Enabling Technologies for Actuated Continuum Surfaces Undergoing Large Deformations

可控大位移连续表面（LCDS）具有广泛的应用潜力，包括制造环境中零件的高度灵巧操作，医疗保健中的软/柔性外骨骼系统，以及航空航天，汽车，能源和食品加工行业中的无接头表面控制。在多个行业中具有直接效益的另一个应用是用能够根据需要从数字文件形成所需模具轮廓的单个可重新配置的表面来取代用于定制碳纤维部件的开发的传统模具表面。目前，小批量生产线模具是通过昂贵的方法（手工雕刻，铣削，车削和最近的3D打印）生产的，这些方法可以占组件制造成本的20%以上。使用LCDS系统来形成小批量零件的按需模具形状将导致大量节省此类部件的生产。问题是，迄今为止LDCS在“开环”中操作，很少或没有传感器反馈能力以在变化的条件下保持期望的曲率，或者考虑如何最好地考虑外力。此外，将致动元件放置在表面上以实现复杂的轮廓主要是通过用户的直觉和经验来实现的，这限制了设计阶段的效率。这导致LDCS设计和控制的“试错”方法增加了生产成本并降低了操作下的表面性能。为了超越“试错”设计和控制的LDCS经历大的弹性变形，准确，但计算效率高，方法建模和仿真在运动学和动力学域是必需的。该项目将推进LDCS的使用到下一个领域，通过提供必要的工具，使强大的程序，其设计和控制的基础上，而不是“试错”，而是在准确和有效的结构内的物理模型信息。这不仅将为最不发达国家在碳纤维生产中的使用做出直接、有意义的贡献。但LDCS的进一步应用领域包括制造环境中零件的高度灵巧操作、医疗保健中的软/柔性外骨骼系统以及航空航天、汽车、能源和食品加工行业中的可变形表面控制。

Controllable Large Displacement Continuum Surfaces, LCDS, hold the potential for application across a diverse range of applications including the highly dexterous manipulation of parts in manufacturing environments, soft/flexible exoskeleton systems in healthcare, and jointless surface control in the aerospace, automotive, energy and food processing industries. Another application with immediate benefit across multiple industries would be to replace conventional mould surfaces used in the development of bespoke carbon fibre components with a single, reconfigurable surface capable of forming on-demand to desired mould profiles from digital files. Currently low volume production line moulds are produced through expensive (hand carved, milling, turning, and more recently 3D printing) methods that can account for upwards of 20% of a component's manufacturing cost. The use of LCDS systems to form on-demand mould shapes for low volume parts would result in massive savings to the production of such components. The problem is that to date LDCS operate in 'open loop' with little or no sensor feedback capability to maintain desired curvature under changing conditions, or consideration as to how external forces might best be accounted for. Additionally, placement of actuation elements on the surface to achieve complex profiles is largely accomplished through user intuition and experience, limiting efficiency at the design stage. This results in 'trial and error' methods to LDCS design and control that increase production costs and reduce surface performance under operation. To move beyond 'trial by error' design and control of LDCS undergoing large elastic deformations, accurate, yet computationally efficient, methodologies to model and simulate in both the kinematic and dynamic domains are required.This project will advance the use of LDCS into the next realm by providing the tools necessary to enable robust procedures for their design and control based not on 'trial and error', but physical model information within an accurate and efficient structure. This will not only make direct, meaningful contributions to the use of LDCS in carbon fibre production. But open further applications of LDCS to areas such as the highly dexterous manipulation of parts in manufacturing environments, soft/flexible exoskeleton systems in healthcare, and deformable surface control in the aerospace, automotive, energy and food processing industries.