Unlocking Efficiencies in Earthmoving for Future Infrastructure: Modeling Plowing and Cutting Processes in Soils

这项调查将促进了解土壤是如何通过与土方工具和机械的相互作用机械移动和成型。人类为土木建筑、采矿和农业移动了大量的土壤，但我们对机器与土壤相互作用的物理过程的了解却令人惊讶地有限。这个项目将产生一个新的一类计算模型，模拟基本的土方工程过程。与此同时，在实验室小规模完成的实验项目将提供评估模型所需的物理见解和高质量数据。这项探索性的研究将为未来土方机械的优化和自动化的长期研究奠定基础，从而实现新的、潜在的激进的机器设计和技术。考虑到人类在美国和世界其他地区移动地球的规模，即使是最小的突破，也会带来更高的效率和生产力的提高，这将对降低成本，缩短生产时间和减少能源消耗产生深远的长期影响。本项目将专门开发和验证土壤中耕作和切割过程的力学模型。由于探索性研究旨在扩展到更广泛的研究，检查各种各样的机器配置和土壤类型，重点是干燥的颗粒材料，基本的工具形状，和相对简单的工具运动。具体的研究目标是（1）制定一类新的理论模型的基础上塑性理论的运动学方法和（2）通过进行一系列的初步实验，在西北大学的一个新的设施，利用流化床样品制备和一个完全仪表化的6轴机器人电枢的驱动和力的测量，这些模型的通知和验证。这些理论模型建立在涉及大变形的建模过程的新范式上，将是第一个严格有效地预测力和变形的完整历史的模型，有可能实现机器优化和自动化所需的高效率。这项研究将精确和明确地量化特征几何形状和材料的完整力和变形历史，为长期研究计划奠定基础，旨在探索土木建筑，采矿和农业中土方工程的创新设计和技术。

This investigation will advance the understanding of how soils are mechanically moved and shaped through interaction with earthmoving tools and machinery. Humans move enormous quantities of soil for civil construction, mining, and agriculture, but our knowledge of the physical processes by which machines interact with soils is surprising limited. This project will generate a new class of computational models for simulating fundamental earthmoving processes. In parallel, an experimental program completed at small scale in the laboratory will provide physical insights and the high-quality data necessary to assess the models. This exploratory research will form the basis for future long-term studies on the optimization and automation of earthmoving machinery, enabling new, potentially radical, machine designs and techniques. Considering the scale at which humans move earth in US and the rest of the world, even the smallest breakthroughs leading to greater efficiency and increased productivity will have profound long-term effects with respect to reducing costs, improving production times, and reducing energy consumption.This project will specifically develop and validate mechanics-based models for plowing and cutting processes in soils. As exploratory research intended to expand into broader studies examining a wide variety of machine configurations and soils types, focus is on dry granular materials, elementary tool shapes, and relatively simple tool motions. Specific research objectives are (1) to formulate a new class of theoretical models based on the kinematic approach of plasticity theory and (2) to inform and validate these models by conducting a series of preliminary experiments in a new facility at Northwestern University utilizing a fluidized bed for sample preparation and a fully instrumented 6-axis robotic armature for actuation and force measurement. The theoretical models are premised on a new paradigm for modeling processes involving large deformation, and will be the first to predict the complete history of forces and deformations rigorously and efficiently, potentially achieving the high levels of efficiency necessary for machine optimization and automation. This research will quantify, precisely and definitively, complete force and deformation histories for characteristic geometries and materials, laying the groundwork for a long-term research program aimed at exploring innovative designs and techniques for earthmoving in civil construction, mining, and agriculture.