TY - JOUR AB - Purpose The assembly quality of complex products is pivotal to their lifecycle performance. Assembly precision analysis (APA) is an effective method used to check the feasibility and quality of assembly. However, there is still a need for a systematic approach to be developed for APA of kinematic mechanisms. To achieve more accurate analysis of kinematic assembly, this paper aims to propose a precision analysis method based on equivalence of the deviation source.Design/methodology/approach A unified deviation vector representation model is adopted by considering dimension deviation, geometric deviation, joint clearance and assembly deformation. Then, vector loops and vector equations are constructed, according to joint type and deviation propagation path. A combined method, using deviation accumulation and sensitivity modeling, is applied to solve the kinematic APA of complex products.Findings When using the presented method, geometric form deviation, joint clearance and assembly deformation are considered selectively during tolerance modeling. In particular, the proposed virtual link model and its orientation angle are developed to determine joint deviation. Finally, vector loops and vector equations are modeled to express deviation accumulation.Originality/value The proposed method provides a new means for the APA of complex products, considering joint clearance and assembly deformation while improving the accuracy of APA, as much as possible. VL - 40 IS - 3 SN - 0144-5154 DO - 10.1108/AA-03-2019-0044 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/AA-03-2019-0044 AU - Zhao Dongping AU - Wang Gangfeng AU - Hui Jizhuang AU - Hou Wei AU - Evans Richard David PY - 2020 Y1 - 2020/01/01 TI - A precision analysis method for the kinematic assembly of complex products based on equivalence of deviation source T2 - Assembly Automation PB - Emerald Publishing Limited SP - 447 EP - 460 Y2 - 2024/04/18 ER -