Search results

This paper aims to get rid of the traditional basic principle of using the motor as the variable stiffness drive source, simplify the structure of the exoskeleton and reduce the quality of the exoskeleton. This paper proposes to use shape memory alloys (SMA) as the variable stiffness drive source.

In this study, SMA is used to construct the active variable stiffness unit, the Brinson constitutive model is used to establish a dynamic model to control the active variable stiffness unit and the above active variable stiffness unit is used to realize the force control function and construct a lightweight, variable stiffness knee exoskeleton.

The dynamic model constructed in this paper can preliminarily describe the phase transformation process of the active variable stiffness unit and realize the variable stiffness function of the knee exoskeleton. The variable stiffness exoskeleton can effectively reduce the driving error under the high-speed walking condition.

The contribution of this paper is to combine SMAs to construct an active variable stiffness unit, build a dynamic model for controlling the active variable stiffness unit and construct a lightweight, variable stiffness knee exoskeleton.

Variable stiffness structure can significantly improve the interactive capabilities of grippers. Shape memory alloys have become a popular option for materials with variable stiffness structures. However, its variable stiffness range is limited by its stiffness in two phases. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the manipulation capabilities of tendon-driven flexible grippers by designing a wide-range variable stiffness structure.

Constitutive models of shape memory alloy and mechanical models are used to analyze the performance of the variable stiffness structure. A separated solution was used to combine the tendon-driven gripper and the variable stiffness structure. The feed-forward control algorithm is used to enhance the control stability of the variable stiffness structure.

The stiffness variable capability of the proposed variable stiffness structure is verified by experiments. The stability of the feedback control algorithm was verified by sinusoidal tracking experiments. The variable stiffness range of 8.41 times of the flexible gripper was tested experimentally. The interaction capability of the variable stiffness flexible gripper is verified by the object grasping experiments.

A new wide-range variable stiffness structure is proposed and validated. The new variable stiffness structure has a larger range of stiffness variation and better control stability. The new flexible structure can be applied to conventional grippers to help them gain stiffness variable capability and improve their interaction ability.

This paper aims to discuss, analyze and compare members of a group of actuators with adjustable stiffness, namely: AwAS, AwAS-II and CompACT variable stiffness actuator (VSA) developed at Italian Institute of Technology (IIT).

These actuators are among series type of VSAs where one main motor is dedicated for link positioning and a secondary motor, in series with the first one, regulates the output link stiffness. Regulating the stiffness in this group of actuators is based on the lever concept. Initially, springs were moved along the lever to tune the stiffness while in the later versions stiffness was regulated through relocating pivot point along the lever.

This paper discusses how different mechanisms have been employed in realization of the lever concept in these actuators and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each realization.

Today’s robots are not supposed to be solid, isolated and rigid anymore but rather adaptive, cooperative and compliant entities in our daily life. The new attitudes demand for novel technologies substantially different from those developed for industrial domains both at the hardware and the software levels. This work presents latest three state-of-the-art actuators, developed at IIT, which are great answers to the needs of tomorrow’s robot.

These novel actuators are really ready for commercial exploitation, as they are compact and reliable. The main novelty is based on employing concept of lever mechanism for stiffness regulation. They have been designed and manufactured in a very professional and optimized way.

To meet the high stiffness requirement of bearings used in high-precision spindles, this paper aims to propose a novel kind of bearing composited by hydrostatic cavities and tilting pads with preload.

Cavities are cut on the oil seal surface of a hybrid bearing, in which the tilting pads are set up. The load of the bearing is carried by the hydrostatic cavities and tilting pads. The structural features of this compound bearing and the controlling variables of the main stiffness coefficient are presented. Two basic design principles are proposed on the basis of equal machining clearance (EMC) and equal installation clearance (EIC).

The theoretical analysis indicates that the stiffness of compound bearings under the EMC condition increases to infinity monotonously when the preload coefficient of the tilting pad tends to 1, while the stiffness under the EIC condition has a peak value. Therefore, a synthetic design principle is proposed by synthetically using the above-mentioned two principles. The applicable range of the three principles is discussed through an example.

The study about technological combination of hydrostatic cavity and tilting pad in this paper can provide suggestions for the design of a high-stiffness bearing in a precision spindle.

Stiffness control of redundant robot arm, aimed at using extra degrees of freedom (DoF) to shape the robot tool center point (TCP) elastomechanical behavior to be consistent with the essential requirements needed for a successful part mating process, i.e., to mimic part supporting mechanism with selective quasi-isotropic compliance (Remote Center of Compliance – RCC), with additional properties of inherent flexibility.

Theoretical analysis and synthesis of the complementary projector for null-space stiffness control of kinematically redundant robot arm. Practical feasibility of the proposed approach was proven by extensive computer simulations and physical experiments, based on commercially available 7 DoF SIA 10 F Yaskawa articulated robot arm, equipped with the open-architecture control system, system for generating excitation force, dedicated sensory system for displacement measurement and a system for real-time acquisition of sensory data.

Simulation experiments demonstrated convergence and stability of the proposed complementary projector. Physical experiments demonstrated that the proposed complementary projector can be implemented on the commercially available anthropomorphic redundant arm upgraded with open-architecture control system and that this projector has the capacity to efficiently affect the task-space TCP stiffness of the robot arm, with a satisfactory degree of consistency with the behavior obtained in the simulation experiments.

A novel complementary projector was synthesized based on the adopted objective function. Practical verification was conducted using computer simulations and physical experiments. For the needs of physical experiments, an adequate open-architecture control system was developed and upgraded through the implementation of the proposed complementary projector and an adequate system for generating excitation and measuring displacement of the robot TCP. Experiments demonstrated that the proposed complementary projector for null-space stiffness control is capable of producing the task-space TCP stiffness, which can satisfy the essential requirements needed for a successful part-mating process, thus allowing the redundant robot arm to mimic the RCC supporting mechanism behavior in a programmable manner.

As a core rotating component of power machinery and working machinery, the rotor system is widely used in the fields of machinery, electric power and aviation. When the system operates at high speed, the system stability is of great importance. To enhance the system stability, squeeze film damper (SFD) is being installed in the rotor system to alleviate vibration. The purpose of this paper is to first classify the rotor system into two types, the dual rotor system and the single rotor system, and to comprehensively and specifically mention the method of generating the dynamic model. Next, based on the establishment of a dynamic model with and without SFD in the rotor system, the optimization design of the rotor system with SFD was carried out using a genetic algorithm. Through sensitivity analysis, SFD clearance, shaft stiffness and oil viscosity were determined as design variables of the rotor system, and the objective function was the minimization of the maximum amplitude of the rotor system with SFD within the operation speed range.

In this paper, first, the rotor system was classified into two types, namely, the dual rotor system and the single rotor system, and the method of creating a dynamic model was comprehensively and specifically mentioned. Here, the dynamic model of the rotor system was derived in detail for the single rotor system and the dual rotor system with and without SFD. Next, based on the establishment of a dynamic model with and without SFD in the rotor system, the optimization design of the rotor system with SFD was carried out using a genetic algorithm. The sensitivity analysis of the unbalanced response was carried out to determine the design variables of the optimization design. Through sensitivity analysis, SFD clearance, shaft stiffness and oil viscosity were determined as design variables of the rotor system, and the objective function was the minimization of the maximum amplitude of the rotor system with SFD within the operation speed range.

SFD clearance, shaft stiffness and oil viscosity were determined as design variables of the rotor system through sensitivity analysis of the unbalanced response. These three variables are basic factors affecting the amplitude of the rotor system with SFD.

In the existing studies, only a dynamic model of a single rotor system with SFD was created, and the characteristic values of pure SFD were selected as optimization variables and optimization design was carried out. But in this study, the rotor system was classified into two types, namely, the dual rotor system and the single rotor system, and the method of creating a dynamic model was comprehensively and specifically mentioned. In addition, optimization design variables were selected and optimized design was performed through sensitivity analysis on the unbalanced response of factors affecting the vibration characteristics of the rotor system.

Gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied for the linear and nonlinear, static and dynamic analyses of basic structural elements from the theoretical as well as practical points of view. The range of applications of FEMs in this area is wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore aims to give the reader an encyclopaedic view on the subject. The bibliography at the end of the paper contains 2,025 references to papers, conference proceedings and theses/dissertations dealing with the analysis of beams, columns, rods, bars, cables, discs, blades, shafts, membranes, plates and shells that were published in 1992‐1995.

A method of analysis for determining the transient forced flexural vibrations of accelerating missiles and space vehicles is presented. The equations of motion are in matric form and may be readily adapted to electronic digital computers. The matric formulation for the problem is written to include the effects of engine gimballing resulting from structural coupling of the flight control system, inertial axial loads along the missile, variable stiffness, variable mass, variable mass moment of inertia, variable shear stiffness, structural damping, structurally coupled aerodynamic forces and arbitrary transient forces applied along the missile. Only the basic data for the system are required in the matrices.

This study aims to propose a complete and powerful methodology that allows the optimization of the passive suspension system of vehicles, which simultaneously takes comfort and safety into account and provides a set of optimal solutions through a Pareto-optimal front, in a low computational time.

Unlike papers that consider simple vehicle models (quarter vehicle model or half car model) and/or simplified road profiles (harmonic excitation, for example) and/or perform a single-objective optimization and/or execute the dynamic analysis in the time domain, this paper presents an effective and fast methodology for the multi-objective optimization of the suspension system of a full-car model (including the driver seat) traveling on an irregular road profile, whose dynamic response is determined in the frequency domain, considerably reducing computational time.

The results showed that there was a reduction of 28% in the driver seat vertical acceleration weighted root mean square (RMS) value of the proposed model, which is directly related to comfort, and, simultaneously, an improvement or constancy concerning safety, with low computational cost. Hence, the proposed methodology can be indicated as a successful tool for the optimal design of the suspension systems, considering, simultaneously, comfort and safety.

Despite the extensive literature on optimizing vehicle passive suspension systems, papers combining multi-objective optimization presenting a Pareto-optimal front as a set of optimal results, a full-vehicle model (including the driver seat), an irregular road profile and the determination of the dynamic response in the frequency domain are not found.

To achieve variable stiffness, this paper aims to design a flexible actuator with variable stiffness by using the magnetorheological effect of magnetorheological fluid. The variable stiffness actuator can well meet the safety requirements of human–robot interaction and be more adaptable to unknown or complex environments. The variable stiffness actuator designed in this study can realize the continuous and controllable change of stiffness compared with the existing actuator.

The principle of variable stiffness actuator is illustrated in detail; the three-dimensional model and mechanical model of the flexible actuator are provided. The magnetic field distribution of the actuator coil is analyzed, and the dynamic model of the actuator is provided.

Output torque test suggests that the magnetorheological fluid variable stiffness actuator (VSAMF) can output a stable torque which meets the designing requirements of the test; sinusoidal follow-up test shows that VSAMF can implement sinusoidal follow-up; variable stiffness test shows that VSAMF can achieve real-time variable stiffness adjustment; the crash test suggests that VSAMF can well protect machines when meeting obstacles.

In this paper, a new variable stiffness joint is proposed through changing the current to change the performance of the stiffness, and it can realize the continuous and controllable change of stiffness.