Design and advanced manufacturing of a lunar rover using thermoplastic composites

月球探测再次引起了航天机构的高度兴趣。在加拿大航天局(CSA)的案例中，努力的方向是为月球轨道站和月球车开发机械臂。我们项目的主要目标是通过一个由十名研究人员组成的学术研究团队合作项目来设计和制造一辆轻型月球车，该团队来自三个机构(蒙雷阿尔理工学院、理工学院和拉瓦尔大学)、CSA和三个工业合作伙伴(Ariane Group、NanoXplore和M Tan KANIC)。为了实现这一目标，该团队将：(O1)设计满足空间环境要求(如高温、耐辐射、低放气)的热塑性复合材料；(O2)使用(O1)中开发的材料通过添加制造或拉挤工艺制造月球车部件；(03)通过感应焊接组装各种复合材料部件；(O4)开发数值模型以预测复合材料和月球车结构的性能；以及(O5)集成不同系统以获得功能强大的月球车原型。这项工作是由CSA发起并由CREPEC(远景方案)资助的另一个项目的继续，为期三年。这项研究项目提出了创新的材料配方、制造和组装解决方案，以显著降低结构的重量、成本和制造时间，同时提高产品在极端条件下的耐用性。这个雄心勃勃的项目的实现将标志着空间部门和整个交通运输领域的重大技术突破，并将是加拿大空间计划在魁北克、加拿大和国际上的一个独特展示。该项目将在实验工作和数值模拟之间提供平衡的培训，并将在热塑性复合材料、添加剂制造、空间分级材料等不同领域产生重要的知识进步。

Lunar exploration has again become of high interest for space agencies. In the case of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), efforts are directed towards the development of a robotic arm for a lunar orbital station and a lunar rover. The main objective of our project is to design and manufacture a lightweight lunar rover through a collaborative project between an academic research team of ten researchers, from three institutions (Polytechnique Montréal, École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS) and Université Laval), CSA and three industrial partners (ArianeGroup, NanoXplore and MËKANIC). To reach this objective, the team will: (O1) design thermoplastic composite materials that meet the requirements of the space environment (e.g., high temperature, resistance to radiation, low outgassing), (O2) manufacture the rover components by additive manufacturing or pultrusion process using the materials developed in (O1), (O3) assemble the various composites components by induction welding, (O4) develop numerical models to predict the properties of composites and of the lunar rover structures and (O5) integrate the different systems to obtain a functional rover prototype. This work is the continuation of another project initiated by the CSA and funded by the CREPEC (Vision program) for three years. This research project proposes innovative material formulations, manufacturing and assembly solutions to significantly reduce the weight, cost and the manufacturing time of structures while improving product durability under extreme conditions. The realization of this ambitious project will point to a major technological breakthrough in the space sector and transportation in general and will be a unique showcase of the Canadian space program in Quebec, Canada and internationally. This project will provide a balanced training between experimental works and numerical modeling and will generate important knowledge advancements in various fields including thermoplastic composites, additive manufacturing, space-graded materials, etc.