Customizable and optimized drill bits bio-inspired from wood-wasp ovipositor morphology for extraterrestrial surfaces

Abstract

As massive scientific information is trapped inside the geologic formation of planetary bodies, the objectives of most exploration missions mainly involve sampling, in-situ testing and analyzing of the cutting's formation for seeking any sign of primitive life or resources. This can be accomplished by subsurface exploration by specific drilling techniques which entail challenges that are apparently more complex than drilling on the earth. One of these challenges is the low-gravity that should be compensated by the over-head mass of the drilling system. This excessive mass represents a burden during launching the mission. Therefore, it is necessary to choose an energy efficient and light-weight drilling system capable of reaching high depths. This article focuses on optimizing drill bit geometry (i.e., profiles, cross-sections, and teeth) of the bio-inspired wood-wasp drill for targeting new potential depths into the Martian regolith and reducing its drilling time. Different morphological designs of the drill bit are generated and experimentally tested for their drilling feasibility into fine and coarse-grain Martian regolith. A Comparison between old and new proposed drill bits is presented, based on drilling time, consumed power, and slope of depth-time curve. The proposed designs show a significant reduction of the drilling time between 20% to 56.5% over the old one, while the required over-head mass (OHM) and power to penetrate 760mm depth is only 3kg and 45 watts, respectively. This practical work reveals the necessity of getting customizable drill bits for each single location of the extraterrestrial surfaces even on Moon or Mars based on its unique character which can be categorized as soft and hard formulations.