Rubber Gate RASSOR Design

grabcad

Max Width EngagedMass - 4.91814 kgMax Diameter - 450mmMax Length - 345 mmMax Total Volume Captured - 40.21 LFill Ratio Exceeds 50%This design is very similar to the original RASSOR bucket in its exterior design. The main difference is that it uses a rubber tear-drop-shaped flap gate to trap regolith once in the drum. When the counter-rotating drums are at the bottom of their stroke the flaps are forced open by the pressure of the regolith. Once the bucket is full, the rotation can be reversed to open the gates and empty the drum. This assembly contains 5 unique parts and is fastened with 5/16 Nylock nuts. The ends are made from 1060 Aluminum Alloy. The interior dividers are made of the same Aluminum. All of the Aluminum parts can be made by a CNC (milled, laser-cut, plasma, waterjet). The curved encloser pieces are made of Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT) and can be manufactured by cutting a sheet to size and heat forming. The rubber gate could be made through additive manufacturing or injection molding. The connecting rod is made of carbon steel and would be turned and threaded on a lathe. This design could hold at least 40 liters of Regolith if completely full but would most likely perform best with a fill of 25-30 liters.