Fiber-reinforced composites are an ideal material for the lightweight design of aerospace structures. Especially in recent years, with the rapid development of composite additive manufacturing technology, the design o...Fiber-reinforced composites are an ideal material for the lightweight design of aerospace structures. Especially in recent years, with the rapid development of composite additive manufacturing technology, the design optimization of variable stiffness of fiber-reinforced composite laminates has attracted widespread attention from scholars and industry. In these aerospace composite structures, numerous cutout panels and shells serve as access points for maintaining electrical, fuel, and hydraulic systems. The traditional fiber-reinforced composite laminate subtractive drilling manufacturing inevitably faces the problems of interlayer delamination, fiber fracture, and burr of the laminate. Continuous fiber additive manufacturing technology offers the potential for integrated design optimization and manufacturing with high structural performance. Considering the integration of design and manufacturability in continuous fiber additive manufacturing, the paper proposes linear and nonlinear filtering strategies based on the Normal Distribution Fiber Optimization (NDFO) material interpolation scheme to overcome the challenge of discrete fiber optimization results, which are difficult to apply directly to continuous fiber additive manufacturing. With minimizing structural compliance as the objective function, the proposed approach provides a strategy to achieve continuity of discrete fiber paths in the variable stiffness design optimization of composite laminates with regular and irregular holes. In the variable stiffness design optimization model, the number of candidate fiber laying angles in the NDFO material interpolation scheme is considered as design variable. The sensitivity information of structural compliance with respect to the number of candidate fiber laying angles is obtained using the analytical sensitivity analysis method. Based on the proposed variable stiffness design optimization method for complex perforated composite laminates, the numerical examples consider the variable stiffness design optimization of typical non-perforated and perforated composite laminates with circular, square, and irregular holes, and systematically discuss the number of candidate discrete fiber laying angles, discrete fiber continuous filtering strategies, and filter radius on structural compliance, continuity, and manufacturability. The optimized discrete fiber angles of variable stiffness laminates are converted into continuous fiber laying paths using a streamlined process for continuous fiber additive manufacturing. Meanwhile, the optimized non-perforated and perforated MBB beams after discrete fiber continuous treatment, are manufactured using continuous fiber co-extrusion additive manufacturing technology to verify the effectiveness of the variable stiffness fiber optimization framework proposed in this paper.展开更多
This paper presents a continuum manipulator inspired by the anatomical characteristics of the elephant trunk.Specifically,the manipulator mimics the conoid profile of the elephant trunk,which helps to enhance its stre...This paper presents a continuum manipulator inspired by the anatomical characteristics of the elephant trunk.Specifically,the manipulator mimics the conoid profile of the elephant trunk,which helps to enhance its strength.The design features two concentric parts:inner pneumatically actuated bellows and an outer tendon-driven helical spring.The tendons control the omnidirectional bending of the manipulator,while the fusion of the pneumatic bellows with the tendon-driven spring results in an antagonistic actuation mechanism that provides the manipulator with variable stiffness and extensibility.This paper presents a new design for extensible manipulator and analyzes its stiffness and motion characteristics.Experimental results are consistent with theoretical analysis,thereby demonstrating the validity of the theoretical approach and the versatile practical mechanical properties of the continuum manipulator.The impressive extensibility and variable stiffness of the manipulator were further demonstrated by performing a pin-hole assembly task.展开更多
Continuum robots have been a hot topic in recent years due to their intrinsic features of agility,flexibility,and safety.To successfully deploy continuum robots in practical applications,further enhancements in variab...Continuum robots have been a hot topic in recent years due to their intrinsic features of agility,flexibility,and safety.To successfully deploy continuum robots in practical applications,further enhancements in variable stiffness,decoupled motion,and embedded sensing are highly desirable.Since continuum robots are usually composed of multiple joints assembled in series,their mechanical properties and performance will certainly rely on the connected joints.This paper proposes a motion-decoupled variable stiffness-decoupled pneumatic rigid-flexible hybrid joint(RFHJ),which is modular designed and integrated with a rigid hinge,a stiffness-tuning module,and soft actuators.The soft pneumatic muscle actuators are pre-stretched during assembly,ensuring the stable initial state of RFHJ.A novel musculature-mounting configuration is also presented,which enables RFHJs to achieve independent motions in two orthogonal planes.Furthermore,the variable stiffness module is embedded in the RFHJ’s structure to offer real-time and independent stiffness tunability across multiple scales in two perpendicular directions.The proposed RFHJ makes most of the advantages of soft continuum robots and conventional rigid serial robots by introducing a hybrid structure to provide both safe human-robot interaction(HRI),accurate control and reliable stiffness variation,presenting promising potentials for robotic systems,which have been theoretically proved and experimentally verified on the physical prototype.The experimental results also indicate that the developed RFHJ can work with variable stiffness ranging in[1.2,49.9]N·m/rad.A variable stiffness rigid-flexible hybrid continuum arm(RFHA)is designed with three RFHJs in series.Primary tests on the developed RFHA prototype demonstrate that it has the characteristics of decoupled driving,bidirectional stiffness tunability and self-stability.展开更多
The scroll expander,as the core component of the micro-compressed air energy storage and power generation system,directly affects the output efficiency of the system.Meanwhile,the scroll profile plays a central role i...The scroll expander,as the core component of the micro-compressed air energy storage and power generation system,directly affects the output efficiency of the system.Meanwhile,the scroll profile plays a central role in determining the output performance of the scroll expander.In this study,in order to investigate the output characteristics of a variable cross-section scroll expander,numerical simulation and experimental studies were con-ducted by using Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD)methods and dynamic mesh techniques.The impact of critical parameters on the output performance of the scroll expander was analyzed through the utilization of the control variable method.It is found that increasing the inlet pressure and temperature within a certain range can improve the output power of the scroll expander.However,the increase in temperature and meshing clearance leads to a decline in the overall output performance of the scroll expander,leading to a decrease in volumetric efficiency by 8.43%and 12.79%,respectively.The experiments demonstrate that under equal inlet pressure conditions,increasing the inlet temperature elevates both the rotational speed and torque output of the scroll expander.Specifically,compared to operating at normal temperatures,the output torque increases by 21.8%under high-temperature conditions.However,the rate of speed and torque variation decreases as a consequence of enlarged meshing clearance,resulting in increased internal leakage and reduction in isentropic efficiency.展开更多
In order to understand mechanical characters and find out a calculating method for preflex beams used in particular bridge engineering projects, two types of simply supported preflex beams with variable crosssection, ...In order to understand mechanical characters and find out a calculating method for preflex beams used in particular bridge engineering projects, two types of simply supported preflex beams with variable crosssection, preflex beam with alterative web depth and preflex beam with aherative steel flange thickness, are dis- cussed on how to achieve the equivalent moment of inertia and Young＇ s modulus. Additionally, methods of cal- culating the equivalent bending stiffness and post-cracking deflection are proposed. Results of the experiments on 6 beams agree well with the theoretical analysis, which proves the correctness of the proposed formulas.展开更多
Currently,experimental research on variable stiffness design mainly focuses on laminates.To ensure adaptability in practical application,it is imperative to conduct a systematic study on stiffened variable stiffness s...Currently,experimental research on variable stiffness design mainly focuses on laminates.To ensure adaptability in practical application,it is imperative to conduct a systematic study on stiffened variable stiffness structures,including design,manufacture,experiment,and simulation.Based on the minimum curvature radius and process schemes,two types of T-stiffened panels were designed and manufactured.Uniaxial compression tests have been carried out and the results indicate that the buckling load of variable stiffness specimens is increased by 26.0%,while the failure load is decreased by 19.6%.The influence mechanism of variable stiffness design on the buckling and failure behavior of T-stiffened panels was explicated by numerical analysis.The primary reason for the reduced strength is the significantly increased load bearing ratio of stiffeners.As experimental investigations of stiffened variable stiffness structures are very rare,this study can be considered a reference for future work.展开更多
A novel X-shaped variable stiffness vibration isolator(X-VSVI)is proposed.The Runge-Kutta method,harmonic balance method,and wavelet transform spectra are introduced to evaluate the performance of the X-VSVI under var...A novel X-shaped variable stiffness vibration isolator(X-VSVI)is proposed.The Runge-Kutta method,harmonic balance method,and wavelet transform spectra are introduced to evaluate the performance of the X-VSVI under various excitations.The layer number,the installation angle of the X-shaped structure,the stiffness,and the active control parameters are systematically analyzed.In addition,a prototype of the X-VSVI is manufactured,and vibration tests are carried out.The results show that the proposed X-VSVI has a superior adaptability to that of a traditional X-shaped mechanism,and shows excellent vibration isolation performance in response to different amplitudes and forms of excitations.Moreover,the vibration isolation efficiency of the device can be improved by appropriate adjustment of parameters.展开更多
Variable stiffness mechanisms(VSMs)are a class of compliant mechanisms that can adjust their intrinsic stiffness,which promises to be beneficial in applications needed to interact with the environment,such as collabor...Variable stiffness mechanisms(VSMs)are a class of compliant mechanisms that can adjust their intrinsic stiffness,which promises to be beneficial in applications needed to interact with the environment,such as collaborative robots,wearable robots,and polishing robots.This paper presents the design and optimization of a novel linear VSM,called cLVSM,to produce linear motion,conversely to the majority of VSMs designed to perform rotary motion.By changing the effective length of specially designed circular beams,the cLVSM is capable of continuous stiffness regulation from a minimum value to almost rigid.Different from the VSMs which need rotation-to-translation converting mechanisms for stiffness regulation,the stiffness of the proposed design is adjusted by directly rotating the beams without the use of additional mechanisms,which contributes to improving the structural compactness,and reducing the energy loss and error in transmission.Moreover,the beam rotation needed to regulate the stiffness is almost perpendicular to the beam deflection force,which helps to reduce the torque needed for stiffness regulation.The stiffness model of the proposed VSM is developed using the screw theory,and the design parameters are optimized using the genetic algorithm.The effectiveness of the mathematical model and the performance of the design are verified by simulation and experiments.展开更多
It has been demonstrated that the flexibility of the structure can enhance the kinematic performance of the underwater bionic robotic fish.Furthermore,the thrust of the underwater robotic fish can be further enhanced ...It has been demonstrated that the flexibility of the structure can enhance the kinematic performance of the underwater bionic robotic fish.Furthermore,the thrust of the underwater robotic fish can be further enhanced by changing the stiffness of the tail when the motion frequency of the propulsion system increases.This paper proposes a novel actuator,the pneumatic variable stiffness imitation dolphin tail actuator(PVSA),which combines soft robotics with the structural characteristics and movement mode of a biological dolphin.The PVSA comprises a pneumatic bi-directional bending soft actuator and a pull-wire-driven variable stiffness mechanism.The soft actuator is capable of mimicking the dorsoventral movement of dolphins by changing the pressure difference between the cavities,thereby achieving bending deformation.The variable stiff-ness mechanism is based on the stiffness mechanism of particle interference and the structural characteristics of vertebrate endoskeleton,with the objective of achieving variable stiffness.The parameters of the PVSA are optimised using numerical simulations and experimental studies,and then designed underwater experiments are conducted to investigate the effects of amplitude,stiffness and frequency on the propulsive performance of the PVSA.The results demonstrate that the PVSA is capable of enhancing thrust by adjusting its own stiffness and movement frequency.The development of the PVSA provides a reference for the research of related underwater bionic propulsion technology.展开更多
Soft grippers are favored for handling delicate objects due to their compliance but often have lower load capacities compared to rigid ones.Variable Stiffness Module(VSM)offer a solution,balancing flexibility and load...Soft grippers are favored for handling delicate objects due to their compliance but often have lower load capacities compared to rigid ones.Variable Stiffness Module(VSM)offer a solution,balancing flexibility and load capacity,for which particle jamming is an effective technology for stiffness-tunable robots requiring safe interaction and load capacity.Specific applica-tions,such as rescue scenarios,require quantitative analysis to optimize VSM design parameters,which previous analytical models cannot effectively handle.To address this,a Grey-box model is proposed to analyze the mechanical response of the particle-jamming-based VSM by combining a White-box approach based on the virtual work principle with a Black-box approach that uses a shallow neural network method.The Grey-box model demonstrates a high level of accuracy in predict-ing the VSM force-height mechanical response curves,with errors below 15%in almost 90%of the cases and a maximum error of less than 25%.The model is used to optimize VSM design parameters,particularly those unexplored combinations.Our results from the load capacity and force distribution comparison tests indicate that the VSM,optimized through our methods,quantitatively meets the practical engineering requirements.展开更多
The behavior of beams with variable stiffness subjected to the action of variable loadings (impulse or harmonic) is analyzed in this paper using the successive approximation method. This successive approximation metho...The behavior of beams with variable stiffness subjected to the action of variable loadings (impulse or harmonic) is analyzed in this paper using the successive approximation method. This successive approximation method is a technique for numerical integration of partial differential equations involving both the space and time, with well-known initial conditions on time and boundary conditions on the space. This technique, although having been applied to beams with constant stiffness, is new for the case of beams with variable stiffness, and it aims to use a quadratic parabola (in time) to approximate the solutions of the differential equations of dynamics. The spatial part is studied using the successive approximation method of the partial differential equations obtained, in order to transform them into a system of time-dependent ordinary differential equations. Thus, the integration algorithm using this technique is established and applied to examples of beams with variable stiffness, under variable loading, and with the different cases of supports chosen in the literature. We have thus calculated the cases of beams with constant or variable rigidity with articulated or embedded supports, subjected to the action of an instantaneous impulse and harmonic loads distributed over its entire length. In order to justify the robustness of the successive approximation method considered in this work, an example of an articulated beam with constant stiffness subjected to a distributed harmonic load was calculated analytically, and the results obtained compared to those found numerically for various steps (spatial h and temporal τ ¯ ) of calculus, and the difference between the values obtained by the two methods was small. For example for ( h=1/8 , τ ¯ =1/ 64 ), the difference between these values is 17%.展开更多
Cable-driven parallel robots(CDPRs)have advantages of larger workspace and load capacity than conventional parallel robots while existing interference problems among cables,workpieces and the end-effector.In order to ...Cable-driven parallel robots(CDPRs)have advantages of larger workspace and load capacity than conventional parallel robots while existing interference problems among cables,workpieces and the end-effector.In order to avoid collision and improve the flexibility of the robots,this study proposes a reconfigurable cable-driven parallel robot(RCDPR)having characteristics of large load-to-weight ratio,easy modularity and variable stiffness.Adjustable brackets are connected to the moving platform to adjust the position of the pull-out point with the movement of the end-effector.In addition,a variable stiffness actuator(VSA)accompanied by finite element analysis is designed to optimize the cable tension to adapt different task requirements.Firstly,a new idea of reconfiguration is given,and an inverse kinematic model is established using the vector closure principle to derive its inverse kinematic expressions focusing on one of the configurations.Second,the VSA is attached to each cable to achieve stiffness adjustment,and the system stiffness is derived in detail.Finally,the rationality and accuracy of the robot are verified through numerical analysis,providing a reference for subsequent trajectory planning with implications.展开更多
The relative stiffness between underground structures and surrounding soil may significantly influence the dynamic response of such structures.In this study,two underground pipelines were fabricated using rubber joint...The relative stiffness between underground structures and surrounding soil may significantly influence the dynamic response of such structures.In this study,two underground pipelines were fabricated using rubber joints with varying stiffness,and the corresponding dynamic response was evaluated.Model soils were prepared based on similarity ratios.Next,reduced-scale shaking table tests were conducted to investigate the impact of circular underground structures with varying stiffness joints on the amplification of ground acceleration,dynamic response,and deformation patterns of the underground pipelines.The comparative analysis showed that structures with lower stiffness exert less constraint on the surrounding soil,resulting in a higher amplification factor of ground acceleration.The seismic response of less stiff structures is generally 1.1 to 1.3 times the response of the stiffer structures.Therefore,the seismic response of the variable stiffness pipeline exhibits pronounced characteristics.Rubber joints effectively reduce the seismic response of underground structures,demonstrating favorable isolation effects.Consequently,relative stiffness plays a crucial role in the seismic design of underground structures,and the use of rubber materials in underground structures is advantageous.展开更多
This work investigates adaptive stiffness control and motion optimization of a snake-like robot with variable stiffness actuators. The robot can vary its stiffness by controlling magnetorheological fluid(MRF) around a...This work investigates adaptive stiffness control and motion optimization of a snake-like robot with variable stiffness actuators. The robot can vary its stiffness by controlling magnetorheological fluid(MRF) around actuators. In order to improve the robot's physical stability in complex environments, this work proposes an adaptive stiffness control strategy. This strategy is also useful for the robot to avoid disturbing caused by emergency situations such as collisions. In addition, to obtain optimal stiffness and reduce energy consumption, both torques of actuators and stiffness of the MRF braker are considered and optimized by using an evolutionary optimization algorithm. Simulations and experiments are conducted to verify the proposed adaptive stiffness control and optimization methods for a variable stiffness snake-like robots.展开更多
Redundantly actuated planar rotational parallel mechanisms（RAPRPMs） adapt to the requirements of robots under different working conditions by changing the antagonistic internal force to tune their stiffness.The geom...Redundantly actuated planar rotational parallel mechanisms（RAPRPMs） adapt to the requirements of robots under different working conditions by changing the antagonistic internal force to tune their stiffness.The geometrical parameters of the mechanism impact the performances of modulating stiffness.Analytical expressions relating stiffness and geometrical parameters of the mechanism were formulated to obtain the necessary conditions of variable stiffness.A novel method of variable stiffness design was presented to optimize the geometrical parameters of the mechanism.The stiffness variation with the internal force was maximized.The dynamic change of stiffness with the dynamic location of the mechanism was minimized,and the robustness of stiffness during the motion of the mechanism was ensured.This new approach to variable stiffness design can enable off-line planning of the internal force to avoid the difficulties of on-line control of the internal force.展开更多
Recent studies have shown that base-isolated objects with long fundamental natural periods are highly influenced by long-period earthquakes. These long-period waves result in large displacements for isolators, possibl...Recent studies have shown that base-isolated objects with long fundamental natural periods are highly influenced by long-period earthquakes. These long-period waves result in large displacements for isolators, possibly leading to exceedance of the allowable displacement limits. Conventional isolation systems, in general, fail to resist such large displacements. This has prompted the need to modify conventional base isolation systems. The current work focuses on the development of an external device, comprising a unit of negative and positive springs, for improving the performance of conventional base isolation systems. This unit accelerates the change in the stiffness of the isolation system where the stiffness of the positive spring varies linearly in terms of the displacement response of the isolated objects. The target objects of the present study are small structures such as computer servers, sensitive instruments and machinery. Numerical studies show that the increase in the damping of the system and the slope of the linear function is effective in reducing the displacement response. An optimal range of damping values and slope, satisfying the stability condition and the allowable limits of both displacement and acceleration responses when the system is subjected to near-fault and long-period ground motions simultaneously, is proposed.展开更多
A new adaptive variable stiffness absorber was proposed based on a smart material, magnetorheological elastomer (MRE), and its vibration control performance was investigated. Before developing the proposed absorber, t...A new adaptive variable stiffness absorber was proposed based on a smart material, magnetorheological elastomer (MRE), and its vibration control performance was investigated. Before developing the proposed absorber, the MREs were firstly fabricated by curing a mixture of 704 silicon rubber, carbonyl iron particles and a small amount of silicone oil under an external magnetic field. Then the mechanical properties of the fabricated MREs were measured. On the basis of the measured mechanical characteristics, the MRE absorber was developed and its working characteristics were also tested under various input currents and excited frequencies. Finally, the control responses of a two-degree-of-freedom dynamic system with a MRE absorber were presented under a chirp input and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the MRE absorber.展开更多
Devices with variable stiffness are drawing more and more attention with the growing interests of human-robot interaction,wearable robotics,rehabilitation robotics,etc.In this paper,the authors report on the design,an...Devices with variable stiffness are drawing more and more attention with the growing interests of human-robot interaction,wearable robotics,rehabilitation robotics,etc.In this paper,the authors report on the design,analysis and experiments of a stiffness variable passive compliant device whose structure is a combination of a reconfigurable elastic inner skeleton and an origami shell.The main concept of the reconfigurable skeleton is to have two elastic trapezoid four-bar linkages arranged in orthogonal.The stiffness variation generates from the passive deflection of the elastic limbs and is realized by actively switching the arrangement of the leaf springs and the passive joints in a fast,simple and straightforward manner.The kinetostatics and the compliance of the device are analyzed based on an efficient approach to the large deflection problem of the elastic links.A prototype is fabricated to conduct experiments for the assessment of the proposed concept.The results show that the prototype possesses relatively low stiffness under the compliant status and high stiffness under the stiff status with a status switching speed around 80 ms.展开更多
基金supports for this research were provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.12272301,12002278,U1906233)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation,China(Nos.2023A1515011970,2024A1515010256)+1 种基金the Dalian City Supports Innovation and Entrepreneurship Projects for High-Level Talents,China(2021RD16)the Key R&D Project of CSCEC,China(No.CSCEC-2020-Z-4).
文摘Fiber-reinforced composites are an ideal material for the lightweight design of aerospace structures. Especially in recent years, with the rapid development of composite additive manufacturing technology, the design optimization of variable stiffness of fiber-reinforced composite laminates has attracted widespread attention from scholars and industry. In these aerospace composite structures, numerous cutout panels and shells serve as access points for maintaining electrical, fuel, and hydraulic systems. The traditional fiber-reinforced composite laminate subtractive drilling manufacturing inevitably faces the problems of interlayer delamination, fiber fracture, and burr of the laminate. Continuous fiber additive manufacturing technology offers the potential for integrated design optimization and manufacturing with high structural performance. Considering the integration of design and manufacturability in continuous fiber additive manufacturing, the paper proposes linear and nonlinear filtering strategies based on the Normal Distribution Fiber Optimization (NDFO) material interpolation scheme to overcome the challenge of discrete fiber optimization results, which are difficult to apply directly to continuous fiber additive manufacturing. With minimizing structural compliance as the objective function, the proposed approach provides a strategy to achieve continuity of discrete fiber paths in the variable stiffness design optimization of composite laminates with regular and irregular holes. In the variable stiffness design optimization model, the number of candidate fiber laying angles in the NDFO material interpolation scheme is considered as design variable. The sensitivity information of structural compliance with respect to the number of candidate fiber laying angles is obtained using the analytical sensitivity analysis method. Based on the proposed variable stiffness design optimization method for complex perforated composite laminates, the numerical examples consider the variable stiffness design optimization of typical non-perforated and perforated composite laminates with circular, square, and irregular holes, and systematically discuss the number of candidate discrete fiber laying angles, discrete fiber continuous filtering strategies, and filter radius on structural compliance, continuity, and manufacturability. The optimized discrete fiber angles of variable stiffness laminates are converted into continuous fiber laying paths using a streamlined process for continuous fiber additive manufacturing. Meanwhile, the optimized non-perforated and perforated MBB beams after discrete fiber continuous treatment, are manufactured using continuous fiber co-extrusion additive manufacturing technology to verify the effectiveness of the variable stiffness fiber optimization framework proposed in this paper.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2018YFB1305400)the Major Research Plan of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.92048301)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52025054)the Joint Research Fund between the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)and Shen Zhen(No.U1713201).
文摘This paper presents a continuum manipulator inspired by the anatomical characteristics of the elephant trunk.Specifically,the manipulator mimics the conoid profile of the elephant trunk,which helps to enhance its strength.The design features two concentric parts:inner pneumatically actuated bellows and an outer tendon-driven helical spring.The tendons control the omnidirectional bending of the manipulator,while the fusion of the pneumatic bellows with the tendon-driven spring results in an antagonistic actuation mechanism that provides the manipulator with variable stiffness and extensibility.This paper presents a new design for extensible manipulator and analyzes its stiffness and motion characteristics.Experimental results are consistent with theoretical analysis,thereby demonstrating the validity of the theoretical approach and the versatile practical mechanical properties of the continuum manipulator.The impressive extensibility and variable stiffness of the manipulator were further demonstrated by performing a pin-hole assembly task.
基金Supported by Shenzhen Municipal Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.U2013212)National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2020YFB1313001)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.U23 A20328).
文摘Continuum robots have been a hot topic in recent years due to their intrinsic features of agility,flexibility,and safety.To successfully deploy continuum robots in practical applications,further enhancements in variable stiffness,decoupled motion,and embedded sensing are highly desirable.Since continuum robots are usually composed of multiple joints assembled in series,their mechanical properties and performance will certainly rely on the connected joints.This paper proposes a motion-decoupled variable stiffness-decoupled pneumatic rigid-flexible hybrid joint(RFHJ),which is modular designed and integrated with a rigid hinge,a stiffness-tuning module,and soft actuators.The soft pneumatic muscle actuators are pre-stretched during assembly,ensuring the stable initial state of RFHJ.A novel musculature-mounting configuration is also presented,which enables RFHJs to achieve independent motions in two orthogonal planes.Furthermore,the variable stiffness module is embedded in the RFHJ’s structure to offer real-time and independent stiffness tunability across multiple scales in two perpendicular directions.The proposed RFHJ makes most of the advantages of soft continuum robots and conventional rigid serial robots by introducing a hybrid structure to provide both safe human-robot interaction(HRI),accurate control and reliable stiffness variation,presenting promising potentials for robotic systems,which have been theoretically proved and experimentally verified on the physical prototype.The experimental results also indicate that the developed RFHJ can work with variable stiffness ranging in[1.2,49.9]N·m/rad.A variable stiffness rigid-flexible hybrid continuum arm(RFHA)is designed with three RFHJs in series.Primary tests on the developed RFHA prototype demonstrate that it has the characteristics of decoupled driving,bidirectional stiffness tunability and self-stability.
基金funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2024YFE0208100).
文摘The scroll expander,as the core component of the micro-compressed air energy storage and power generation system,directly affects the output efficiency of the system.Meanwhile,the scroll profile plays a central role in determining the output performance of the scroll expander.In this study,in order to investigate the output characteristics of a variable cross-section scroll expander,numerical simulation and experimental studies were con-ducted by using Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD)methods and dynamic mesh techniques.The impact of critical parameters on the output performance of the scroll expander was analyzed through the utilization of the control variable method.It is found that increasing the inlet pressure and temperature within a certain range can improve the output power of the scroll expander.However,the increase in temperature and meshing clearance leads to a decline in the overall output performance of the scroll expander,leading to a decrease in volumetric efficiency by 8.43%and 12.79%,respectively.The experiments demonstrate that under equal inlet pressure conditions,increasing the inlet temperature elevates both the rotational speed and torque output of the scroll expander.Specifically,compared to operating at normal temperatures,the output torque increases by 21.8%under high-temperature conditions.However,the rate of speed and torque variation decreases as a consequence of enlarged meshing clearance,resulting in increased internal leakage and reduction in isentropic efficiency.
基金Sponsored by the Subsidization Plan for Outstanding Young Teacher of Ministry of Education
文摘In order to understand mechanical characters and find out a calculating method for preflex beams used in particular bridge engineering projects, two types of simply supported preflex beams with variable crosssection, preflex beam with alterative web depth and preflex beam with aherative steel flange thickness, are dis- cussed on how to achieve the equivalent moment of inertia and Young＇ s modulus. Additionally, methods of cal- culating the equivalent bending stiffness and post-cracking deflection are proposed. Results of the experiments on 6 beams agree well with the theoretical analysis, which proves the correctness of the proposed formulas.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.11902124).
文摘Currently,experimental research on variable stiffness design mainly focuses on laminates.To ensure adaptability in practical application,it is imperative to conduct a systematic study on stiffened variable stiffness structures,including design,manufacture,experiment,and simulation.Based on the minimum curvature radius and process schemes,two types of T-stiffened panels were designed and manufactured.Uniaxial compression tests have been carried out and the results indicate that the buckling load of variable stiffness specimens is increased by 26.0%,while the failure load is decreased by 19.6%.The influence mechanism of variable stiffness design on the buckling and failure behavior of T-stiffened panels was explicated by numerical analysis.The primary reason for the reduced strength is the significantly increased load bearing ratio of stiffeners.As experimental investigations of stiffened variable stiffness structures are very rare,this study can be considered a reference for future work.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.12022213,12002329,U23A2066,12272240,and 12002217)。
文摘A novel X-shaped variable stiffness vibration isolator(X-VSVI)is proposed.The Runge-Kutta method,harmonic balance method,and wavelet transform spectra are introduced to evaluate the performance of the X-VSVI under various excitations.The layer number,the installation angle of the X-shaped structure,the stiffness,and the active control parameters are systematically analyzed.In addition,a prototype of the X-VSVI is manufactured,and vibration tests are carried out.The results show that the proposed X-VSVI has a superior adaptability to that of a traditional X-shaped mechanism,and shows excellent vibration isolation performance in response to different amplitudes and forms of excitations.Moreover,the vibration isolation efficiency of the device can be improved by appropriate adjustment of parameters.
基金Supported by National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2022YFB4701200)Ningbo Municipal Key Projects of Science and Technology Innovation 2025 Plan(Grant No.2022Z070)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52205004).
文摘Variable stiffness mechanisms(VSMs)are a class of compliant mechanisms that can adjust their intrinsic stiffness,which promises to be beneficial in applications needed to interact with the environment,such as collaborative robots,wearable robots,and polishing robots.This paper presents the design and optimization of a novel linear VSM,called cLVSM,to produce linear motion,conversely to the majority of VSMs designed to perform rotary motion.By changing the effective length of specially designed circular beams,the cLVSM is capable of continuous stiffness regulation from a minimum value to almost rigid.Different from the VSMs which need rotation-to-translation converting mechanisms for stiffness regulation,the stiffness of the proposed design is adjusted by directly rotating the beams without the use of additional mechanisms,which contributes to improving the structural compactness,and reducing the energy loss and error in transmission.Moreover,the beam rotation needed to regulate the stiffness is almost perpendicular to the beam deflection force,which helps to reduce the torque needed for stiffness regulation.The stiffness model of the proposed VSM is developed using the screw theory,and the design parameters are optimized using the genetic algorithm.The effectiveness of the mathematical model and the performance of the design are verified by simulation and experiments.
基金This research was done at the Institute of Robotics,Shenyang University of Technology,with the assistance of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52005344).
文摘It has been demonstrated that the flexibility of the structure can enhance the kinematic performance of the underwater bionic robotic fish.Furthermore,the thrust of the underwater robotic fish can be further enhanced by changing the stiffness of the tail when the motion frequency of the propulsion system increases.This paper proposes a novel actuator,the pneumatic variable stiffness imitation dolphin tail actuator(PVSA),which combines soft robotics with the structural characteristics and movement mode of a biological dolphin.The PVSA comprises a pneumatic bi-directional bending soft actuator and a pull-wire-driven variable stiffness mechanism.The soft actuator is capable of mimicking the dorsoventral movement of dolphins by changing the pressure difference between the cavities,thereby achieving bending deformation.The variable stiff-ness mechanism is based on the stiffness mechanism of particle interference and the structural characteristics of vertebrate endoskeleton,with the objective of achieving variable stiffness.The parameters of the PVSA are optimised using numerical simulations and experimental studies,and then designed underwater experiments are conducted to investigate the effects of amplitude,stiffness and frequency on the propulsive performance of the PVSA.The results demonstrate that the PVSA is capable of enhancing thrust by adjusting its own stiffness and movement frequency.The development of the PVSA provides a reference for the research of related underwater bionic propulsion technology.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2019YFB1311200).
文摘Soft grippers are favored for handling delicate objects due to their compliance but often have lower load capacities compared to rigid ones.Variable Stiffness Module(VSM)offer a solution,balancing flexibility and load capacity,for which particle jamming is an effective technology for stiffness-tunable robots requiring safe interaction and load capacity.Specific applica-tions,such as rescue scenarios,require quantitative analysis to optimize VSM design parameters,which previous analytical models cannot effectively handle.To address this,a Grey-box model is proposed to analyze the mechanical response of the particle-jamming-based VSM by combining a White-box approach based on the virtual work principle with a Black-box approach that uses a shallow neural network method.The Grey-box model demonstrates a high level of accuracy in predict-ing the VSM force-height mechanical response curves,with errors below 15%in almost 90%of the cases and a maximum error of less than 25%.The model is used to optimize VSM design parameters,particularly those unexplored combinations.Our results from the load capacity and force distribution comparison tests indicate that the VSM,optimized through our methods,quantitatively meets the practical engineering requirements.
文摘The behavior of beams with variable stiffness subjected to the action of variable loadings (impulse or harmonic) is analyzed in this paper using the successive approximation method. This successive approximation method is a technique for numerical integration of partial differential equations involving both the space and time, with well-known initial conditions on time and boundary conditions on the space. This technique, although having been applied to beams with constant stiffness, is new for the case of beams with variable stiffness, and it aims to use a quadratic parabola (in time) to approximate the solutions of the differential equations of dynamics. The spatial part is studied using the successive approximation method of the partial differential equations obtained, in order to transform them into a system of time-dependent ordinary differential equations. Thus, the integration algorithm using this technique is established and applied to examples of beams with variable stiffness, under variable loading, and with the different cases of supports chosen in the literature. We have thus calculated the cases of beams with constant or variable rigidity with articulated or embedded supports, subjected to the action of an instantaneous impulse and harmonic loads distributed over its entire length. In order to justify the robustness of the successive approximation method considered in this work, an example of an articulated beam with constant stiffness subjected to a distributed harmonic load was calculated analytically, and the results obtained compared to those found numerically for various steps (spatial h and temporal τ ¯ ) of calculus, and the difference between the values obtained by the two methods was small. For example for ( h=1/8 , τ ¯ =1/ 64 ), the difference between these values is 17%.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.52335002,52205014,52275033)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No.JZ2024HGTB0245).
文摘Cable-driven parallel robots(CDPRs)have advantages of larger workspace and load capacity than conventional parallel robots while existing interference problems among cables,workpieces and the end-effector.In order to avoid collision and improve the flexibility of the robots,this study proposes a reconfigurable cable-driven parallel robot(RCDPR)having characteristics of large load-to-weight ratio,easy modularity and variable stiffness.Adjustable brackets are connected to the moving platform to adjust the position of the pull-out point with the movement of the end-effector.In addition,a variable stiffness actuator(VSA)accompanied by finite element analysis is designed to optimize the cable tension to adapt different task requirements.Firstly,a new idea of reconfiguration is given,and an inverse kinematic model is established using the vector closure principle to derive its inverse kinematic expressions focusing on one of the configurations.Second,the VSA is attached to each cable to achieve stiffness adjustment,and the system stiffness is derived in detail.Finally,the rationality and accuracy of the robot are verified through numerical analysis,providing a reference for subsequent trajectory planning with implications.
基金Key International(Regional)Joint Research Project under Grant No.52020105002National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.51991393。
文摘The relative stiffness between underground structures and surrounding soil may significantly influence the dynamic response of such structures.In this study,two underground pipelines were fabricated using rubber joints with varying stiffness,and the corresponding dynamic response was evaluated.Model soils were prepared based on similarity ratios.Next,reduced-scale shaking table tests were conducted to investigate the impact of circular underground structures with varying stiffness joints on the amplification of ground acceleration,dynamic response,and deformation patterns of the underground pipelines.The comparative analysis showed that structures with lower stiffness exert less constraint on the surrounding soil,resulting in a higher amplification factor of ground acceleration.The seismic response of less stiff structures is generally 1.1 to 1.3 times the response of the stiffer structures.Therefore,the seismic response of the variable stiffness pipeline exhibits pronounced characteristics.Rubber joints effectively reduce the seismic response of underground structures,demonstrating favorable isolation effects.Consequently,relative stiffness plays a crucial role in the seismic design of underground structures,and the use of rubber materials in underground structures is advantageous.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51575034)Beijing Leading Talents Program(Z191100006119031)+2 种基金Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation(3202022)National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFB1304600)the State Key Laboratory of Robotics of China(2018-O15)。
文摘This work investigates adaptive stiffness control and motion optimization of a snake-like robot with variable stiffness actuators. The robot can vary its stiffness by controlling magnetorheological fluid(MRF) around actuators. In order to improve the robot's physical stability in complex environments, this work proposes an adaptive stiffness control strategy. This strategy is also useful for the robot to avoid disturbing caused by emergency situations such as collisions. In addition, to obtain optimal stiffness and reduce energy consumption, both torques of actuators and stiffness of the MRF braker are considered and optimized by using an evolutionary optimization algorithm. Simulations and experiments are conducted to verify the proposed adaptive stiffness control and optimization methods for a variable stiffness snake-like robots.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51275127)
文摘Redundantly actuated planar rotational parallel mechanisms（RAPRPMs） adapt to the requirements of robots under different working conditions by changing the antagonistic internal force to tune their stiffness.The geometrical parameters of the mechanism impact the performances of modulating stiffness.Analytical expressions relating stiffness and geometrical parameters of the mechanism were formulated to obtain the necessary conditions of variable stiffness.A novel method of variable stiffness design was presented to optimize the geometrical parameters of the mechanism.The stiffness variation with the internal force was maximized.The dynamic change of stiffness with the dynamic location of the mechanism was minimized,and the robustness of stiffness during the motion of the mechanism was ensured.This new approach to variable stiffness design can enable off-line planning of the internal force to avoid the difficulties of on-line control of the internal force.
文摘Recent studies have shown that base-isolated objects with long fundamental natural periods are highly influenced by long-period earthquakes. These long-period waves result in large displacements for isolators, possibly leading to exceedance of the allowable displacement limits. Conventional isolation systems, in general, fail to resist such large displacements. This has prompted the need to modify conventional base isolation systems. The current work focuses on the development of an external device, comprising a unit of negative and positive springs, for improving the performance of conventional base isolation systems. This unit accelerates the change in the stiffness of the isolation system where the stiffness of the positive spring varies linearly in terms of the displacement response of the isolated objects. The target objects of the present study are small structures such as computer servers, sensitive instruments and machinery. Numerical studies show that the increase in the damping of the system and the slope of the linear function is effective in reducing the displacement response. An optimal range of damping values and slope, satisfying the stability condition and the allowable limits of both displacement and acceleration responses when the system is subjected to near-fault and long-period ground motions simultaneously, is proposed.
基金Projects(60804018, 50830202) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject (20070420719) supported by the Post doctoral Fund of ChinaProject(CSTC.2008BB6184) supported by Chongqing Natural Science Foundation, China
文摘A new adaptive variable stiffness absorber was proposed based on a smart material, magnetorheological elastomer (MRE), and its vibration control performance was investigated. Before developing the proposed absorber, the MREs were firstly fabricated by curing a mixture of 704 silicon rubber, carbonyl iron particles and a small amount of silicone oil under an external magnetic field. Then the mechanical properties of the fabricated MREs were measured. On the basis of the measured mechanical characteristics, the MRE absorber was developed and its working characteristics were also tested under various input currents and excited frequencies. Finally, the control responses of a two-degree-of-freedom dynamic system with a MRE absorber were presented under a chirp input and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the MRE absorber.
基金Supported in part by National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2017YFE0111300)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.51875334)State Key Lab of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology(Huazhong University of Science and Technology)(Grant No.DMETKF2019007).
文摘Devices with variable stiffness are drawing more and more attention with the growing interests of human-robot interaction,wearable robotics,rehabilitation robotics,etc.In this paper,the authors report on the design,analysis and experiments of a stiffness variable passive compliant device whose structure is a combination of a reconfigurable elastic inner skeleton and an origami shell.The main concept of the reconfigurable skeleton is to have two elastic trapezoid four-bar linkages arranged in orthogonal.The stiffness variation generates from the passive deflection of the elastic limbs and is realized by actively switching the arrangement of the leaf springs and the passive joints in a fast,simple and straightforward manner.The kinetostatics and the compliance of the device are analyzed based on an efficient approach to the large deflection problem of the elastic links.A prototype is fabricated to conduct experiments for the assessment of the proposed concept.The results show that the prototype possesses relatively low stiffness under the compliant status and high stiffness under the stiff status with a status switching speed around 80 ms.
