Automatic stepping for circumferential splice drilling in aircraft fuselage assembly
Abstract
Purpose
A large number of fastener holes have to be drilled with high quality in the circumferential splice region during the assembly of aircraft fuselage. The purpose of this paper is to design an automatic stepping mechanism for a circumferential splice drilling machine, to meet the requirements of large workspace and high accuracy in drilling at the same time.
Design/methodology/approach
A docking position detection method based on magnetic proximity sensors is proposed for the positioning of the arc-shaped rail with respect to the circumferential rails, which significantly improves the accuracy and reliability of automatic stepping. The slipping phenomenon of the end-effector is analyzed, and the optimized counter weights are used to eliminate the slipping and improve the working stability of the stepping mechanism.
Findings
An automatic stepping mechanism is developed for the circumferential splice drilling machine, which comprises the docking position detection method and the elimination/suppression method of the end-effector’s slipping.
Practical implications
The proposed automatic stepping mechanism has been integrated into the circumferential splice drilling machine for the fuselage assembly in an aircraft company in China.
Originality/value
An automatic stepping scheme for the circumferential splice drilling machine is proposed, which enhances the efficiency in circumferential splice drilling in aircraft fuselage assembly.
Keywords
Citation
Zhu, W., Zhang, A., Mei, B. and Ke, Y. (2016), "Automatic stepping for circumferential splice drilling in aircraft fuselage assembly", Industrial Robot, Vol. 43 No. 2, pp. 144-152. https://doi.org/10.1108/IR-06-2015-0114
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited