Design of a bimodal self-burying robot
Subterranean exploration so far has primarily been performed with the assistance and involvement of human beings. As more ground is broken and more layers are explored, the need for a robotic solution to make digging both easier and safer becomes greater. The applications of a self-burying robot extend from mining and military applications to humanitarian applications. This paper elucidates design principles that form the foundation for self burying robots. In this paper, a bimodal robot is described which is capable of travelling above-ground in one mode and capable of burying itself in the other mode. The variables that affect digging are examined, as well as the design decisions made in order to optimize the resources available to the robot. Finally, future work in the area of self-burying robots is discussed.
Subsurface Explorer Robot with Peristaltic Crawling Mechanism
In recent years, unmanned planetary explorations have received a lot of attention in the world. Direct exploration missions to land softly and traverse on the surface of the moon or other planets have been studied and planned in the world. Japan has earnestly studied lunar lander-rover missions. In these missions, it is required to conduct in-situ analysis of geological samples and deploy devices for measurement and observation. Recently deep drillers or penetrating systems have been required to obtain deep data for subsurface exploration. In lunar or planetary missions, it is needed to excavate the regolith layer, which covers the lunar surface, in depth of several meters. This paper, describes lunar or planetary mission scenarios and scientific requirements. A detailed surface and subsurface exploration by a mobile explorer is presented. Then this paper proposes a worm-typed drilling robot which is maneuverable in regolith by peristaltic crawling and the developed earth auger. A new mechanism to move forward in the soil is described. A propulsion unit using dual pantographs with a large area of an expansion plate is developed. The drilling function is studied by analyses and some experiments. The experimental results show the feasibility of the proposed robot.
Effects of the mineral phase and valence of vanadium on vanadium extraction from stone coal
The influence of roasting on the leaching rate and valence of vanadium was evaluated during vanadium extraction from stone coal. Vanadium in stone coal is hard to be leached and the leaching rate is less than 10% when the raw ore is leached by 4 mol/L H2SO4 at 90°C for 2 h. After the sample is roasted at 900°C for 2 h, the leaching rate of vanadium reaches the maximum, and more than 70% of vanadium can be leached. The crystal of vanadium-bearing mica minerals decomposes and the content of V(V) increases with the rise of roasting temperature from 600 to 900°C, therefore the leaching rate of vanadium increases significantly with the decomposition of the mica minerals. Some new phases, anorthite for example, form when the roasting temperature reaches 1000°C. A part of vanadium may be enwrapped in the sintered materials and newly formed phases, which may impede the oxidation of low valent vanadium and make the leaching rate of vanadium drop dramatically. The leaching rate of vanadium is not only determined by the valence state of vanadium but also controlled by the decomposition of vanadium-bearing minerals and the existence state of vanadium to a large extent.