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Numerical and Experimental Studies on Rotational Behavior of a Flexible Inflatable Manipulation Arm
Abstract
This paper presented the development of a novel flexible inflatable Manipulation arm. Both straight beams and rotational joints are made of air-inflated membrane units. In order to minimize the actuation moment, a rotational joint with creases, analogous to spacesuit elbow, was developed. Besides, a tendon driven system was also developed to actuate the arm rotation. Biaxial tension and shear tests were conducted on the flexible PVC fabric of the inflatable arm, and the elastic constants of the membrane materials were obtained according to the orthotropic assumption. Moreover, a finite element model was created to simulate the rotational performance of the inflated arm. The simulation results are compared with those obtained for cylindrical joints with no creases, and the former configuration results in a much lower actuation torque, which well satisfies the design goal for the rotational joint. Furthermore, a prototype of the inflatable arm was designed and made to perform an experimental investigation, and the accuracy of the numerical simulation was validated by the test data. © 2016, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press. All right reserved.
... Thus novel structural design of spacesuit joint with more flexibility and mobility under pressure are always explored in different generations of spacesuits. Meanwhile, as the development of deployable space structures like pneumatic robots, the spacesuit-like joints are also adopted for weight release and enhancing mobility, facing the same challenge [4][5][6]. ...
For exploration of the deep space destinations like the planetary surfaces, one of the most significant challenges is the performance of the spacesuit system. Aimed at improving safety and flexibility for the human-suit system during extravehicular activities (EVAs), a novel torsional pneumatic joint (TP joint) is proposed inspired with origami structure, overcoming the defects of traditional airtight bearings. Geometry of the TP joint is designed with Kresling crease pattern at first. To study the mechanical property of the TP joint, a basic structure of two layers is abstracted and analyzed with the energy method and nonlinear finite element method. According to analysis, the constitution of resistance torque is discussed and two influence factors of material rigidness and air pressure are investigated. As the inner pressure becomes large, the inflatable structure is unstable and tends to swell asymmetrically. Meanwhile, based on an eight-layer prototype joint, torsional and bending tests are conducted under inner pressure to examine the mobility of the joint. Results show that the prototype joint can be twisted to a range of 40°in one direction, and the torque is much smaller than the critical buckling torque of a pneumatic tube. Besides, the prototype joint also equips the bending function with a relatively low torque as an ordinary soft spacesuit joint. Thereby, the proposed TP joint can realized the torsional operations and has the potential to function as rigid bearings. Besides, the TP joint can be designed as a multi-degree joint to provide more mobility for the spacesuit system.
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