Mechanics analysis of a wheelchair robot with wheel-track coupling mechanism

A barrier-free wheelchair robot with a mechanism coupled by wheel and track is presen- ted in this paper. Using the wheelchair, the lower limb disabled persons could be more relaxed to take part in outdoor activities whether on flat ground or stairs and obstacles in the city. The wheel- track coupling mechanism is designed and the stability of the bodywork of the wheelchair robot on the stairs is analyzed. In order to obtain the stability of wheelchair robot when it climbs obstacles, centroid projection method is applied to analyze the static stability, stability margin is proposed to provide the stability under some dynamic forces, and the push rod rotation angle in terms of the guaranteed stability margin is given. Finally, the dynamic model of the wheelchair robot based on Lagrange equation is established, which can be a theoretical foundation for the wheelchair control system design.

Non-pneumatic mechanical elastic wheel natural dynamic characteristics and influencing factors

Non-pneumatic tire appears to have advantages over traditional pneumatic tire in terms of flat proof and maintenance free.A mechanical elastic wheel(MEW) with a non-pneumatic elastic outer ring which functions as air of pneumatic tire was presented.The structure of MEW was non-inflatable integrated configuration and the effect of hinges was accounted for only in tension. To establish finite element model of MEW, various nonlinear factors, such as geometrical nonlinearity, material nonlinearity and contact nonlinearity, were considered. Load characteristic test was conducted by tyre dynamic test-bed to obtain force-deflection curve. And the finite element model was validated through load characteristic test. Natural dynamic characteristics of the MEW and its influencing factors were investigated based on the finite element model. Simulation results show that the finite element model closely matched experimental wheel. The results also show that natural frequency is related to ground constraints, material properties, loads and torques. Influencing factors as above obviously affect the amplitude of mode of vibration, but have little effect on mode of vibration shape. The results can provide guidance for experiment research, structural optimization of MEW.

Influence Analysis of Machining and Installation Errors on the Radial Stiffness of a Non-Pneumatic Mechanical Elastic Wheel

Machining and installation errors are unavoidable in mechanical structures. However, the effect of errors on radial stiffness of the mechanical elastic wheel(ME-Wheel) is not considered in previous studies. To this end, the interval mathematical model and interval finite element model of the ME-Wheel were both established and compared with bench test results. The intercomparison of the influence of the machining and installation errors on the ME-Wheel radial stiffness revealed good consistency among the interval mathematical analysis, interval finite element simulation,and bench test results. Within the interval range of the ME-Wheel machining and installation errors, parametric analysis of the combined elastic rings was performed at different initial radial rigidity values. The results showed that the initial radial stiffness of the flexible tire body significantly influenced the ME-Wheel radial stiffness, and the inverse relationship between the hinge unit length or suspension hub and the radial stiffness was nonlinear. The radial stiffness of the ME-Wheel is predicted by using the interval algorithm for the first time, and the regularity of the radial stiffness between the error and the load on the ME-Wheel is studied, which will lay the foundation for the exact study of the ME-Wheel dynamic characteristics in the future.

Integrated yaw and rollover control based on differential braking for off-road vehicles with mechanical elastic wheel

Aiming at the issue of yaw and rollover stability control for off-road vehicles with non-pneumatic mechanical elastic wheel(MEW),an integrated control system based on fuzzy differential braking is developed.By simplifying the structure of the MEW,a corresponding fitting brush tire model is constructed and its longitudinal and lateral tire force expressions are set up,respectively.Then,a nonlinear vehicle simulation model with MEW is established to validate the proposed control scheme based on Carsim.The designed yaw and rollover control system is a two-level structure with the upper additional moment controller,which utilizes a predictive load transfer ratio(PLTR)as the rollover index.In order to design the upper integrated control algorithm,fuzzy proportional-integral-derivative(PID)is adopted to coordinate the yaw and rollover control,simultaneously.And the lower control allocator realizes the additional moment to the vehicle by differential braking.Finally,a Carsim-simulink co-simulation model is constructed,and simulation results show that the integrated control system could improve the vehicle yaw and roll stability,and prevent rollover happening.

Static Radical Stiffness and Contact Behavior of Nonpneumatic Mechanical Elastic Wheel

Conventional pneumatic tires exhibit disadvantages such as puncture,blowout at high speed,pressure maintenance,etc.Owing to these structural inevitable weaknesses,non?pneumatic tires have been developed and are investigated.A non?pneumatic mechanical elastic wheel(NPMEW)is introduced and investigated as a function of static radical stiffness characteristics and contact behavior.A bench test method is utilized to improve the riding comfort and the traction traffic ability of NPMEW based on tire characteristics test rig,and the static radical stiffness characteristics and the contact behavior of NPMEW are compared with that of an insert supporting run?flat tire(ISRFT).The vertical force?deformation curves and deformed shapes and contact areas of the NPMEW and ISRFT are obtained using a set of vertical loads.The contact behavior is evaluated using extracted geometrical and mechanical feature parameters of the two tires.The results indicate that the NPMEW appears to exhibit considerably high radical stiffness,and the numerical value is dependent on the mechanical characteristic of the flexible tire body and hinge units.NPMEW demonstrates more uniform contact pressure than ISRFT within a certain loading range,and it can efficiently mitigate the problem of stress concentration in ISRFT shoulder under heavy load and enhance the wear resistance and ground grip performances.

High Efficiency Axial Deep Creep-Feed Grinding Machining Technology of Engineering Ceramics Materials

Axial deep creep-feed grinding machining technology is a high efficiency process method of engineering ceramics materials, which is an original method to process the cylindrical ceramics materials or hole along its axis. The analysis of axial force and edge fracture proved the cutting thickness and feed rate could be more than 5-10 mm and 200 mm/min respectively in once process, and realized high efficiency, low-cost process of engineering ceramics materials. Compared with high speed-deep grinding machining, this method is also a high efficiency machining technology of engineering ceramics materials as well as with low cost. In addition, removal mechanism analyses showed that both median/radial cracks and lateral cracks appeared in the part to be removed, and the processed part is seldom destroyed, only by adjusting the axial force to control the length of transverse cracks.

Real drive cycles analysis by ordered power methodology applied to fuel consumption,C0_(2),NO_(x) and PM emissions estimation

In this work three fuel consumption and exhaust emission models,ADVISOR,VT-MICRO and the European Environmental Agency Emission factors,have been used to obtain fuel consumption(FC)and exhaust emissions.These models have been used at micro-scale,using the two signal treatment methods presented.The manuscript presents:1)a methodology to collect data in real urban driving cycles,2)an estimation of FC and tailpipe emissions using some available models in literature,and 3)a novel analysis of the results based on delivered wheel power.The results include Fuel Consumption(FC),CO_(2),NO_(x) and PM_(10) emissions,which are derived from the three simulators.In the first part of the paper we present a new procedure for incomplete drive cycle data treatment,which is necessary for real drive cycle acquisition in high density cities.Then the models are used to obtain second by second FC and exhaust emissions.Finally,a new methodology named Cycle Analysis by Ordered Power(CAbOP)is presented and used to compare the results.This method consists in the re-ordering of time dependant data,considering the wheel mechanical power domain instead of the standard time domain.This new strategy allows the 5 situations in drive cycles to be clearly visualized:hard breaking zone,slowdowns,idle or stop zone,sustained speed zone and acceleration zone.The complete methodology is applied in two real drive cycles surveyed in Barcelona(Spain)and the results are compared with a standardized WLTC urban cycle.