Abstract
In this paper, a series of excavation tests were conducted with a carefully designed apparatus and testbed based on soil mechanics theories to obtain reliable excavation forces in Tongji-1 lunar soil simulant at first. Then the measured data were compared with the forces predicted by six typical analytical models to verify their capability of accurately capturing the effects of cutting depth, rake angle, blade width and cutting speed. The results show that for the horizontal excavation forces, the Zeng model, the Kobayashi model, the Mckyes model and the Swick and Perumpral model can capture the effects of cutting depth, and the Lockheed-Martin/Viking model could capture the effects of the cutting depth, blade width and rake angle. For the vertical excavation forces, the Swick and Perumpral model and the Mckyes model can capture the effects of the cutting depth, blade width and rake angle. The overall assessment of excavation force predictions shows that the Lockheed-Martin/Viking model, the Zeng model, the Swick and Perumpral model and the Mckyes model are recommended for predicting the horizontal excavation force, and the Swick and Perumpral model and the Mckyes model are recommended for predicting the vertical excavation force.