAO NP Zvezda, Moscow, 2005, pp. 118-159).

Known system of depreciation and fixation (SAF) astronaut in a semi-rigid suit, implemented on the domestic lunar spacecraft (LK). The control of the landing process is feasible when surveying the lower hemisphere, i.e. you need to look forward and down, which is feasible only from a standing position. The SAF was a hinged-rod structure covering part of the spacesuit from the waist to the boots (V.M. Filin. Lunar Attraction. Moscow. Lotos. 15°. The PAF of the lunar spacecraft, in terms of its rigidity, is redundant for fixing the operator at the control station of the engineering lunar vehicle.

The problem of maintaining the stability of the astronaut's body relative to the vertical under conditions of lunar hypogravity is known. The essence of the task of maintaining the balance of a person in the “standing” position is to bring the projection of the center of gravity of the body onto the support surface, determined by the area of the feet and the surface between them, from which it follows that the feet must occupy a certain position (O.S. Tsygankov. The moon in the perspective of the human factor Flight 11. 2007. S. 16 - 23).

A platform with elements for fixing shoes that determines the position of the feet is systematically used in space technology. The absence of moving parts, springs, latches explains its reliability, reliability and ergonomics (O.S. Tsygankov. Labor activity in an unsupported space. Flight 3. 2002. S. 3-12).

In contrast to microgravity conditions, at 0.16g it is advisable to reduce the load from the weight of the suit on the astronaut, shifting it, at least partially, to the design of the created object.

The task of the group of inventions is to create an engineering machine that ensures the productivity and safety of the activities of cosmonauts dressed in semi-rigid space suits in the technical development of soils on the surface of the moon.

The technical result of the group of inventions is to ensure the productive and safe activities of cosmonauts in semi-rigid space suits for the technical development of soils on the surface of the moon.

The technical result of the invention is achieved by the fact that an engineering moon machine containing a supporting truss frame, a running gear, a console and control units, equipment for construction and earth-moving purposes, characterized in that caterpillar-wheel modules are introduced into it with the possibility of transforming them into wheel propellers, flooring, at the same time, the equipment for construction and earth-moving purposes is built-in into the truss frame so that at one of its ends an boom with an excavator bucket and a dozer blade are built-in, at the other end there is a ripper, racks with handrails and autonomous portable consoles for direct and remote control, fixation platforms with means fastening of spacesuit boots, a semi-rigid stop under the cosmonaut's spacesuit satchel, an assembly for fixing and damping an astronaut in a semi-rigid spacesuit under excessive pressure in the "standing" position, consisting of a magnetic lock made in the form of an annular magnet, a helical spring attached at one end to the rack, the other - to the spherical yoke by means of threaded bushings, and the spring is placed in a fabric case, fixed at the ends with bandages, and the receiving socket with an annular magnet is installed on the waist power frame of the semi-rigid spacesuit, boxes for the battery, control devices, communications are built into the frame, aids and supportive tools.

The technical result of the invention is achieved by the fact that the method of operating an engineering lunar machine consists in the fact that astronauts, in semi-rigid spacesuits, take jobs on the lunar machine, install autonomous control panels on racks, depending on production tasks, fix spacesuit boots on the platforms, dock fixation nodes to spacesuits ; if necessary, the cosmonaut is freed from fixing the spacesuit boots, with a portable remote control goes to the ground and controls the process of excavation of the ground: cleaning and planning of the site is carried out using a bulldozer blade while the machine is moving; loosening is carried out using the traction force of the machine; digging with a backhoe excavator is carried out by moving the bucket down towards the machine; an arrow with a bucket is used as a crane-manipulator.

The proposed technical solutions are justified as follows.

1. A set of built-in aggregates for soil excavation ensures the fulfillment of tasks that can be imagined for the initial stage of the deployment of a lunar base station, eliminates the need for remounting, replacing units in open space conditions.

2. Caterpillar-wheeled modular propellers (http://epizodyspace.ru/bibl/ziv/1991/5/planetoh.html) have the positive properties of caterpillar and wheeled propellers, are distinguished by large contact with the ground, are preferred for construction, soil-cutting works, possess high basic and profile passability and stability. Such propellers are highly reliable and maintainable. Leading in the module is one motor-wheel. In the proposed version, the caterpillar chain consists of forged links with high strength and wear resistance, to which lugs are attached (excellent-moto.ru). The chain includes up to 4 detachable links, which allows you to replace individual sections in the chain. Tracked-wheel modules, if necessary, can be transformed into wheel propellers.

3. The control of an engineering lunar machine by an astronaut in a spacesuit expands the possibilities of its operation, increases the efficiency of its use, allows the astronaut to combine different types of labor activity during a work shift (for example, to perform additional surface marking); disproportionate increase in reliability and non-failure operation in comparison with pressurized cabin; exclusion of catastrophic danger in case of suspension failure.

4. The fixation unit and platform provide reliable and sufficiently flexible fixation of the cosmonaut in the “standing” position natural for a semi-rigid spacesuit, conditions for fast response during fixation/unfixation are created, and hands are freed for other manipulations.

5. An emphasis is provided on which the astronaut can rest the spacesuit satchel and partially reduce the load from its weight.

The engineering lunar machine device is shown in figures 1-4:

The figure 1 - structural layout.

Figure 2 is a view along arrow A.

Figure 3 shows a fixation and cushioning assembly.

Figure 4 shows the caterpillar-wheel module (excellent-moto.ru).

Designations on the figures:

1 - truss frame

2, 3, 4, 5 - caterpillar-wheel module

6 - arrow

7 - excavator bucket

8 - dozer blade

9 - ripper 10, 11 - remote control

12, 13, 41, 42 - fixation and shock absorption unit

14 - ring magnet;

15 - helical spring

16 - yoke

17, 18 - threaded sleeve

19, 20 - shoe fixing platform

21 - power frame

22 - case

23, 24 - bandages

25, 26, 39, 40 - rack

27, 28, 29, 30 - emphasis under the spacesuit satchel

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 - handrail

43 - flooring

44 - battery-instrument box.

The engineering moon machine includes a supporting truss frame 1 (FIGS. 1, 2) made of tubular rods and spacers (for example, rolled pipe 25×1, AMg-2 OST1 92002-83); undercarriage, remote control and control units, equipment for construction and earthmoving purposes, while caterpillar-wheel modules 2, 3, 4, 5 are introduced into it (Fig.4; excellent-moto.ru), with the possibility of transforming into wheel propellers, flooring 43 (for example, corrugated aluminum sheet 1, 5 AMg-5 GOST 21631-76), earthmoving equipment is built into the truss frame 1 so that an arrow 6 with an excavator bucket 7 is built into one of its ends (New Polytechnic Dictionary. Main editor A.Yu. Ishlinsky. Moscow. Scientific publishing house "Great Russian encyclopedia. 2000. P. 336) and bulldozer blade 8 (Great Soviet encyclopedia. Moscow. Publishing house Soviet encyclopedia. Editor-in-chief A.M. Prokhorov. 1971; V. 4; S. 107); at the other end - a ripper 9 (TSB. T. 22; S. 455), racks 25, 26, 39, 40 with handrails 31 - 38 and autonomous portable control panels 10, 11 for direct and remote control, fixing platforms with fixing means spacesuit boots 19, 20 cosmonaut (O.S. Tsygankov. Labor activity in unsupported space. Flight 3. 2012. P. 3-12); semi-rigid stop for spacesuit backpack 27, 28, 29, 30 (phenol-formaldehyde foam plastic FF-20 STU 14/07-419-63); fixation and damping unit 12, 13, 41, 42 (Fig. 3) of a cosmonaut in a semi-rigid suit under excessive pressure in the "standing" position, consisting of a magnetic lock made in the form of a ring magnet 14 (O.S. Tsygankov. Magnet in weightlessness Poljot 1. 2010. S. 30-35), helical spring 15 (for example, wire 2-T-12X18H10T, GOST 18143-72), attached with one end to the rack 25, 26, 39, 40, the other end - to the spherical yoke 16 through threaded bushings 17, 18 (htt:/mash/XXLinfo/546872), and the spring 15 is placed in a fabric case 22 (for example, TTA-2 fabric, article 86165-04, TU 8288-039-172778575-2015), fixed at the ends with bandages 23, 24 (polyamide sewing threads, TU 8147-016-0513 8074-0104), and a receiving socket with a ring magnet 14 is installed on the waist power frame of a semi-rigid spacesuit 21 (Abramov I.P. Space suits of Russia. NPO OAO "Zvezda", Moscow, 2005, p. 123), boxes 44 are built into the frame 1 for the battery, control devices, with tie, first aid and auxiliary tools.

The way to operate the engineering lunar machine is that the cosmonauts in semi-rigid spacesuits take their jobs on the lunar machine, install autonomous control panels 10, 11 on racks 25, 26, 39, 40, depending on production tasks, fix spacesuit boots on platforms 19, 20, fixation nodes 12, 13, 41, 42 are docked to spacesuits; if necessary, the cosmonaut is released from fixing the boots of the suit 19, 20, with a portable remote control 10, 11 goes to the ground, controls the process of soil development: cleaning and planning the site is carried out using a bulldozer blade 8 when the machine is moving; loosening is carried out by a ripper 9 due to the traction force of the machine; digging with a backhoe excavator is carried out by moving the bucket 7 down towards the machine; boom 6 with bucket 7 is used as a crane-manipulator, for example, to remove large stones.

Claims (2)

1. An engineering moon machine containing a supporting truss frame, a running gear, a console and control units, equipment for construction and earth-moving purposes, characterized in that caterpillar-wheel modules are introduced into it with the possibility of transforming them into wheel propellers, flooring, while the equipment is construction- earthmoving purpose is built into the truss frame so that at one of its ends an boom with an excavator bucket and a bulldozer blade is built in, at the other end there is a ripper, racks with handrails and autonomous portable consoles for direct and remote control, fixing platforms with means for fixing spacesuit boots, semi-rigid an emphasis under the cosmonaut's spacesuit satchel, an astronaut's fixation and cushioning unit in a semi-rigid spacesuit under excessive pressure in the "standing" position, consisting of a magnetic lock made in the form of an annular magnet, a helical spring attached at one end to the rack, the other - to the spherical yoke by means of a cut bob bushings, and the spring is placed in a fabric cover, fixed at the ends with bandages, and the receiving socket with a ring magnet is installed on the waist power frame of the semi-rigid spacesuit, boxes for the battery, control devices, communications, aids and auxiliary tools are built into the frame. 2. A method of operating an engineering lunar machine, which consists in the fact that cosmonauts in semi-rigid spacesuits take jobs on the lunar machine, install autonomous control panels on racks depending on production tasks, fix spacesuit boots on the platforms, dock fixation units to spacesuits; if necessary, the cosmonaut is freed from fixing the spacesuit boots, with a portable remote control goes to the ground and controls the process of excavation of the ground: cleaning and planning of the site is carried out using a bulldozer blade while the machine is moving; loosening is carried out using the traction force of the machine; digging with a backhoe excavator is carried out by moving the bucket down towards the machine; an arrow with a bucket is used as a crane-manipulator.

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