New Method for Predicting the Motion Responses of A Flexible Joint Multi-Body Floating System to Irregular Waves

A new hybrid method of frequency domain and time domain is developed in this paper to predict the motion responses of a flexibly joint multi-body floating system to irregular waves. The main idea of the method is that the three-dimensional frequency method is used to obtain the hydrodynamic coefficients and the response equations are solved in time domain step by step. All the forces can be obtained at the same time. The motions and nonlinear mooring forces of a box type six-body floating system are predicted. A comparison of the theoretical method-based Solutions with experimental results has shown good agreement.

Stability and oscillations in a slow-fast flexible joint system with transformation delay

Flexible joints are usually used to transfer velocities in robot systems and may lead to delays in motion transformation due to joint flexibility. In this paper, a linkrotor structure connected by a flexible joint or shaft is firstly modeled to be a slow-fast delayed system when moment of inertia of the lightweight link is far less than that of the heavy rotor. To analyze the stability and oscillations of the slowfast system, the geometric singular perturbation method is extended, with both slow and fast manifolds expressed analytically. The stability of the slow manifold is investigated and critical boundaries are obtained to divide the stable and the unstable regions. To study effects of the transformation delay on the stability and oscillations of the link, two quantitatively different driving forces derived from the negative feedback of the link are considered. The results show that one of these two typical driving forces may drive the link to exhibit a stable state and the other kind of driving force may induce a relaxation oscillation for a very small delay. However, the link loses stability and undergoes regular periodic and bursting oscillation when the transformation delay is large. Basically, a very small delay does not affect the stability of the slow manifold but a large delay affects substantially.

Effects of Joint Controller on Analytical Modal Analysis of Rotational Flexible Manipulator

Modal analysis is a fundamental and important task for modeling and control of the flexible manipulator. However, almost all of the traditional modal analysis methods view the flexible manipulator as a pure mechanical structure and neglect feedback action of joint controller. In order to study the effects of joint controller on the modal analysis of rotational flexible manipulator, a closed-loop analytical modal analysis method is proposed. Firstly, two exact boundary constraints, namely servo feedback constraint and bending moment constraint, are derived to solve the vibration partial differential equation. It is found that the stiffness and damping gains of joint controller are both included in the boundary conditions, which lead to an unconventional secular term. Secondly, analytical algorithm based on Ritz approach is developed by using Laplace transform and complex modal approach to obtain the natural frequencies and mode shapes. And then, the numerical simulations are performed and the computational results show that joint controller has pronounced influence on the modal parameters： joint controller stiffness reduces the natural frequency, while joint controller damping makes the shape phase non-zero. Furthermore, the validity of the presented conclusion is confirmed through experimental studies. These findings are expected to improve the performance of dynamics simulation systems and model-based controllers.

Basic Characteristics of a New Flexible Pneumatic Bending Joint

Several typical flexible pneumatic actuators （FPA） and different mechanical models describing their behaviors have been proposed, however, it is difficult to balance compliance and load capacity in conventional designs, and these models still have limitations in predicting behavior of FPAs. A new flexible pneumatic bending joint （FPBJ） with special anisotropic rigidity structure is proposed. The FPBJ is developed as an improvement with regard to existing types of FPA, and its principal characteristic is derived from the special anisotropic rigidity structure. With this structure, the load capacity in the direction perpendicular to bending plane is strengthened. The structure of the new FPBJ is explained and a mathematical model is derived based on Euler-Bernoulli beam model and Hook’s law. To obtain optimum design and usage, some key structure parameters and input-output characteristics are simulated. The simulation results reveal that the relationship between the structure parameters and FPBJ’s bending angle is nonlinear. At last, according to the simulation results, the FPBJ is manufactured with optional parameters and tested. The experimental results show that the joint’s statics characteristics are reflected by the mathematical model accurately when the FPBJ is deflated. The maximum relative error between simulation and experimental results is less than 6%. However, the model still has limitations. When the joint is inflated, the maximum relative error reaches 20%. This paper proposes a new flexible pneumatic bending joint which has sufficient load capacity and compliance, and the mathematical model provides theoretical guidance for the FPBJ’s structure design.

Development of flexible telescopic boom model using ANCF sliding joint constraints with LuGre friction

In this investigation, a modeling procedure of a telescopic boom of cranes is developed using the absolute nodal coordinate formulation together with the sliding joint constraints. Since telescopic booms are extracted and retracted under various operating conditions, the overall length of the boom changes dynamically, leading to the time-variant vibration characteristics. For modeling the telescopic structure of booms, a special care needs to be exercised since the location of the sliding contact point moves Mong the deformable axis of the flexible boom and the solution to a moving boundary problem is required. This issue indeed makes the modeling of the telescopic boom difficult, despite the significant needs for the analysis. It is, therefore, the objective of this investigation to develop a modeling procedure for the flexible telescopic boom by considering the sliding contact condition with the dynamic frictional effect. To this end, the sliding joint constraint developed for the absolute nodal coordinate formulation is employed for describing relative sliding motion between flexible booms, while flexible booms are modeled using the beam element of the absolute nodal coordinate formulation, which allows for modeling the large rotation and deformation of the structure.

Design of Robust Controller for Flexible Joint Robot with Nonlinear Friction Characteristics

A robust controller method for flexible joint robot considering the effect caused by nonlinear friction was presented.The nonlinear friction was denoted as inverse additive output uncertainty relative to the nominal model in our work,based on which the describing function was analyzed in frequency domain,and the weighting function of nonlinear friction was further calculated as well. By combining the friction uncertainty,the mixed sensitivity H∞optimization was proposed as the benchmark for controller design, which also leaded to good performance of robustness. Furthermore,unstructured perturbation to the system was analyzed so that the stability was guaranteed. Simulation results show that the proposed controller can provide excellent tracking and regulation performance.

Equivalent continuum modeling of beam-like truss structures with flexible joints

The paper investigated the equivalent continuum modeling of beam-like repetitive truss structures considering the flexibility of joints,which models the contact between the truss member and joint by spring-damper with six directional stiffnesses and dampings.Firstly,a two-node hybrid joint-beam element was derived for modeling the truss member with flexible end joints,and a condensed model for the repeating element with flexible joints was obtained.Then,the energy equivalence method was adopted to equivalently model the truss structure with flexible joints and material damping as a spatial viscoelastic anisotropic beam model.Afterwards,the equations of motion for the equivalent beam model were derived and solved analytically in the frequency domain.In the numerical studies,the correctness of the presented method was verified by comparisons of the natural frequencies and frequency responses evaluated by the equivalent beam model with the results of the finite element method model.

Dynamic surface control-backstepping based impedance control for 5-DOF flexible joint robots

A new impedance controller based on the dynamic surface control-backstepping technique to actualize the anticipant dynamic relationship between the motion of end-effector and the external torques was presented.Comparing with the traditional backstepping method that has "explosion of terms" problem,the new proposed control system is a combination of the dynamic surface control technique and the backstepping.The dynamic surface control(DSC) technique can resolve the "explosion of terms" problem that is caused by differential coefficient calculation in the model,and the problem can bring a complexity that will cause the backstepping method hardly to be applied to the practical application,especially to the multi-joint robot.Finally,the validity of the method was proved in the laboratory environment that was set up on the 5-DOF(degree of freedom) flexible joint robot.Tracking errors of DSC-backstepping impedance control that were 2.0 and 1.5 mm are better than those of backstepping impedance control which were 3.5 and 2.5 mm in directions X,Y in free space,respectively.And the anticipant Cartesian impedance behavior and compliant behavior were achieved successfully as depicted theoretically.

Fractional Order Linear Active Disturbance Rejection Control for Linear Flexible Joint System

A linear flexible joint system using fractional order linear active disturbance rejection control is studied in this paper.With this control scheme,the performance against disturbances,uncertainties,and attenuation is enhanced.Linear active disturbance rejection control(LADRC)is mainly based on an extended state observer(ESO)technology.A fractional integral(FOI)action is combined with the LADRC technique which proposes a hybrid control scheme like FO-LADRC.Incorporating this FOI action improves the robustness of the standard LADRC.The set-point tracking of the proposed FO-LADRC scheme is designed by Bode’s ideal transfer function(BITF)based robust closed-loop concept,an appropriate pole placement method.The effectiveness of the proposed FO-LADRC scheme is illustrated through experimental results on the linear flexible joint system(LFJS).The results show the enhancement of the robustness with disturbance rejection.Furthermore,a comparative analysis is presented with the results obtained using the integer-order LADRC and FO-LADRC scheme.

Interval Type-2 Fuzzy PD Tracking Control of Flexible-Joint Robots

This paper develops a novel interval type-2 fuzzy Proportional-Derivative (PD) control scheme for electrically driven flexible-joint robots using the direct method of Lyapunov. The controller has a simple design in a decentralized structure. Compared to the previous controllers reported for the flexible-joint robots which use two control loops, it has a simpler structure using only one control loop. It guarantees stability and provides a good tracking performance. The controller considers the whole robotic system including the manipulator and motors by applying the voltage control strategy. Stability analysis is presented and the effectiveness of the proposed control approach is demonstrated by simulations using a three link flexible-joint robot driven by permanent magnet DC motors. Simulation results show that the interval type-2 fuzzy PD controller can handle external disturbance better than the type-1 fuzzy PD controller. In addition, it spends less control effort than the type-1 in order to deal with disturbance.

MODELLING OF TWO-FLEXIBLE-ARM MECHANISM WITH ELASTIC JOINTS

The dynamic model of two-flexible-arm mechanism with elastic joints is studied.The transmission problem of the joint which connects two flexible links is successfully solved. The mechanical model is proposed for the joint, and a practical vibration analysis method of lumped parameter transfer matrix modal analysis is developed for two flexible arms with an elastic joint.

Development and control of flexible pneumatic wall-climbing robot

A new kind of flexible pneumatic wall-climbing robot,named WALKMAN-I,was proposed. WALKMAN-I is basically composed of a flexible pneumatic actuator (FPA),a flexible pneumatic spherical joint and six suction cups. It has many characteristics of low-cost,lightweight,simple structure and good flexibility. Its operating principle was introduced. Then three basic locomotion modes,which are linear motion,curvilinear motion and crossing the orthogonal planes,were presented. The safety conditions of WALKMAN-I were discussed and built. Finally,the control system was designed and experiments were carried out. Experimental results show that WALKMAN-I is able to climb on the vertical wall surface along a straight line or a curved path,and has the ability of crossing orthogonal planes and obstacles. The maximum rotation angle reaches 90°,the maximum velocity reaches 5 mm/s,and the rotation angle and the moving velocity of WALKMAN-I can be easily controlled.

Dynamic analysis of multi-link spatial flexible manipulator arms with dynamic stiffening effects

The dynamics for multi-link spatial flexible manipulator arms is investigated. The system considered here is an N-flexible-link manipulator driven by N DC-motors through N revolute flexiblejoints. The flexibility of each flexible joint is modeled as a linearly elastic torsional spring, and the mass of the joint is also considered. For the flexibility of the link, all of the stretching deformation, bending deformation and the torsional deformation are included. The complete governing equations of motion of the system are derived via the Lagrange equations. The nonlinear description of the deformation field of the flexible link is adopted in the dynamic modeling, and thus the dynamic stiffening effects are captured. Based on this model, a general-purpose software package for dynamic simulation of multi-link spatial flexible manipulator arms is developed. Several illustrative examples are given to validate the algorithm presented in this paper and to indicate that not only dynamic stiffening effects but also the flexibility of the structure has significant influence on the dynamic performance of the manipulator.

Two-Layer Contact Nonlinear Mechanical Analysis of Flexible Drilling Tool in the Wellbore

The lack of research on flexible drilling tool leads to limited application of ultra-short radius horizontal wells.The flexible drilling tool is different from the conventional drilling tool.The flexible drilling pipe involves a mutual transition between the structure and the mechanism during the deformation process.At the same time,the flexible drilling pipe and the eccentric guide tube,the guide tube and the wellbore generate random contact.In this paper,3-D beam elements,universal joint elements,rigid beam elements and the beam-beam contact elements are combined to establish a two-layer contact nonlinear finite element model of the flexible drilling tool in the wellbore.The dynamic relaxation method is introduced for numerical solution.The feasibility of the model and the algorithm is verified by an example.The mechanical analysis of flexible drilling tool under the four hole inclinations in the oblique section is carried out.It is found that the flexible drilling pipe has a“folded line”deformation.The contact force between the flexible drilling pipe and the guide tube is randomly distributed.The contact force between the guide tube and the wellbore in the oblique section is greater than that in the vertical section.As the hole inclinations increase,the torque and axial force transmitted to the drill bit gradually decrease.

康复机器人PVDF柔性关节设计与驱动特性研究

针对康复机器人本体柔顺性差的问题,提出了一种新型的聚偏氟乙烯(Polyvinylidene Fluoride,PVDF)凝胶基人工肌肉,将其作为康复机器人柔性关节致动器,期望实现类人动作。介绍了PVDF凝胶制备和电致变形机制,并由此设计了具备收缩和伸张功能的单体肌肉,进而将多个单体肌肉上下串联,组合构成层级人工肌肉;基于康复机器人柔性关节3层级人工肌肉,辨识其驱动数学模型,并进行了仿真与实验。结果表明,该人工肌肉能够有效地实现位置控制,具备电致收缩和扩张能力,作为致动器应用于柔性关节是可行的。

跨博-阿断裂隧道的抗错断性能模型试验

中国西部地区地质条件复杂,许多隧道工程在建设过程中会穿越不良地质区段,受到来自活动断层的错动威胁.为探究走滑断层作用下铰接隧道结构的应变响应规律及变形破坏机制,以天山胜利隧道工程为背景,利用光纤传感技术,通过室内缩尺模型试验,开展了走滑断层作用下分节段铰接隧道变形破坏研究.结果显示,隧道衬砌的变形主要发生在断层破碎带内部及边缘附近,隧道整体的破坏模式为拉压剪切组合破坏模式;沿隧道纵向,断层破碎带处隧道受力模式总体上为拱顶与拱底受拉,两侧既有受拉也有受压;沿截面环向,环向应变分布呈“W”形,存在两个拉应变峰值及两个压应变峰值,截面变形趋势为两侧受到水平挤压作用,迫使截面由马蹄形向椭圆形发展.研究结果揭示了走滑断层作用下铰接隧道的变形破坏形式以及衬砌变形规律,可为类似工程提供理论参考和技术支持.

模糊整定PI参数的双柔性机械臂振动抑制

机械臂伺服驱动系统中柔性因素的存在易导致机械臂输出转速波动,甚至引发系统谐振.为抑制系统转速波动,使机械臂传动系统性能稳定,使用模糊理论整定PI控制器参数的控制策略.根据假设模态法和拉格朗日动力学方程建立了考虑LuGre摩擦模型的双柔性机械臂传动系统动力学方程,并分析了动力学方程中耦合非线性项对系统传动特性的影响.使用极点配置策略确定PI控制器参数的取值范围,后根据模糊规则实时调整控制器参数,以减小伺服系统输出转速的波动,进而抑制系统谐振.最后,借助数值仿真分析和机械臂控制实验,与传统PI控制策略对比,发现本文所述控制策略可使电机端转角跟踪误差绝对值的平均值降低43.066%,柔性负载转角误差的标准差降低46.506%,更加验证了所提模糊规则整定PI控制器参数抑振方法的有效性.

后摆心潜入式喷管柔性接头力学特性数值仿真

针对后摆心潜入式喷管柔性接头在燃气压力与摆动联合载荷下,弹性件与增强件的力学特性计算问题,建立了对称刚体-柔性体结合的几何模型;采用了有限元方法,获取了柔性接头在燃气压力、摆动载荷及联合载荷下应力、弹性比力矩分布规律。研究表明:随着燃气压力增大,弹性比力矩降低;随摆角增大,弹性比力矩增大。文中的数值仿真方法,可以应用于柔性接头力学特性的计算,为柔性接头强度的安全性评估提供指导。

织物衬垫磨损对自润滑关节轴承动力学的影响

自润滑关节轴承在服役过程中,衬垫的磨损导致自润滑关节轴承内外圈之间产生间隙,自润滑运动副间隙的存在加速了内外圈之间的碰撞以及衬垫的进一步磨损,对自润滑关节轴承的动力学特性产生较大的影响。此外,衬垫的磨损还会导致各构件非线性特性的恶化,降低自润滑关节轴承的稳定性。为研究织物衬垫磨损对自润滑关节轴承动力学响应的影响,文中建立了带间隙的自润滑关节轴承运动副矢量模型。首先,通过修正Lankarani-Nikravesh(L-N)法向接触力模型和改进的库仑摩擦力模型,对内外圈间隙处的碰撞力进行建模;然后,基于牛顿第二定律建立了含间隙的刚柔耦合动力学方程;最后,分析讨论不同织物衬垫磨损量和不同摩擦因数条件下含间隙的自润滑关节轴承传动系统的动力学特性,并利用相图和Poincare映射图分析了自润滑关节轴承的非线性特性。结果表明:随着织物衬垫磨损量的增加,自润滑关节轴承内圈和外圈的动力学行为表现出非线性特性;衬垫磨损量一定时,随着衬垫摩擦因数的增加,系统稳定性得到提高,抑制了混沌现象的发生。