New Family of 3-DOF UP-Equivalent Parallel Mechanisms with High Rotational Capability

Parallel mechanisms(PMs) having the same motion characteristic with a UP kinematic chain(U denotes a universal joint, and P denotes a prismatic joint) are called UP-equivalent PMs. They can be used in many applications, such as machining and milling. However, the existing UP-equivalent PMs suffer from the disadvantages of strict assembly requirements and limited rotational capability. Type synthesis of UP-equivalent PMs with high rotational capability is presented.The special 2 R1 T motion is briefly discussed and the fact that the parallel module of the Exechon robot is not a UP-equivalent PM is disclosed. Using the Lie group theory, the kinematic bonds of limb chains and their mechanical generators are presented. Structural conditions for constructing such UP-equivalent PMs are proposed,which results in numerous new architectures of UP-equivalent PMs. The high rotational capability of the synthesized mechanisms is illustrated by an example. The advantages of no strict assembly requirements and high rotational capability of the newly developed PMs will facilitate their applications in the manufacturing industry.

Structural Synthesis of Parallel Mechanisms with High Rotational Capability

Most parallel mechanisms(PMs) encountered today have a common disadvantage, i.e., their low rotational capability.In order to develop PMs with high rotational capability, a family of novel manipulators with one or two dimensional rotations is proposed. The planar one-rotational one-translational(1 R1 T) and one-rotational two-translational(1 R2 T)PMs evolved from the crank-and-rocker mechanism(CRM) are presented by means of Lie group theory. A spatial 2 R1 T PM and a 2 R parallel moving platform with bifurcated large-angle rotations are proposed by orthogonal combination of the RRRR limbs. According to the product principle of the displacement group theory, a hybrid 2 R3 T mechanism in possession of bifurcated motion is obtained by connecting the 2 R parallel moving platform with a parallel part, which is constructed by four 3 T1 R kinematic chains. The presented manipulators possess high rotational capability. The proposed research enriches the family of spatial mechanisms and the construction method provides an instruction to design more complex mechanisms.

Numerical study of roll motion of a 2-D floating structure in viscous flow

In the present study,an open source CFD tool,Open FOAM has been extended and applied to investigate roll motion of a 2-D rectangular barge induced by nonlinear regular waves in viscous flow.Comparisons of the present Open FOAM results with published potential-flow solutions and experimental data have indicated that the newly extended Open FOAM model is very capable of accurate modelling of wave interaction with freely rolling structures.The wave-induced roll motions,hydrodynamic forces on the barge,velocities and vorticity fields in the vicinity of the structure in the presence of waves have been investigated to reveal the real physics involved in the wave induced roll motion of a 2-D floating structure.Parametric analysis has been carried out to examine the effect of structure dimension and body draft on the roll motion.