An Optimization Method for the Static Balancing of Manipulators Using Springs

Author(s):  
Jieyu Wang ◽  
Xianwen Kong

Abstract This paper discusses a novel optimization method to design statically balanced manipulators. Only springs are used to balance the manipulators composed of revolute (R) joints. Since the total potential energy of the system is constant when statically balanced, the sum of squared differences between the two potential energy when giving different random values of joint variables is set as the objective function. Then the optimization tool of MATLAB is used to obtain the spring attachment points. The results show that for a 1-link manipulator mounted on an R joint, in addition to attaching the spring right above the R joint, the attachment point can have offset. It also indicates that an arbitrary spatial manipulator with n link, whose weight cannot be neglected, can be balanced using n springs. Using this method, the static balancing can be readily achieved, with multiple solutions.

Author(s):  
W D van Dorsser ◽  
R Barents ◽  
B M Wisse ◽  
M Schenk ◽  
J L Herder

Static balancing is a useful concept to reduce the operating effort of mechanisms. Spring mechanisms are used to achieve a constant total potential energy, thus eliminating any preferred position. Quasi-statically, the mechanism, once statically balanced, can be moved virtually without the operating energy. In some cases, it is desirable to adjust the characteristic of the balancer, for instance, due to a change in the payload in a gravity balanced mechanism. The adjustment of current static balancers requires significant operating energy. This paper will present a novel variant to adjust the spring- and linkage-based static balancers without the need for external energy. The variant makes use of the possibility to adjust the spring stiffness in an energy-conserving way by adjusting the number of active coils. The conditions under which it functions properly will be given, and a proof of the concept model will be shown.


Author(s):  
Wouter D. van Dorsser ◽  
Rogier Barents ◽  
Boudewijn M. Wisse ◽  
Just L. Herder

Static balancing is a useful concept to reduce operating effort of mechanisms. Very often, spring mechanisms are used to achieve a constant total potential energy, thus eliminating any preferred position. The springs and the mechanism dimensions are designed to exactly or approximately balance other forces present in the mechanism, such as gravity. Quasistatically, the mechanism, once statically balanced, can be moved virtually without operating energy. In some cases it is desirable to adjust the balancer characteristic, for instance due to a change of payload in a gravity balanced mechanism. The adjustment of present static balancers requires significant operating energy. This paper will present a novel principle to adjust spring and linkage-based static balancers with no need for external energy. This principle will be explained and several variants will be shown. A mobile arm support for people with neuromuscular diseases is used as a design example. These people have very limited force and rely on their arm support to move their arms. When picking up objects their support mechanism should ideally be adjusted. Due to the limited available muscle force, this application greatly benefits from an energy-free adjustment.


Author(s):  
Jiegao Wang ◽  
Clément M. Gosselin

Abstract The static balancing of spatial six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanisms or manipulators with revolute actuators is studied in this paper. Two static balancing methods, namely, using counterweights and using springs, are used. The first method leads to mechanisms with a stationary global center of mass while the second approach leads to mechanisms whose total potential energy (including the elastic potential energy stored in the springs as well as the gravitational potential energy) is constant. The position vector of the global center of mass and the total potential energy of the manipulator are first expressed as functions of the position and orientation of the platform. Then, conditions for static balancing are derived from the resulting expressions. Finally, examples are given in order to illustrate the design methodologies.


Author(s):  
Carmel Majidi ◽  
George G. Adams

The solution of adhesion problems with elastic plates generally involves solving a boundary-value problem with an assumed contact area. The contact region is then found by minimizing the total potential energy with respect to the contact area (i.e. the contact radius for the axisymmetric case). Such a procedure can be extremely long and tedious. Here, we show that the inclusion of adhesion is equivalent to specifying a discontinuous internal bending moment at the contact region boundary. The magnitude of this moment discontinuity is related to the work of adhesion and flexural rigidity of the plate. Such a formulation can greatly reduce the algebraic complexity of solving these problems. It is noted that the related plate contact problems without adhesion can also be solved by minimizing the total potential energy. However, it has long been recognized that it is mathematically more efficient to find the contact area by specifying a continuous internal bending moment at the boundary of the contact region. Thus, our moment discontinuity method can be considered to be a generalization of that procedure which is applicable for problems with adhesion.


Author(s):  
Antonio Carminelli ◽  
Giuseppe Catania

This paper deals with an adaptive refinement technique of a B-spline degenerate shell finite element model, for the free vibration analysis of curved thin and moderately thick-walled structures. The automatic refinement of the solution is based on an error functional related to the density of the total potential energy. The model refinement is generated by locally increasing, in a sub-domain R of a local patch domain, the number of shape functions while maintaining constant the functions polynomial order. The local refinement strategy is described in a companion paper, written by the same authors of this paper and presented in this Conference. A two-step iterative procedure is proposed. In the first step, one or more sub domains to be refined are identified by means of a point-wise error functional based on the system total potential energy local density. In the second step, the number of shape functions to be added is iteratively increased until the difference of the total potential energy, calculated on the sub domain between two iteration, is below a user defined tolerance. A numerical example is presented in order to test the proposed approach. Strengths and limits of the approach are critically discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 807 ◽  
pp. 135-140
Author(s):  
Xi Jin Fu

Based on the first-principles, using CCSD(T) ab initio calculation method, many-body potential energy of solid argon are accurately calculated with the atomic distance R from 2.0Å to 3.6Å at T=300K, and firstly establish and discuss the face-centered cubic (fcc) atomic crystal configurations of two-, three-, and four-body terms by geometry optimization. The results shows that the total number of (Ar)2 clusters is 903, which belongs to 12 different geometric configurations, the total number of (Ar)3 clusters is 861, which belongs to 25 different geometric configurations, and the total number of (Ar)4 clusters of is 816 which belongs to 27 different geometric configurations. We find that the CCSD(T) with the aug-cc-pVQZ basis set is most accurate and practical by comprehensive consideration. The total potential energy Un reachs saturation at R>2.0Å when the only two-and three-body interaction energy are considered. When R≤2.0Å, the total potential energy Un must consider four-and higher-body interaction energy to achieve saturation. Many-body expansion potential of fcc solid argon is an exchange convergent series.


1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 1224-1236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude Guimon ◽  
Daniel Liotard ◽  
Geneviève Pfister-Guillouzo

The conformations of thietane, thietane sulfoxide, and their 3-chloro derivatives were obtained theoretically by minimization of the energy with respect to geometric parameters using the semi-empirical CNDO/2 method extended to the third period. The results agree well with known experimental data. The respective stabilities of the different conformers are explained by partial energy results obtained by a bicentric partition of the total potential energy of the molecules. [Journal translation]


1988 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 419-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Paydar ◽  
C. Libove

A small deflection theory, consisting of differential equations and a total potential energy expression, is presented for determining the stresses and deformations in variable thickness elastic sandwich plates symmetric about a middle surface. The theory takes into account the contribution of the face-sheet membrane forces (by virtue of their slopes) to the transverse shear. A finite-difference formulation of the stationary total potential energy principle is presented along with an illustrative application.


A new formulation of the classical theory of lattice dynamics is presented which correctly reproduces all the features of the quantum theoretical results. This new approach starts with a more detailed description of the various potential functions that contribute to the total potential energy and uses these to define a new set of potential functions that depend on the initial configuration only. The expansion of the total potential energy in powers of nuclear displacements is then found to have a particularly simple form in terms of these configuration dependent potentials.


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