Erratum to: Modeling and analysis of passive dynamic bipedal walking with segmented feet and compliant joints

In the electronic version of the original article, the issue number shown in the header of the article opening page was wrong. It should be Issue 5 as in Acta Mechanica Sinica (2012) 28(5): 1457-1465.     

The simple chaotic model of passive dynamic walking

Recent findings on the dynamical analysis of human locomotion characteristics such as stride length signal have shown that this process is intrinsically a chaotic behavior. The passive walking has been defined as walking down a shallow slope without using any muscular contraction as an active controller. Based on this definition, some knee-less models have been proposed to present the simplest possible models of human gait. To maintain stability, these simple passive models are compelled to show a wide range of different dynamics from order to chaos. Unfortunately, based on simplifications, for many years the cyclic period-one behavior of these models has been considered as the only stable response. This assumption is not in line with the findings about the nature of walking. Thus, this paper proposes a novel model to demonstrate that the knee-less passive dynamic models also have the ability to model the chaotic behavior of human locomotion with some modifications. The presented novel model can show chaotic behavior as a stable and acceptable answer using a chaotic function in heel-strike condition. The represented chaotic model is also able to simulate different types of motor deficits such as Parkinson’s disease only by manipulating the value of chaotic parameter. Our model has extensively examined in complexity and chaotic behavior using different analytical methods such as fractal dimension, bifurcation and largest Lyapunov exponent, and it was compared with conventional passive models and the stride signal of healthy subjects and Parkinson patients.     

Modeling and nonlinear dynamic analysis of bolt joints considering fractal surfaces

Nonlinear Dynamics - The surface morphology has an important influence on the dynamic response and bolt loosening of bolted joints. In this paper, based on the fractal contact model, an original...     

Modeling joints with clearance and friction in multibody dynamic simulation of automotive differentials

Defects in kinematic joints can sometimes highly influence the simulation response of the whole multibody system within which these joints are included. For instance, the clearance, the friction, the lubrication and the flexibility affect the transient behaviour, reduce the component life and produce noise and vibration for classical joints such as prismatics, cylindrics or universal joints. In this work, a new 3D cylindrical joint model which accounts for the clearance, the misalignment and the friction is presented. This formulation has been used to represent the link between the planet gears and the planet carrier in an automotive differential model.     

Modeling and analysis of sliding joints with clearances in flexible multibody systems

The modeling of the sliding joint with clearance between a flexible beam and a rigid hole is investigated in this paper. The flexible beam is discretized using the three-dimensional curved Euler–Bernoulli beam element of the Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation, while the motion of the rigid hole is described by the Cartesian coordinates. Moreover, the cross sections of both the flexible beam and the rigid hole are assumed to be circular. The existing joints with clearances are mainly rigid joints with small clearances, and the contact detection algorithm adopted can solve only one pair of potential contact points within one section. In order to model the contact problem in the sliding joint with clearance, a new contact detection method based on the intersection of the rigid hole’s cross section and the flexible beam is proposed, which yields a two-dimensional contact detection problem. Based on the common-normal concept, the ellipse–circle contact detection problem within the hole’s cross section can be solved. The potential contact point on the hole’s cross section will be determined, and the closest point projection on the beam’s neutral axis can be defined further. The proposed contact detection method can deal with the sliding joint with large clearance and the multiple-point contact problem within one section. In addition, the penalty method is adopted to model the frictionless contact between the flexible beam and the rigid hole. Finally, two numerical examples about sliding joints with clearances, one with an initially curved beam under gravity and the other with a straight beam under zero gravity, are presented to demonstrate the influence of the clearance of sliding joint on the dynamic performance of flexible multibody systems.     

空间机器人捕获卫星操作基于柔顺装置的无源模糊避撞柔顺控制

讨论了漂浮基空间机器人在轨捕获非合作卫星过程避免关节受冲击及过载破坏的避撞柔顺控制问题。在关节电机与机械臂之间配置了一种柔顺装置——旋转型串联弹性执行器(RSEA),其作用一是在捕获阶段,通过其内置弹簧的变形来缓冲捕获过程中被捕获卫星对空间机器人关节产生的冲击能量;二是在捕获完成后的镇定运动阶段,结合所设计的避撞柔顺策略来适时开关关节电机以保证关节冲击力矩受限在安全范围。首先,根据拉格朗日法及牛顿-欧拉法分别建立了含柔顺装置空间机器人与目标卫星系统的动力学方程;之后,结合整个系统动量守恒关系、系统运动几何及位置约束关系,建立了捕获操作后两者形成混合体系统的动力学方程。在此基础上,针对捕获操作后不稳定的混合体系统,提出了一种基于无源性理论的避撞柔顺模糊控制方案以实现其镇定控制。最后,通过仿真实验验证了所提避撞柔顺策略的有效性。     

Modeling and analysis of rigid multibody systems with driving constraints and frictional translation joints

An approach is proposed for modeling and anal- yses of rigid multibody systems with frictional translation joints and driving constraints. The geometric constraints of translational joints with small clearance are treated as bilat- eral constraints by neglecting the impact between sliders and guides. Firstly, the normal forces acting on sliders, the driv- ing constraint forces （or moments） and the constraint forces of smooth revolute joints are all described by complementary conditions. The frictional contacts are characterized by a set- valued force law of Coulomb＇s dry friction. Combined with the theory of the horizontal linear complementarity problem （HLCP）, an event-driven scheme is used to detect the transi- tions of the contact situation between sliders and guides, and the stick-slip transitions of sliders, respectively. And then, all constraint forces in the system can be computed easily. Secondly, the dynamic equations of multibody systems are written at the acceleration-force level by the Lagrange multiplier technique, and the Baumgarte stabilization method is used to reduce the constraint drift. Finally, a numerical example is given to show some non-smooth dynamical behaviors of the studied system. The obtained results validate the feasibility of algorithm and the effect of constraint stabilization.     

Modeling of multibody systems with redundant joints

This paper deals with the modeling of a multibody system in which some pairs of bodies are connected by more than one joints with the same kinematic constraints. In such system, the redundant joints must be removed out artificially to ensure the solvable condition of the equations of motion being satisfied. It is believed but not obvious that the redundant joints have no effect on the system acceleration. We give a strict positive proof of this argument and present a method to avoid the ambiguity in the reaction forces of redundant joints through contact analysis of joints.     

Modeling and dynamic analysis of bolted joined cylindrical shell

Based on Sanders shell theory, modeling and dynamic analysis of bolted joined cylindrical shell were studied in this paper. When subjected to external excitations, contact state such as stick, slip and separation may occur at those locations of bolts. Considering these three contact states, an analytical model of cylindrical shell with a piecewise-linear boundary was established for the bolted joined cylindrical shell. First, the model was verified by the simplified line system, and the effects of stiffness in connecting interface and the number of bolts on natural frequency and mode shape were investigated. Then, through the response under instantaneous excitation, damping characteristic of the system was proved which is caused by the friction model. Last, the effects of external load frequency, response location, excitation amplitude and connecting parameters including stiffness and preload were numerically investigated and fully explained by 3-D frequency spectrum. The results indicated that periodic motion, times periodic motion and even chaotic motion were observed based on different parameters.     

Camber effects in the dynamic aeroelasticity of compliant airfoils

This paper numerically investigates the effect of chordwise flexibility on the dynamic stability of compliant airfoils. A classical two-dimensional aeroelastic model is expanded with an additional degree of freedom to capture time-varying camber deformations, defined by a parabolic bending profile of the mean aerodynamic chord. Aerodynamic forces are obtained from unsteady thin airfoil theory and the corresponding compliant-airfoil inertia and stiffness from finite-element analysis. V–g and state-space stability methods have been implemented in order to compute flutter speeds. The study looks at physical realizations with an increasing number of degrees of freedom, starting with a camber-alone system. It is shown that single camber leads to flutter, which occurs at a constant reduced frequency and is due to the lock in between the shed wake and the camber motion. The different combinations of camber deformations with pitch and plunge motions are also studied, including parametric analyses of their aeroelastic stability characteristics. A number of situations are identified in which the flutter boundary of the compliant airfoil exhibits a significant dip with respect to the rigid airfoil models. These results can be used as a first estimation of the aeroelastic stability boundaries of membrane-wing micro air vehicles.     

Modeling and analysis of nonholonomic dynamic systems with a class of rheonomous affine constraints

This paper is devoted to modeling and theoretical analysis of dynamic control systems subject to a class of rheonomous affine constraints, which are called $A$ -rheonomous affine constraints. We first define $A$ -rheonomous affine constraints and explain their geometric representation. Next, a necessary and sufficient condition for complete nonholonomicity of $A$ -rheonomous affine constraints is shown. Then, we derive nonholonomic dynamic systems with $A$ -rheonomous affine constraints (NDSARAC), which are included in the class of nonlinear control systems. We also analyze linear approximated systems and accessibility for the NDSARAC. Finally, the results are applied to some physical examples in order to check the application potentiality.     

Modeling and dynamic analysis of a magnetically actuated butterfly valve

In this work, a magnetically actuated butterfly valve is considered and a novel and accurate mathematical model is derived. The equilibrium of the system is investigated and the effects of the inlet velocity and direct current voltage (DC) on the stable rotation angle of the valve are presented. Considering a time periodic perturbation arising from electric circuit, the effects of the operating angle, inlet velocity, and driving parameters on the periodic and chaotic dynamics of the system are investigated. It is observed that, for an opening angle less than the cut-off angle, there exists a unique DC voltage for a stable equilibrium. The stability of this equilibrium depends nonlinearly on the inlet velocity and the seating torque. An expression is derived for the threshold value for the stability of the valve. Under periodic voltage, the inlet velocity and stable angle induce a backward shift on the resonant frequency, and jump phenomena and subharmonics are observed for some values of the driving amplitude. The highest amplitudes of vibration are detected for a fully open valve, for an almost closed valve, and for a valve with large inlet velocity. Using bifurcation diagrams and Lyapunov exponents, it is shown that the system exhibits a route to chaos with windows of period doubling and unbounded motion. Some guidance for design of magnetically actuated butterfly valves is proposed as well as recommendations for future work.     

Modeling of joints with clearance in flexible multibody systems

This paper is concerned with the modeling of joints with clearance within the framework of finite element based dynamic analysis of nonlinear, flexible multibody systems. For actual joints, clearance, lubrication and friction phenomena can significantly affect the dynamic response of the system. In this work, the effects of clearance and lubrication are studied for revolute and spherical joints. The formulation is developed within the framework of energy preserving and decaying time integration schemes that provide unconditional stability for nonlinear, flexible multibody systems. Numerical examples are presented that demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed approach. The importance of modeling structural damping and limited driving power are discussed.     

Modeling and analysis of dynamic characteristics of multi-stable waterbomb origami base

Origami has recently received wide attention, and the study on its dynamic characteristics remains a nascent field. The waterbomb origami is a common subtype of origami, and its base structure is treated as a bi-stable configuration in the literature. The systematical framework for modeling, simulation and dynamic analysis of the vibration for the waterbomb origami base is established in this paper. In the presented model, the motion of the waterbomb origami base is divided into two working patterns according to its geometric characteristic. The nonlinear governing equation of motion of the waterbomb origami base is formulated based on the Lagrange’s equation. The base’s free and forced responses can be calculated by using the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method. The developed model is validated by the results predicted by the simulation in ADAMS. With the developed theoretical framework, the base’s vertical effective stiffness and natural frequency of its linearized system are discussed to reveal their programmability with respect to the base’s structure and design parameters. Remarkably, the bifurcations of its equilibria, including the pitchfork, transcritical and (special) saddle-node bifurcations, are analyzed. Unlike the bi-stable configuration reported in the literature, the mono- and tri-stable configurations can also be realized by the base due to gravity. Furthermore, the complex nonlinear dynamic behaviors, including chaos, are revealed.

     

Trajectory optimization of a walking mechanism having revolute joints with clearance using ANFIS approach

Clearance as a real joint characteristic leads to deviation from desired trajectory in articulated mechanisms. This phenomenon makes the kinematic and dynamic performances of the mechanism worse. In this study, kinematic analysis of a Jansen’s mechanism used in a walking machine is performed. The model mechanism having two revolute joints with clearance is investigated for the trajectory analysis of the output link. It is clear that the mechanism’s trajectory is very sensitive to the clearance joint characteristics even if the clearance size is small. The adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is used to model the characteristics of joints with clearance. By using the suitable design variables and constraints, minimization of the trajectory errors arising from clearance is considered as an optimization problem. Optimization techniques are used to solve this problem for adjusting the optimum values of design variables. The obtained link dimensions show the success of the proposed modeling and optimization approach.     

The experimental study on the contact process of passive walking

The passive dynamic walking is a new concept of biped walking. Researchers have been working on this area with both theoretical analysis and experimental analysis ever since McGeer. This paper presents our compass-like passive walking model with a new set of testing system. Two gyroscopes are used for measuring the angles of two legs, and ten FlexiForce sensors are used for measuring the contact forces on the feet. We got the experimental data on the passive walking process with the validated testing system. A great emphasis was put on the contact process between the feet and the slope. The contact process of the stance leg was divided into four sections, and differences between the real testing contact process and the classic analytical contact process with no bouncing and slipping were summarized.     

考虑动水压力和流固耦合的库水-坝体-地基系统建模与动力分析

结合动水压力模型和罚函数耦合算法,考虑地基和坝体结构的接触以及边界效应,构建动水压力和流固耦合作用下的库水-坝体-地基地震响应分析模型和方法。通过与试验结果及解析解和实测数据对比,验证了本文模型和方法能准确反映系统地震荷载和分析整体耦合系统的动力响应,引入罚函数处理流固耦合界面能提高计算收敛速度。进一步以某重力坝工程实际为背景,验证本文构建的模型和方法适用于库水-坝体-地基耦合系统动力分析的可行性,并分析了地震作用下地基变形对系统动力响应的影响。     

Velocity analysis of mechanisms with ball joints

A procedure is developed for analyzing velocities in spatial mechanisms with ball joints has been designed for practical computerization. The correspondence between the calculated velocities in a ball joint and the time changes of the physical displacements is clarified. The methodology is demonstrated using the RSPC mechanism which has seen commercial application as a washing-machine agitator mechanism.     

Design and analysis of a compliant parallel pan-tilt platform

In combination of the advantages of both parallel mechanisms and compliant mechanisms, a compliant parallel mechanism with two rotational degrees of freedom is designed to meet the requirement of a lightweight and compact pan-tilt platform. Firstly, two commonly-used design methods i.e. direct substitution and Freedom and Constraint Topology are applied to design the configuration of the pan-tilt system, and similarities and differences of the two design alternatives are compared. Then inverse kinematic analysis of the candidate mechanism is implemented by using the pseudo-rigid-body model, and the Jacobian related to its differential kinematics is further derived to help designer realize dynamic analysis of the 8R compliant mechanism. In addition, the mechanism’s maximum stress existing within its workspace is tested by finite element analysis. Finally, a method to determine joint damping of the flexure hinge is presented, which aims at exploring the effect of joint damping on actuator selection and real-time control. To the authors’ knowledge, almost no existing literature concerns with this issue.