Session: Research Posters

Paper Number: 111915

111915 - Multibody Dynamics Analysis of Lightweight Manipulators for Automated Ropeway Structure Inspection 

 To develop a manipulator-based ropeway structure remote inspection robot system, dynamic behaviors of manipulator which composite based on the carbon fiber applied were analyzed by multibody dynamics analysis.

 The manipulator in the inspection robot system consists of transportation of the entire system, fixation of the entire system, and inspection of the ropeway structure.

 Since the inspection robot system is fixed to the transport rope of the ropeway structure and moves, it is essential to reduce the weight of the manipulator constituting the inspection robot system.

 In addition, considering the harsh operating environment in which ropeway structures are mainly operated, structural safety and stability of lightweight manipulators must be ensured when the robot system is moving or inspecting the ropeway structure.

 The composite, a lightweight material with high specific stiffness and specific strength, was partially applied to the manipulator in order to ensure structural safety and stability.

 To select manipulator parts for application of composite materials, the stiffness multibody dynamics analysis of the existing manipulator design and motion was performed using Altair inspire.

 Then, based on the motion simulation used for the multi-body dynamics analysis, structural analysis through the finite element method was performed using Altair Optistruct.

 In structural analysis, excessively safe parts of the manipulator were identified, and a flexible multibody dynamics analysis was performed for the corresponding part through Altair MotionSolve.

 After analyzing the results of the flexible multi-body analysis through Altair HyperView, the parts of the manipulator to which the composites were finally applied were selected.

 For the selected structural manipulator parts, the composites manufacturing method and laminated structure were selected in consideration of the shape and role of the selected structural manipulator parts.

 After that, to perform the multibody dynamics analysis of the parts to which the composite material is applied, the physical properties were derived through production and testing of specimens.

 Finally, based on the derived composite material properties, multi-body dynamics analysis was performed on the lightweight manipulator parts to confirm structural stability.

 As a result, weight savings about 30% compared to the existing design was obtained due to lightweight design of the manipulator.

 In addition, when the results of the flexible multibody dynamics analysis of the existing design and the modified lightweight design were compared with each other, a similar level of structural strength was confirmed.

 In this study, an effective method was invented in the field of manipulator weight reduction and structural stability evaluation research for the development of a remote inspection robot system for ropeway structures.

Presenting Author: Geunsu Song Hanbat National University

Presenting Author Biography: Geunsu Song is a graduate student at Hanbat National University and a researcher at Lightweight Structure & CAE LAB.
His major is mechanical engineering, and he is currently conducting research related to the testing and analysis of various types of composite materials.
Regarding composite material testing, he is conducting research on the production of various types of carbon fiber strand specimens for the analysis of pressure vessels and composite material lattice structures, or for the evaluation of physical properties to derive the
strength transition rate.
He is also conducting tests and result analysis studies on various types of specimens, such as tension, compression, shear, and bending, to derive physical properties for analytical evaluation of structures composed of composite materials.
He is also conducting research in the fields of composite materials and manipulators.
He is developing a new repair process for the repair of carobn/epoxy composite based structures utilizing manipulators.
He is developing a fiber spray-type repair process rather than the existing stacked repair method and a device to implement it, and is conducting research on the development of a manipulator-based system that will automate the overall repair system.
In addition, he is conducting research on weight reduction of manipulators for the development of a robot system for inspecting cableway structures.
After deriving the area requiring weight reduction through structural-dynamic analysis, he is conducting research on the application of carbon fiber-based composite materials to the area.
He is also conducting analytical studies to evaluate the structural stability of composite materials.
He recently won the Tocho Excellent Presentation Award at the 2022 Spring Conference held by The Korean Society for Composite Materials on the theme of 'Development of Small Manipulator for Composite Structure Reapir'.

Authors:

Geunsu Song Hanbat National University
Kwangbok Shin Hanbat National University