The study of normal force model for the flow of lunar dust particles

Lunar dust can cause mechanical clogging and seal failures in lunar events, so it is essential to study the contact state of lunar dust particles which stuck in the mechanisms. The soft ball model based on Hertz theory is commonly used in particle contact problem. However, the assumptions of soft ball model are not applicable to lunar dust particles with irregular shapes and rough surfaces. To solve the problem, the power function model and exponential function model were proposed based on discrete element theory and nonlinear models in the rock and soil mechanics. The nonlinear relationship between normal force and displacement was obtained by static load compression test and the experimental data were imported into MATLAB to finish curve fitting. The experimental results show that the nonlinear stress-strain relationship of lunar dust particles can be most accurately described by the power function model. Meanwhile, the concept of equivalent elastic coefficient was introduced to simplify the simulating process. The lunar dust particles can be modeled as smooth spherical particles and the nonlinear stress-strain relationship can be described by equivalent elastic coefficient. With the new method, the theoretical model can be simplified and the simulation efficiency can be improved without affecting the model accuracy.