NASA's RASSOR 3.0 Bucket Drum

grabcad

DESCRIPTION: • The bucket drum combines NASA's RASSOR 1.0 and RASSOR 2.0 technologies. • Its design is also inspired by the world's largest excavator machine, The Bagger 288's bucket wheel. • It is designed to efficiently manage weight, dimensional specs, fill capacity, fill rate, holding and unloading regolith while keeping manufacturability and simplicity in mind. CONSTRUCTION: • Designed using Solidworks software. • Rendered with Solidworks Photoview 360 software. • The bucket drum consists of four separate parts, but can be made into a single piece or four pieces depending on the manufacturing process. It's recommended to 3D print the bucket drum in one piece for simplicity. MATERIALS USED: • Scoop blades: Made from titanium (Ti-6Al-4V). • Side blades: Also made from titanium (Ti-6Al-4V). • Bucket drum: Constructed with carbon fiber. • Side cap: Made from carbon fiber. WORKING: • When the bucket rotates clockwise, it scoops up regolith from the lunar surface and passes between baffles into the drum chamber. • The bucket will not drop any regolith until it reaches maximum capacity. • When the bucket rotates anti-clockwise, unloading begins. • The gradual reduction of baffle radius ensures larger stones don't enter the main chamber, saving holding space. • This bucket is designed for minimal maintenance. • The side cap can be removed if needed. • The side blades have grooves to grip rocks while scaling tough terrain and guide through regolith. SPECIFICATIONS ACHIEVED: • Scoop width: Under 175 mm. • Maximum bucket drum mass: 4.55 kg. • Maximum bucket drum diameter: 450 mm. • Maximum bucket drum length: 360 mm. • MAX volume of regolith captured: Up to 40 liters. • Fill ratio: Approximately 80%. • Wall thickness: 1.50 mm. Note: The appearance and logos in the renders are for visual representation only, and this model is not owned or sponsored by any company. I would like to thank GRABCAD for providing an opportunity; it has been a great learning experience accomplishing this challenge. Thank you all for visiting!