Stiffness Analysis of Corrugated Flexure Beam Used in Compliant Mechanisms

Conventional flexible joints generally have limited range of motion and high stress concentration. To overcome these shortcomings, corrugated flexure beam（CF beam） is designed because of its large flexibility obtained from longer overall length on the same span. The successful design of compliant mechanisms using CF beam requires manipulation of the stiffnesses as the design variables. Empirical equations of the CF beam stiffness components, except of the torsional stiffness, are obtained by curve-fitting method. The application ranges of all the parameters in each empirical equation are also discussed. The ratio of off-axis to axial stiffness is considered as a key characteristic of an effective compliant joint. And parameter study shows that the radius of semi-circular segment and the length of straight segment contribute most to the ratio. At last, CF beam is used to design translational and rotational flexible joints, which also verifies the validity of the empirical equations. CF beam with large flexibility is presented, and empirical equations of its stiffness are proposed to facilitate the design of flexible joint with large range of motion.

An efficient stiffness analysis model based on shear deformation theory for flexible skin shear variable-sweep wing

Fixed-wing aircraft cannot maintain optimal aerodynamic performance at different flight speeds. As a type of morphing aircraft, the shear variable-sweep wing(SVSW) can dramatically improve its aerodynamic performance by altering its shape to adapt to various flight conditions.In order to achieve smooth continuous shear deformation, SVSW's skin adopts a flexible composite skin design instead of traditional aluminum alloy materials. However, this also brings about the non-linear difficulty in stiffness modeling and calculation. In this research, a new SVSW design and efficient stiffness modeling method are proposed. Based on shear deformation theory, the flexible composite skin is equivalently modeled as diagonally arranged nonlinear springs, simulating the elastic force interaction between the skin and the mechanism. By shear loading tests of flexible composite skin, the accuracy of this flexible composite skin modeling method is verified. The SVSW stiffness model was established, and its accuracy was verified through static loading tests. The effects of root connection, sweep angles, and flexible composite skin on the SVSW stiffness are analyzed. Finally, considering three typical flight conditions of SVSW: low-speed flow(Ma = 0.3,Re = 5.82 × 10^(6)), transonic flow(Ma = 0.9, Re = 3.44 × 10^(6)), and supersonic flow(Ma = 3,Re = 7.51 × 10^(6)), the stiffness characteristics of SVSW under flight conditions were evaluated.The calculated results guide the application of SVSW.

Optimizing accuracy of a parabolic cylindrical deployable antenna mechanism based on stiffness analysis

Accuracy of the fitted surface is of great importance to the performance of deployable antennas utilized in space.This paper proposes a stiffness analysis based fitting accuracy optimization method for achieving the optimal parameters of the parabolic cylindrical deployable antenna mechanism.The stiffness matrix of the proposed cylindrical antenna mechanism is established by assembling the stiffness of beams and tension cables.Structural deformations of the mechanism are calculated where the tensioned cable is substituted by a 2-node truss element and an equivalent force acting on the joint.Consideration of the tensity of tension cables,namely tensioned or slack,is transformed into a typical linear complementarity problem.Comparison between structural deformations of the mechanism fixed at different points is performed.Sensitivities of the geometric and structural parameters on fitting accuracy are investigated.Influence of force of the driven cable on structural deformations of antenna operated in different orbits is conducted.A fitting optimization method is proposed to minimize the structural deformations subject to constraints on volume and mass.Simulation result shows that the fitting accuracy of the antenna mechanism is improved significantly through the optimization.The proposed method can be utilized for the optimal design of other deployable mechanisms constructed by joining rigid links.

General Kinetostatic Modeling and Deformation Analysis of a Two-Module Rod-Driven Continuum Robot with Friction Considered

Continuum robots actuated by flexible rods have large potential applications,such as detection and operation tasks in confined environments,since the push and pull actuation of flexible rods withstand tension and compressive force,and increase the structure's rigidity.In this paper,a generalized kinetostatics model for multi-module and multi-segment continuum robots considering the effect of friction based on the Cosserat rod theory is established.Then,the model is applied to a two-module rod-driven continuum robot with winding ropes to analyze its deformation and load characteristics.Four different in-plane configurations under the external load term as S1,S2,C1,and C2 are defined.Taking a bending plane as an example,the tip deformation along thex-axis of these shapes is simulated and compared,which shows that the load capacity of C1 and C2 is generally larger than that of S1 and S2.Furthermore,the deformation experiments and simulations show that the maximum error ratio without external loads relative to the total length is no more than 3%,and it is no more than 4.7%under the external load.The established kinetostatics model is proven sufficient to accurately analyze the rod-driven continuum robot with the consideration of internal friction.

Kinematic,Workspace and Force Analysis of A Five-DOF Hybrid Manipulator R(2RPR)R/SP+RR

In the present study,the over-constrained hybrid manipulator R(2RPR)R/SP+RR is considered as the research objective.In this paper,kinematics of the hybrid manipulator,including the forward and inverse position,are analyzed.Then,the workspace is checked based on the inverse position solution to evaluate whether the workspace of the hybrid manipulator meets the requirements,and the actual workspace of the hybrid robot is analyzed.After that,the force analysis of the over-constrained parallel mechanism is carried out,and an ADAMS-ANSYS rigid-flexible hybrid body model is established to verify the simulation.Based on the obtained results from the force analysis,the manipulator structure is designed.Then,the structure optimization is carried out to improve the robot stiffness.Finally,calibration and workspace verification experiments are performed on the prototype,cutting experiment of an S-shaped aluminum alloy workpiece is completed,and the experiment verifies the machining ability of the prototype.This work conducts kinematics,workspace,force analyses,structural optimization design and experiments on the over-constrained hybrid manipulator R(2RPR)R/SP+RR,providing design basis and technical support for the development of the novel hybrid manipulator in practical engineering.

LOADS INFLUENCE ANALYSIS ON NOVEL HIGH PRECISION FLEXURE PARALLEL POSITIONER

A large workspace flexure parallel positioner system is developed, which can attain sub-micron scale accuracy over cubic centimeter motion range for utilizing novel wide-range flexure hinges instead of the conventional mechanism joints. Flexure hinges eliminate backlash and friction, but on the other hand their deformation caused by initial loads influences the positioning accuracy greatly, so discussions about loads＇ influence analysis on this flexure parallel positioner is very necessary. The stiffness model of the whole mechanism is presented via stiffness assembly method based on the stiffness model of individual flexure hinge, And the analysis results are validated by the finite element analysis （FEA） simulation and experiment tests, which provide essential data to the practical application of this positioner system.

Analysis and Inverse Substructuring Computation on Dynamic Quality of Mechanical Assembly

Mechanical assembly has its own dynamic quality directly affecting the dynamic quality of whole product and should be considered in quality inspection and estimation of mechanical assembly. Based on functional relations between dynamic characteristics involved in mechanical assembly, the effects of assembling process on dynamic characteristics of substructural components of an assembly system are investigated by substructuring analysis. Assembly-coupling dynamic stiffness is clarified as the dominant factor of the effects and can be used as a quantitative measure of assembly dynamic quality. Two computational schemes using frequency response functions（FRFs） to determine the stiffness are provided and discussed by inverse substructuring analysis, including their applicable conditions and implementation procedure in application. Eigenvalue analysis on matrix-ratios of FRFs before and after assembling is employed and well validates the analytical outcomes and the schemes via both a lumped-parameter model and its analogic experimental counterpart. Applying the two schemes to inspect the dynamic quality provides the message of dynamic performance of the assembly system, and therefore improves conventional quality inspection and estimation of mechanical assembly in completeness.

Spectra of seismic force reduction factors of MDOF systems normalized by two characteristic periods

Seismic force reduction factor(SFRF) spectra of shear-type multi-degree-of-freedom(MDOF) structures are investigated. The modified Clough model, capable of considering the strength-degradation/hardening and stiffnessdegradation, is adopted. The SFRF mean spectra using 102 earthquake records on a typical site soil type(type C) are constructed with the period abscissa being divided into three period ranges to maintain the peak features at the two sitespecific characteristic periods. Based on a large number of results, it is found that the peak value of SFRF spectra may also exist for MDOF, induced by large high-mode contributions to elastic base shear, besides the mentioned two peak values. The variations of the stiffness ratio λk and the strength ratio λF of the top to bottom story are both considered. It is found that the SFRFs for λF ≤λk are smaller than those for λF > λk. A SFRF modification factor for MDOF systems is proposed with respect to SDOF. It is found that this factor is significantly affected by the story number and ductility. With a specific λF(= λk0.75), SFRF mean spectra are constructed and simple solutions are presented for MDOF systems. For frames satisfying the strong column/weak beam requirement, an approximate treatment in the MDOF shear-beam model is to assign a post-limit stiffness 15%-35% of the initial stiffness to the hysteretic curve. SFRF spectra for MDOF systems with 0.2 and 0.3 times the post-limit stiffness are remarkably larger than those without post-limit stiffness. Thus, the findings that frames with beam hinges have smaller ductility demand are explained through the large post-limit stiffness.

Modeling and Analysis of Soft Bionic Fingers for Contact State Estimation

Contact state estimation is significant for evaluating grasp stability of bionic hands,especially in unknown environments or without visual/tactile feedback.It still remains challenging,particularly for soft bionic hands without integrating complicated external sensors on soft fingers.Focusing on this issue,a proprioceptive-sensing-based systematic solution is proposed to estimate the contact state of soft bionic fingers in a single grasp.A kinematic model for soft fingers is first developed to capture the joint rotation angles and tendon displacement.A kinetostatic model is further built to estimate the contact force when soft fingers come in contact with objects.On this basis,a system stiffness model for soft fingers during preshaping and initial contact with objects is proposed to perceive the contact state.Moreover,an instantaneous stiffness model for soft fingers when initial contact occurs is developed for estimating the contact position on certain phalanges,especially the contact position along the distal phalange.The proposed proprioceptive-sensing-based approach is the first application in soft fingers without integrating complicated external sensors,which makes them concise and practical.Experiments are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposal.

A simple fabricated thickness-based stiffness gradient for cell studies

In this work, we developed a simple method to fabricate a thickness-based continuous stiffness gradient for biological studies. It was made by glass slides, polydimethylsiloxane （PDMS） pre-polymer, spacer and clips only, without any sophisticated equipment. It is easy to fabricate in any general biological and pharmaceutical laboratories. The stiffness gradient was characterized in terms of apparent Young＇s modulus by atomic force microscopy （AFM） and the Young＇s modulus along the gradient was found to be 8.5- 120 kPa, which is within the physiological relevant range. HeLa-C3 ceils were cultured on the gradient to study their morphological behavior according to the substrate stiffness. Furthermore, the drug efficiency of etoposide, an anti-cancer drug, was studied along the substrate stiffness gradient. It was found that HeLa-C3 cells cultured on the soft region of the gradient （8.5-11 kPa） are more sensitive to etoposide. We believe the proposed device could promote cell investigations and drug screenings on a substrate with comparable stiffness to the native tissue.

Stifness modeling and analysis of a novel 4-DOF PKM for manufacturing large components

Faster response to orientation varying is one of the outstanding abilities of a parallel kinematic machine（PKM）.It enables such a system to act as a reconfgurable module employed to machine large components effciently.The stiffness formulation and analysis are the beforehand key tasks for its parameters design.A novel PKM with four degrees of freedom（DOFs）is proposed in this paper.The topology behind it is 2PUS-2PRS parallel mechanism.Its semianalytical stiffness model is frstly obtained,where the generalized Jacobian matrix of 2PUS-2PRS is formulated with the help of the screw theory and the stiffness coeffcients of complicated components are estimated by integrating fnite element analysis and numerical ftting.Under the help of the model,it is predicted that the property of system stiffness distributes within the given workspace,which features symmetry about a certain plane and is also verifed by performing fnite element analysis of the virtual prototype.Furthermore,key parameters affecting the system stiffness are identifed through sensitivity analysis.These provide insights for further optimization design of this PKM.

Development of a masticatory robot using a novel cable-driven linear actuator with bidirectional motion

Masticatory robots are an effective in vitro performance testing device for dental material and mandibular prostheses.A cable-driven linear actuator(CDLA)capable of bidirectional motion is proposed in this study to design a masticatory robot that can achieve increasingly human-like chewing motion.The CDLA presents remarkable advantages,such as lightweight and high stiffness structure,in using cable amplification and pulley systems.This work also exploits the proposed CDLA and designs a masticatory robot called Southeast University masticatory robot(SMAR)to solve existing problems,such as bulky driving linkage and position change of the muscle’s origin.Stiffness analysis and performance experiment validate the CDLA’s efficiency,with its stiffness reaching 1379.6 N/mm(number of cable parts n=4),which is 21.4 times the input wire stiffness.Accordingly,the CDLA’s force transmission efficiencies in two directions are 84.5%and 85.9%.Chewing experiments are carried out on the developed masticatory robot to verify whether the CDLA can help SMAR achieve a natural human-like chewing motion and sufficient chewing forces for potential applications in performance tests of dental materials or prostheses.