Design and structural analysis of an inflatable coated fabric manipulation arm
| Autor: | Wujun Chen, Jianhui Hu, Zhenyu Qiu, Daxu Zhang, Chengjun Gao, Yu Liu |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Materials science
business.industry Mechanical Engineering Internal pressure 020101 civil engineering 02 engineering and technology Building and Construction Structural engineering Rotational joint Finite element method 0201 civil engineering 020303 mechanical engineering & transports Inflatable 0203 mechanical engineering Deflection (engineering) Ultimate tensile strength business Civil and Structural Engineering |
| Zdroj: | Thin-Walled Structures. 139:310-320 |
| ISSN: | 0263-8231 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.tws.2019.03.020 |
| Popis: | This paper presents the structural behaviour of a novel inflatable manipulation arm, which consists of inflatable coated fabric tubes and bellows-type joints. In order to minimise the actuation moment, a rotational joint with creases, analogous to a spacesuit elbow, has been introduced. The biaxial tensile and shear tests have been carried out to evaluate the elastic constants of the PVC-coated polyester fabric membranes of the inflatable arm. Finite element analysis has been carried out to predict the mechanical behaviour of the inflated arm structure. Effects of the internal pressure on the arm deflection, and influence of crease geometric parameters, e.g. number, width and depth on the rotation performance are evaluated. A prototype of the inflatable arm has been developed to perform an experimental investigation on its rotational behaviour. Good correlations have been found between the predictions and the experimental results. The current work on a representative single-joint inflatable arm unit provides the rationale and knowledge to develop long range multi-joint manipulators. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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