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Compliant assembly variation analysis of thin-walled structures based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation

Haidong Yu (Shanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China)
Chunzhang Zhao (Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China)
Bin Zheng (Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China)
Hao Wang (Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China)

Assembly Automation

ISSN: 0144-5154

Article publication date: 20 December 2017

Issue publication date: 5 March 2018

427

Abstract

Purpose

Thin-walled structures inevitably always have manufacturing deviations, which affects the assembly quality of mechanical products. The assembly quality directly determines the performances, reliability and service life of the products. To achieve the automatic assembly of large-scale thin-walled structures, the sizing force of the structures with deviations should be calculated, and its assembling ability should be studied before assembly process. The purpose of this study is to establish a precise model to describe the deviations of structures and to study the variation propagation during assembly process.

Design/methodology/approach

Curved thin-walled structures are modeled by using the shell element via the absolute nodal coordinate formulation. Two typical deviation modes of the structure are defined. The generalized elastic force of shell elements with anisotropic materials is deduced based on a continuum mechanics approach to account for the geometric non-linearity. The quasi-static method is introduced to describe the assembly process. The effects of the deviation forms, geometrical parameters of the thin-walled structures and material properties on assembly quality are investigated numerically.

Findings

The geometric non-linearity of structure and anisotropy of materials strongly affect the variation propagation and the assembly quality. The transformation and accumulation effects of the deviations are apparent in the multiple assembly process. The constraints on the structures during assembly can reduce assembly deviation.

Originality/value

The plate element via the absolute nodal coordinate formulation is first introduced to the variation propagation analysis. Two typical shape deviation modes are defined. The elastic force of structures with anisotropic materials is deduced. The variation propagation during the assembly of structures with various geometrical and material parameters is investigated.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the financial support by the State Key Development Program of Basic Research of China (2014CB046600) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51775345).

Citation

Yu, H., Zhao, C., Zheng, B. and Wang, H. (2018), "Compliant assembly variation analysis of thin-walled structures based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation", Assembly Automation, Vol. 38 No. 2, pp. 125-141. https://doi.org/10.1108/AA-05-2016-046

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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