Optimal design of 3-DOF PKM module for friction stir welding

Friction stir welding (FSW) has recently emerged as a solid-joining technology for high-strength aluminum alloys and light metal welding. The large axial force to be maintained between the welding tool and workpiece is the primary requirement of FSW process, which has also been a great obstacle to the design and application of FSW in manufacturing. Further complicating the issue is the need to perform FSW over three-dimensional contours, which requires a mechanism dexterous enough to set the stir pin used in welding to track a predefined trajectory with prescribed poses. Apart from the position specification, the design of a dexterous mechanism to pose the orientation of stir pin is a great challenge. This paper proposed the application of 3-PRS (P, R, and S standing for prismatic, revolute, and spherical joint, respectively) parallel mechanism as a welding tool head and employed it to form a five-axis welding machine tool for FSW. In order to accommodate the orientation capability requirements, the kinematic feature has been analyzed. With the dimensionless treatment of the Jacobian matrix of 3-PRS manipulator, a global condition index is proposed to estimate the kinematic dexterity in the whole orientation workspace. Finally, by means of an optimal design method and performance atlas, optimal designs of the 3-PRS parallel mechanism is carried out. A preferable set of optimized geometric parameters are obtained to achieve a compact and dexterous design, and the optimization results are used in development of a prototype machine for FSW.     

Torque control of friction stir welding for manufacturing and automation

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state welding process that utilizes a rotating tool to plastically deform and forge together the parent materials of a workpiece. The process involves plunging the rotating tool that consists of a shoulder and a pin into the workpiece and then traversing it along the intended weld seam. The welding process requires a large axial force to be maintained on the tool. Axial force control has been used in robotic FSW processes to compensate for the compliant nature of robots. Without force control, welding flaws would continuously emerge as the robot repositioned its linkages to traverse the tool along the intended weld seam. Insufficient plunge depth would result and cause the welding flaws as the robot’s linkages yielded from the resulting force in the welding environment. The research present in this paper investigates the use of torque instead of force to control the FSW process. To perform this research, a torque controller was implemented on a retrofitted Milwaukee Model K milling machine. The closed loop proportional, integral plus derivative control architecture was tuned using the Ziegler–Nichols method. Welding experiments were conducted by butt welding 0.25 in. (6.35 mm)?×?1.5 in. (38.1 mm)?×?8 in. (203.2 mm) samples of aluminum 6061 with a 0.25 in. (6.35 mm) threaded tool. The results indicate that controlling torque produces an acceptable weld process that adapts to the changing surface conditions of the workpiece. For this experiment, the torque was able to be controlled with standard deviation of 0.231 N-m. In addition, the torque controller was able to adjust the tool’s plunge depth in reaction to 1 mm step and ramp disturbances in the workpiece’s surface. It is shown that torque control is equivalent to weld power control and causes a uniform amount of energy per unit length to be deposited along the weld seam. It is concluded that the feedback signal of torque provides a better indicator of tool depth into the workpiece than axial force. Torque is more sensitive to tool depth than axial force. Thus, it is concluded that torque control is better suited for keeping a friction stir welding tool properly engaged with the workpiece for application to robotics, automation, and manufacturing.     

Material removal model of ultrasonic elliptical vibration-assisted chemical mechanical polishing for hard and brittle materials

Friction stir welding (FSW) has emerged as an attractive process for fabricating aerospace vehicles. Current FSW state-of-the-art uses large machines that are not portable. However, there is a growing need for fabrication and repair operations associated with in-space manufacturing. This need stems from a desire for prolonged missions and travel beyond low-earth orbit. To address this need, research and development is presented regarding two enabling technologies. The first is a self-adjusting and aligning (SAA) FSW tool that drastically reduces the axial force that has historically been quite large. The SAA-FSW tool is a bobbin style tool that floats freely, without any external actuators, along its vertical axis to adjust and align with the workpiece’s position and orientation. Successful butt welding of 1/8 in. (3.175 mm) thick aluminum 1100 was achieved in conjunction with a drastic reduction and near elimination of the axial process force. Along with the SAA-FSW, an innovative in-process monitor technique is presented in which a magnetoelastic force rate-of-change sensor is employed. The sensor consists of a magnetized FSW tool that is used to induce a voltage in a coil surrounding the tool when changes to the process forces occur. The sensor was able to detect 1/16 in. (1.5875 mm) diameter voids. It is concluded that these technologies could be applied toward the development of a portable FSW machine for use in space.     

Stability of the friction stir welding process in presence of workpiece mating variations

This paper explores common process variations encountered in friction stir welding (FSW) and the limits to which acceptable joint strength is maintained while welding with a robotic FSW system. Part fit-up and mating variations are common in manufacturing, yet the limits to which a friction stir welding process can weld without major process adjustment are unclear. The effects on joint strength and mechanical properties of several of the most common mating variations (i.e., faying surface gap, misalignment, mismatch, etc.) are experimentally determined as individual effects as well as among common welding parameters. Experimental results on 5-mm-thick aluminum alloy 5083-H111 show that ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation begin to decrease from nominal weld conditions when either the tool offset distance from weld centerline or gap in abutted plates exceeds 25% of the average pin diameter (6?mm). In addition, vertical plate mismatch and lack of penetration can be tolerated up to 2.5% and 10%, respectively, before adverse effects on mechanical properties are observed. The work also indicates that of all the mating variations tested in this study, tool misalignment, followed by travel angle, has the most significant effect on the measured joint strength. Process stability testing has shown that the FSW process is able to endure part fit-up and mating variations within a defined tolerance, giving the practitioner an awareness of how well stock workpiece tolerances must be controlled before joint strength is adversely effected.     

Design of a novel robotic arm with non-backlash driving for friction stir welding process

Application of industrial robots in the field of manufacturing has increased over the years due to their advantages of large workspace, good flexibility and low cost. Industrial robots are trying to replace machine tools for heavy load manufacturing, for instance, friction stir welding (FSW). However, the stiffness of industrial robots is weak which affects the manufacturing precision seriously as well as driving backlash. This paper presents a novel robotic arm with non-backlash that used for FSW process. First, the structure of the robot and how to eliminate the backlash of the robot are introduced. Secondly, a semi-analytical method based on strain energy and the equivalent stiffness of bars obtained by finite element analysis (FEA) is proposed for calculating the overall stiffness of the robot, and the effectiveness of the method is verified through the integrated FEA results. Finally, a FANUC S900iB/400 robot that used for FSW is selected as a representative of industrial robots to be compared, the stiffness of the robot presented in this paper is better than the FANUC robot, which is beneficial to improve the welding quality.     

搅拌摩擦焊下压力控制系统的开发及在模拟非刚性环境下的验证试验

搅拌摩擦焊接(Friction stir welding, FSW)是材料固态连接新技术,但FSW在焊接过程中一般会对工件施加较大的下压力,焊接设备和被焊工件在下压力的作用下均可能产生变形,使得常规FSW中设定的下压量这一关键参数偏离预期值,无法保证焊接工艺的稳定性。为了解决这一问题,开发一套下压力反馈控制系统,通过调节搅拌头对工件的下压量来调节下压力,使焊接过程中下压力保持稳定。该系统使用一台计算机作为顶层控制器,根据压力传感器反馈的实时下压力调节FSW设备Z轴的进给。使用该系统在悬空的钢板上焊接6082-T6铝合金平板对接焊缝,焊接过程中工件在下压力的作用下产生的弯曲变形高达0.931 mm,但所得的焊缝成形良好,沿焊缝方向不同位置的接头的横截面形貌基本一致,其横向拉伸应力应变曲线高度重合,接头的平均抗拉强度为222.8 MPa。结果表明,工件在下压力作用下产生变形的条件下,下压力控制的FSW系统仍能保证工艺稳定性。     

Characterization of the tensile properties of friction stir welded aluminum alloy joints based on axial force,traverse speed,and rotational speed

Friction stir welding (FSW) process has gained attention in recent years because of its advantages over the conventional fusion welding process. These advantages include the absence of heat formation in the affected zone and the absence of large distortion, porosity, oxidation, and cracking. Experimental investigations are necessary to understand the physical behavior that causes the high tensile strength of welded joints of different metals and alloys. Existing literature indicates that tensile properties exhibit strong dependence on the rotational speed, traverse speed, and axial force of the tool that was used. Therefore, this study introduces the experimental procedure for measuring tensile properties, namely, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and tensile elongation of the welded AA 7020 Al alloy. Experimental findings suggest that a welded part with high UTS can be achieved at a lower heat input compared with the high heat input condition. A numerical approach based on genetic programming is employed to produce the functional relationships between tensile properties and the three inputs (rotational speed, traverse speed, and axial force) of the FSW process. The formulated models were validated based on the experimental data, using the statistical metrics. The effect of the three inputs on the tensile properties was investigated using 2D and 3D analyses. A high UTS was achieved, including a rotational speed of 1050 r/min and traverse speed of 95 mm/min. The results also indicate that 8 kN axial force should be set prior to the FSW process.     

Optimization of friction stir welding process of AA7075 aluminum alloy to achieve desirable mechanical properties using ANFIS models and simulated annealing algorithm

Current work deals with experimental investigation, modeling, and optimization of friction stir welding process (FSW) to reach desirable mechanical properties of aluminum 7075 plates. Main factors of process were tool pin profile, tool rotary speed, welding speed, and welding axial force. Also, main responses were tensile strength, yield strength, and hardness of welded zone. Four factors and five levels of central composite design have been utilized to minimize the number of experimental observations. Then, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) have been used to generate mapping relationship between process factors and main response using experimental observations. Afterward, the developed models were applied as objective function to select optimal parameters, in which the process reaches to its desirable mechanical properties by using the simulated annealing algorithm. Results indicated that the tool with square pin profile, rotary speed of 1,400 RPM, welding speed of 1.75 mm/s, and axial force of 7.5 KN resulted in desirable mechanical properties in both cases of single response and multi-response optimization. Also, these solutions have been verified by confirmation tests and FSW process physical behavior. These verifications indicated that both ANFIS model and simulated annealing algorithm are appropriate tools for modeling and optimization of process.     

Dynamic analysis of the 2-DOF planar parallel manipulator of a heavy duty hybrid machine tool

This paper focuses on the dynamic characteristics of the two degree-of-freedom (DOF) planar parallel manipulator of a heavy duty hybrid machine tool. The Newton-Euler approach is employed to derive the inverse dynamic equation of the parallel manipulator. According to the motion planning of the cutting tool, dynamic simulation without cutting force is performed, and the ratio of the masses of counterweights to that of moving parts (not including the counterweight) is optimized. It demonstrates that the manipulator which is designed with over constraint can improve the dynamic behaviour. Furthermore, the cutting force model for face milling is introduced and the dynamic simulation with the dynamic cutting force is carried out. Simulation shows that the oscillation of cutting force is one cause of the vibration of the machine tool in the milling process. In the detailed design, some modification in the structure of the machine tool is made to suppress the vibration.     

Decentralized control design for welding mobile manipulator

This paper presents a decentralized motion control method of welding mobile manipulators which use for welding in many industrial fields Major requirements of welding robots are accuracy, robust, and reliability so that they can substitute for the welders in hazardous and worse environment To do this, the manipulator has to take the torch tracking along a welding trajectory with a constant velocity and a constant heading angle, and the mobile-platform has to move to avoid the singularities of the manipulator In this paper, we develop a kinematic model of the mobile-platform and the manipulator as two separate subsystems With the idea that the manipulator can avoid the singularities by keeping its initial configuration in the welding process, the redundancy problem of system is solved by introducing the platform mobility to realize this idea Two controllers for the mobile-platform and the manipulator were designed, respectively, and the relationships between two controllers are the velocities of two subsystems Control laws are obtained based on the Lyapunov function to ensure the asymptotical stability of the system The simulation and experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed controllers