Topological and Kinematic Analysis of a 6-DOF Driving Simulator

Driving simulators represent a novel way to reproduce the movements of a vehicle with the purpose of testing different cars, to prevent dangerous situations, entertainment and also to train the professional drivers. More, they are used to render the effects of the interactions between the car and the road, as a consequence of the constrains imposed by the road: different folds, cavities. This work presents the topological synthesis, the kinematic analysis and the virtual modeling of driving simulator. The mechanical structure of the simulator is modeled in the Matlab/Simulink environment, generally used the advantages of numerical solutions.

Topological Synthesis and Integrated Kinematic-Structural Dimensional Optimization of a Ten-Bar Linkage for a Hydraulic Rescue Spreader

Hydraulic rescue spreaders are used by emergency response personnel to extricate occupants from a vehicle crash. A lighter and more portable rescue spreader is required for better usability and to enable utilization in a variety of scenarios. To meet this requirement, topological synthesis, dimensional synthesis, and an optimization were used to develop a solution linkage. The topological synthesis technique demonstrates that ten links are the minimum possible number that achieves the desired motion without depending primarily on rotation of the spreader jaws. A novel integrated kinematic-structural dimensional synthesis technique is presented and used in a grid-search optimizing the linkage dimensions to minimize linkage mass. The resulting ten-bar linkage meets or exceeds the kinematic performance parameters while simultaneously achieving a near-optimum predicted mass.