Elastodynamic Effects of Mass-Balancing: Experimental Investigation of a Four-Bar Linkage

This paper deals with static balancing of closed-loop mechanisms. The long-term goal of the research is enhancing the performance of parallel robots by means of effective static balancing strategies that take into account the system dynamic behaviour. In this contribution, the influence of mass-balancing on the elastodynamic performance of a four-bar linkage, intended as the simplest example of closed-loop mechanism, is experimentally investigated. The design of the experimental apparatus is discussed and the results of tests on both an unbalanced linkage and its balanced variant are presented. Base-transmitted forces and vibrations are monitored for constant-speed operations and for velocity ramp tests in order to characterize the elastodynamic behaviour of the linkages. The analysis is supported by implementing a flexible multibody model of the experimental apparatus that enhances the interpretation of the experimental data.

[1]  Eugene I. Rivin,et al.  Mechanical Design of Robots , 1987 .

[2]  Aaas News,et al.  Book Reviews , 1893, Buffalo Medical and Surgical Journal.

[3]  D. A. Streit,et al.  Equilibrators for Planar Linkages , 1993 .

[4]  G. G. Lowen,et al.  A New Method for Com-pletely Force Balancing Simple Linkages , 1969 .

[5]  Vigen Arakelian,et al.  Erratum: “Shaking Force and Shaking Moment Balancing of Mechanisms: A Historical Review With New Examples” [Journal of Mechanical Design, 2005, 127(2), pp. 334–339] , 2005 .

[6]  O. Rioul,et al.  Wavelets and signal processing , 1991, IEEE Signal Processing Magazine.

[7]  R. Whalley,et al.  Analysis, modeling and simulation of stiffness in machine tool drives , 2000 .

[8]  Vigen Arakelian,et al.  Shaking Force and Shaking Moment Balancing of Mechanisms: A Historical Review With New Examples , 2005 .

[9]  A. Balasubramonian,et al.  Experimental Study on the Elastodynamic Behavior of the Unbalanced and the Counterweighted Four Bar Mechanisms , 1990 .

[10]  Marion Kee,et al.  Analysis , 2004, Machine Translation.

[11]  Damien Chablat,et al.  Kinematics and workspace analysis of a three-axis parallel manipulator: the Orthoglide , 2005, Robotica.

[12]  Clément Gosselin,et al.  Static balancing of spatial six-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanisms with revolute actuators , 2000, J. Field Robotics.

[13]  Clément Gosselin,et al.  A Statically Balanced Gough/Stewart-Type Platform: Conception, Design, and Simulation , 2009 .

[14]  Bin Jiang,et al.  Analytical and experimental study on the dynamic balancing of flexible mechanisms , 2007 .

[15]  G. G. Lowen,et al.  Balancing of linkages—an update , 1983 .

[16]  Sébastien Briot,et al.  Design and Prototyping of a New Balancing Mechanism for Spatial Parallel Manipulators , 2008 .

[17]  M. J. Walker,et al.  An experimental study of the effects of counterweights on a six-bar chain☆ , 1982 .

[18]  F R Tepper,et al.  The quantitative influence of complete force balancing on the forces and moments of certain families of four-bar linkages , 1974 .

[19]  B. Sahay,et al.  Kineto-elastodynamic balancing of 4R-four bar mechanisms combining kinematic and dynamic stress considerations , 1986 .

[20]  V. A. Kamenskii.  On the question of the balancing of plane linkages , 1968 .

[21]  Clément Gosselin,et al.  Static balancing of spatial parallel Platform mechanisms-revisited , 2000 .