A Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Hygrothermal Response of Flexible Linkages Fabricated with Fiberous Polymeric Composite Materials

这个项目是基于这样一个命题，即工业和商业机械以及机器人系统可以在高速下可靠地运行，从而提高生产率，如果移动元件是由聚合物复合材料制造的，而不是传统的商业金属。这些复合材料具有很高的刚度重量比，从而最大限度地减少了与部件灵活性相关的问题。聚合物复合材料的行为取决于周围的湿热环境，在设计使用这种材料的机制之前，了解这种依赖性是很重要的。这个项目承担了这项任务。这是一个结合了理论和实验的研究，目的是提炼工业机器系统的设计准则，利用聚合物复合材料组件。

This project is based on the proposition that industrial and commercial machinery as well as robotic systems can be reliably operated at high speeds, and hence productivity increased, if the moving elements are fabricated from polymeric composite materials, as opposed to traditional commercial metals. These composite materials have high stiffness-to-weight ratios and thus minimize the problems associated with component flexibility. The behavior of polymeric composites is dependent on the ambient hygrothermal environment and it is important that this dependance be understood before mechanisms using such material are designed. This project undertakes that task. It is a combined theoretical and experimental study with the goal of distilling design guidelines for industrial machine systems utilizing polymeric composite components.