Pr. No.

: D01

Design and Development of 6DoF Motion Platform

Supervisor:

Prof. S.K. Saha

Examine r:

Prof. J.K. Dutt

Mechanical Engineering Department Indian Institute of Technology Delhi September 2012 i

CONTENTS
1. 2. 3. 4. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 1 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................. 2 PROBLEM DEFINITION AND OBJECTIVES ......................................................................... 3 PROGRESS MADE ..................................................................................................................... 5 CAD Modeling ................................................................................................................................ 6 Modeling on Autodesk Inventor ...................................................................................................... 6 5. WORK PLAN AND GANTT CHART........................................................................................ 8

RERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 9 APPENDIX - A ................................................................................................................................. 10 APPENDIX B .................................................................................................................................... 12

List of Figures
Figure 1: Stewart Platform ..................................................................................... 2 Figure 2: Work Flow-Chart .................................................................................... 3 Figure 3: Architecture of Top and Bottom Platform................................................. 5 Figure 4: Few components including base plate, Hooke's joint, and slider ................ 6 Figure 5: CAD models of few components.............................................................. 7 Figure 6: Final Assembly ....................................................................................... 7 Figure 7: Gantt Chart ...............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

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1. INTRODUCTION
A motion platform is a mechanism that simulates real- life motions and provides the user/occupant the experience and feelings of being on an actual moving vehicle. Motion platforms fall into two categories depending on whether the occupant is controlling the vehicle or is a passive rider:

Occupant Controlled Motion Platform: These include flight simulators and car/truck vehicle simulators. However, motion applications have moved beyond auto racing and flight simulation to include boats, motorcycles, tanks, and spaceships among many other craft types.

Passive Ride Platforms: These include theme park rides where an entire theatre system; with a projection screen in front of the seats, is in motion on giant actuators.

The project deals with the design and development of an occupant controlled motion platform which will be used for flight simulation and assist in pilot training. For the motion platform to successfully simulate flight conditions, it is essential for it to provide the following six Degrees of Freedom (DoF): Translation: 1. Moving up and down (heaving); 2. Moving left and right (swaying); 3. Moving forward and backward (surging); Rotation: 1. Tilting forward and backward (pitching); 2. Turning left and right (yawing); 3. Tilting side to side (rolling). Hence, the motion platform design used for the purpose is based on the Stewart platform design configuration shown in Fig 1.1. Stewart platform is selected as it is a parallel robot manipulator with six parallel links (also called limbs or legs) that are capable of moving in 6 DoF. The upper platform, which is mobile, connects all six parallel links forming a closed loop mechanism. This allows the platform to have good performance in terms of accuracy, rigidity and manoeuvrability, and makes it capable of handling a large payload. The fixed bottom platform is typically connected to the legs by six universal joints, and the mobile platform on which the end-effecter is mounted, is connected to the legs through six spherical joints. The motion of the end-effecter is controlled by changing the lengths of the legs in various proportions. This job is done through linear actuators, which connect the lower parts of the leg to 1

upper parts through prismatic joints. The actuators may be of hydraulic piston-cylinder type or electrical motor with precision ball- screw type [1]. The drivers cabin is attached to the upper platform which includes a screen on which the terrain is projected thus giving the driver a real- life experience.

Figure 1: S tewart Platform

Following are some of the key terms associated with the project [1]: Kinematics: For a parallel manipulator, it is defined as the study of the relationship between its joints and the end-effector motions without referring to the cause of these motions. Workspace: Workspace of a parallel manipulator is the space reachable by its end-effector. Singularity: Singular configurations are those particular configurations of the end-effector, for which a parallel robot loses its rigidity, and in which the end-effector will have uncontrollable degrees of freedom.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
The idea of the Stewart Platform design was first suggested by Eric Gough (1954) who devised a six-jack layout. This was published by D Stewart in his 1965 paper to the UK Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Stewart (1965)[2] describes a mechanism, now called the Stewart Platform, having six degrees of freedom and controlled in any combination by six motors, each having ground abutment. It describes variations in control arrangements and their respective design merits while enumerating the various advantages of using such a platform. The paper first suggested the possibility of using the six link arrangement for simulating flight conditions in the training of pilots or for automation of production. 2

A lot work has been done since then covering the k inematics, dynamics and modeling of the motion platform. Sadana (2009) [3] has attempted to develop an inverse dynamics model for calculation of the actuation forces, required for real- time control. A method using Decoupled Natural Orthogonal Complement (DeNOC) matrices has been developed which is utilized further to derive a model for forward dynamics to perform simulations. Efforts to validate the model have also been made by using CAD applications, I-deas and ADAMS. A GUI in MATLAB has been developed which is being used in the current project. Saha et al. (2009) [1] performed the mathematical modeling of the 6 DoF platform. This includes kinematic and dynamic analysis of the platform. A workspace analysis has also been done taking into account the actuators stroke, joint angle ranges and the leg interference constraints. Vehicles response on some driving trajectory is considered and checked whether the platform is able to achieve it or not. Prathap (2012) [4] performed the modeling and simulation of 6-DoF Motion Platform using CATIA DMU-Kinematics, which is a CAD simulation tool used to analyze the kinematic behaviour of an assembly. Introduction to Robotics by S.K. Saha (2008) [5] provides a simplified yet detailed explanation of various concepts essential for the project. These include chapters on Actuators, Transformations, Kinematics and Dynamics.

3. PROBLEM DEFINITION AND OBJECTIVES

Figure 2: Work Flow-Chart

The present work pertains to the Mechanism Design, Analysis and Fabrication part and includes the following objectives: a) Designing of algorithms for 6-DOF Stewart Electrical Motion Platform based on mathematical modeling - Mathematical modeling of the motion platform involves the study of kinematics, dynamics, workspace and singularity analysis, and applying it for the control of the motion platform. This part includes designing of various algorithms for the motion platform. b) Designing of motion base for 6-DOF Ste wart Electrical Motion Platform based on mathematical modeling - The second part contains detailed mechanical designing of the motion platform. It starts with identification of COTS (Commercially off- the-self) components for fabrication of 6-DOF Stewart Electrical Motion Platform and simulation of final design. It also includes the engineering drawings, calculations, design specifications and details of COTS components of the motion platform.

Following are the specifications for the 6-DOF Electric Motion Platform that is to be achieved. These values have been used for designing the various components.

Specifications for the 6-DOF Electric Motion Platform:

1.

Payload. (a) (b) Dynamic Static 1000 Kg 1200 Kg

2.

Dynamics. (a) Degree of freedom (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (b) (c) (d) (e) 6

Pitch (Front and back) Roll (Right and left) Yaw (Clockwise and counter clockwise) Surge (Forward and Reverse) Sway (Left and Right) Heave (Up and Down) 18 18 18 20 cm 4

Pitch Roll Yaw -

Surge -

(f) (g) 3.

Sway Heave -

20 cm 20 cm

Design Parameters. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) Closed height Operating height Maximum height Frame size Velocity Acceleration Linear Velocity Linear Acceleration Response Accuracy 2 ft (~0.6 m) 3 ft (~0.9 m) 4 ft (~1.2 m) 6 ft x 4 ft (~1.8 m x 1.2 m) 20/sec 200/sec2 0.3 m/sec 5 m/sec2 25 ms 0.5 mm

4. PROGRESS MADE
Based on the reviews, the best architecture for top and bottom platforms was selected. Both the platforms are semi- regular hexagons having their alternative sides parallel to each other. The frame attachment and detail drawing is shown in fig 3, below.

Figure 3: Architecture of Top and Bottom Platform

cb: larger side of base platform = 1712mm; db: smaller side of base platform = 366mm; ct: larger side of top platform = 910mm; dt = smaller side of top platform = 244mm. The Y axis is perpendicular to the larger side of the bottom platform and to the smaller side of the top platform. 5

CAD Modeling
The next step was to develop a CAD model so as to study the kinematic behaviour of the Stewart Platform. Using the Kinematic analysis by Saha et al. (2009), a MATLAB code was developed by Mr Somyajit Roy, a PhD student from IIT Delhi, to determine the maximum and minimum leg lengths, the details of which have been provided in Appendix A. The specifications defined in section 3 above were used as input values in the code. The link lengths obtained were used to develop a tentative model on Solidworks. Fig 4 depicts some of the components that were drawn.

Figure 4: Few components including base plate, Hooke's joint, and slider

However, it was found that with the above calculated actuators length, the full range of motion was not achievable as the closing height and maximum height specifications were not met. Hence, the maximum, operating and minimum heights were changed to obtain the full specified workspace and to overcome the actuator stroke length constraint. The new heights taken for the purpose were:

Maximum height =2.3m Operating height = 1.65m Minimum height = 1m

Using the above, the maximum and minimum leg lengths were found out to be as 241.51 cm and 125.83 cm respectively. (See Appendix A for further details)

Modeling on Autodesk Inventor

The dimensions of the various components were estimated using the basics of Mechanical Design, the detailed analysis of which has been given in Appendix B. Fig 5 shows some of the individual component CAD models that were drawn. The final assembly is shown in Fig 6.

Figure 5: CAD models of few components

Figure 6: Final Assembly

5. WORK PLAN AND GANTT CHART

Task Name Study of related literature and understanding the basics Design of Platform (various dimensions) Kinematic Analysis - Defining the workspace Learning software to perform FEA Stress analysis of various elements using FEA Singularity analysis

Start Date 01-08-2012 14-08-2012 05-09-2012 26-09-2012 03-10-2012 17-10-2012

Duration
(Days)

66 23 21 10 14 14

Figure 7: Gantt Chart

RERENCES
1. S.K. Saha, P.V.M. Rao and S. Bandopadhyay, Project Completion Report of Mathematical Modeling of a 6- DoF Motion Platform, report submitted to SDD, April 2009. 2. Stewart, D. (1965), A platform with six degrees of freedom, Proc. Institution of Mechanical Engineers, (Part-I), Vol. 180, No. 15, pp. 371-386 3. M. Sadana, Dynamic Analysis of 6 DOF Motion Platform, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Delhi, 2009 4. N. Prathap, Modeling and Simulation of 6 DOF Motion Platform using CATIA DMUKinetics, Summer Report, SDD, Secunderabad, 2012 5. Saha, S.K. (2008), Introduction to Robotics, Tata Mcgraw Hill, New Delhi

APPENDIX - A
Determination of Maximum and Minimum Leg Lengths Based on the kinematic modeling, explained in section by Saha et al. (2009) a MATLAB code was developed to compute the maximum and minimum leg lengths of the platform. Maximum, operating and minimum height were changed (Maximum height =2.3m, Operating height = 1.65m and Minimum height = 1m) to obtain the full specified workspace and to overcome the actuator stroke length constraint. The inputs to this program were maximum and minimum pitch, roll, yaw, surge, sway and heave values as per the specification given in section 2.3. Maximum and minimum leg lengths are given in table 4.1.
Different Configurations Closed height Maximum height Minimum heave from operating height Maximum heave from operating height Minimum surge from operating height Maximum surge from operating height Minimum sway from operating height Maximum sway from operating height Minimum yaw from operating height Maximum yaw from operating height Different Configurations Maximum pitch Sugre (cm) S way (cm) Heave (cm) Pitch (deg) Roll (deg) Yaw (deg) Maximum Leg Length (cm) 0 0 165 18 0 0 193.10 Minimum Leg Length (cm) 164.52 0 0 165 0 0 18 189.41 175.01 0 0 165 0 0 -18 189.41 175.01 0 20 165 0 0 0 188.32 174.28 0 -20 165 0 0 0 189.48 175.53 20 0 165 0 0 0 189.94 173.78 -20 0 165 0 0 0 189.94 173.78 0 0 165+20 0 0 0 199.34 199.34 0 0 165-20 0 0 0 192.90 192.90 Sugre (cm) S way (cm) Heave (cm) Pitch (deg) Roll (deg) Yaw (deg) Maximum Leg Length (cm) 0 0 0 0 100 230 0 0 0 0 0 0 124.55 241.69 Minimum Leg Length (cm) 124.55 241.69

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from operating height Minimum roll from operating height Maximum roll from operating height 0 0 0 0 18 0 198.03 165.64 0 0 165 0 -18 0 198.03 165.64

In the next step, a particular configuration parameter was varied from its minimum to maximum value while keeping other configuration parameters unchanged. This was done for all six of them. The program was executed for different combinations of all configuration parameters to find out the maximum and minimum leg lengths in its whole workspace and the orientation. Two different configurations were obtained where the leg length is maximum compared to all other cases. Similarly, another two different configurations were obtained where the leg length is minimum.
Maximum Different Configurations Configuration 1 for maximum leg length Configuration 2 for maximum leg length Configuration 1 for minimum leg length Configuration 2 for minimum leg length 6.7 20 165-20 -18 -18 -18 192.68 125.83 -6.7 20 165-20 -18 18 18 192.68 125.83 20 20 165+20 18 18 -18 241.51 184.14 -20 20 165+20 18 -18 18 241.51 184.14 Sugre (cm) S way (cm) Heave (cm) Pitch (deg) Roll (deg) Yaw (deg) Leg Length (cm) Minimum Leg Length (cm)

So, the maximum leg length = 241.51cm and the minimum leg length = 125.83cm were selected.

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APPENDIX B
MECHANICAL DESIGN 1. Lead Screw The main rotating component of the actuator is lead screw. It is a part of lower leg. As the nut is unable to rotate, the helical threads on lead screw compel the nut to advance along its axis. Generally square thread is used in lead screws, but as trapezo idal thread is easy to manufacture here trapezoidal or ACME thread was preferred. The lead screw is rotated by a servo motor, via a suitable gear box. The material for the lead screw was as C50 hardened hot rolled steel whose yield stress is 340 N/mm2 . Taking Factor of Safety (FOS) as 2 the core diameter, d c was calculated by compressive stress analysis as (B.1) Where, F = 8012.5 N, Syt = 340 N/mm2 and FOS = 2. Equation (5.1) yields, dc=7.75mm. Considering pitch, p = 1.5mm, nominal clearance = 0.15 mm, height h = 0.5 p + nominal

clearance = 0.9mm, the nominal diameter was obtained as d=d c+2h=9.55mm. Hence, the next available diameter available is 10mm with pitch 2 mm and core whose diameter 8mm. Note that the lead screw must not buckle. Hence, checking for buckling was done. The end-conditions were taken as hinged-hinged. Effective length was taken equal to the original length of the screw, i.e., Leff = 2415.1mm. We know, (B.2) where E is the modulus of elasticity, I is the section modulus and Leff is effective length. Calculating, I = = = 201.062mm2 ; (B.3)

and taking E=210 GPa from, Pcr was obtained as 71.44 N, which is less than 8012.5 N. So the screw fails in buckling. Hence, considering buckling, the core diameter was recalculated as dc = 25.79mm. Taking the next available diameter, d c = 26mm, other parameters were obtained as, d = 32mm, p = 6mm, and diameter, dm = 29mm. The lead screw to be used in the 6-DOF motion platform is shown in Fig. B.1. Now, the torque required to lift the pay load is calculated below: Thread angle 2 = 30o Torque required to lift the load, T= (B.4)

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where W: load lifted, angle, and

: coefficient of friction between nut and screw = 0.125, : thread

: helix angle =

From Equation (B.4), T = 22881.55 N.mm Now the stresses are calculated as

Compressive stress, Shear stress, Maximum principle stress , Maximum shear stress, and N/mm2

N/mm2

= 17.59 N/mm2 = 10.05 N/mm2 (170 N/mm2), the design is safe.

Since

are less than Syt (340 N/mm2) and

Fig. B.1 Lead screw

2. Nut with Anti-rotation cum Guide Bar Collar The nut has suitable internal thread mating with the lead screw. The rotation of the nut is blocked by a guide bar collar which is situated just above the nut. The collar has two holes through which two fixed studs are made to pass. This ensures movement of the nut without rotation. The nut is attached to the upper leg cylinder. As the nut gets translatory movement, the upper leg also moves in a linear motion. The material of the nut is taken as Phosphorus bronze. It was designed for bearing pressure to find the length of engaged threads. Then, shear stress on the thread root was checked. Number of threads engaged with lead screw, z = =19.54

Where Sb for bronze and steel for high speed (>15 m/min) was taken as 1.5 N/mm2 Length of nut = 20 x 6 = 120 mm

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Next, Shear stress on screw, , = 1.63 N/mm2 Where, t: root thickness of thread = p/2 = 3mm.

Shear stress on nut,

= 1.33 N/mm2

The designed nut is shown in Fig. B.2

Fig. B.2 Nut with anti-rotating collar

3. Gear box Gears are used to transmit power from motor to lead screw. Depending upon the motor and the center distance between the motor and lead screw, the gear ratio was selected. Before the gear box was selected, it was necessary to find the power to be transmitted. For that, Torque required, T = 22881.553 N.mm Sliding velocity = 363.4 mm/sec Rotation of screw = rev/sec = 60.57 rev/sec rad/sec

Angular velocity of lead screw, Power, P = T = 8.707 kW

It is necessary that the above power is to be transmitted by each gear box attached to the legs. The calculations for the pinion were done using the following steps. Material: Plain carbon steel 40C8 14

Ultimate tensile strength, S ut = 600 N/mm2 Start with minimum number of teeth, zp = 18 for 20o pressure angle gear. Module, m = Where, P: power rating in kilowatt, Cs : service factor = 1 (since driver and driven both are uniform.), Cv : velocity factor = (assuming pitch line velocity 5 m/sec), FOS:

factor of safety = 1.5, zp = number of teeth, np = revolution per minute, b = face width, Y: Lewis form factor = 0.308 (for number of teeth = 18), and Pitch circle diameter, dp = mzp = 3 mm, b = 10 . 3 = 30mm

Now, to check the selected pinion parameters, following calculations were carried out: Force on teeth, Pt = Velocity, v = = 10.27 m/sec

For velocity greater than 10 m/sec C v = Effective load on teeth, Peff = Strength of teeth, Sb = mb Factor of safety, FOS =

Since FOS is greater than 1, the pinion is safe which is shown in Fig.B.3.

Fig: B.3 Pinion

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4. Spider for Universal Joint This is actually a cross arm structure having four legs of equal diameter and length. Each coupling is attached to its opposite pair of legs. The following steps were taken to design the spider: Material: C50 hardened hot rolled steel. Yield stress, Syt = 340 N/mm2 . Factor of safety FOS = 2. (assumed) Total load, W = 8012.5 N Moment, M = 8012.5 x 50 N.mm = 400625 N.mm Stress due to moment, Shear stress, , which yields the diameter of the spider, d = 29mm. N/mm2

is less than the corresponding yield strength. Hence, the spider is safe, which is shown in Fig. B.4.

Fig. B.4 Spider for universal joint

5. Coupling for Universal Joint Couplings are provided to assemble the joints. There are six universal and six spherical joints. Universal joints are made by two intersecting revolute joint axes whereas the spherical joints are made by three intersecting revolute joint axes. The design steps for the coupling are as follows: Material: C50 hardened hot rolled steel. Yield stress, Syt = 340 N/mm2 . Factor of safety, FOS = 2. Coupling dimensions are shown in Fig. B.5. 16

 Since,

Compressive stress, Bearing pressure, and

N/mm2 . N/mm2 .

both are less than Syt (340 N/mm2), the design is safe, which is shown in Fig B.5.

Fig. B.5 Coupling for universal joint

6. Connector It connects the gear box assembly to the universal joint. The design steps for connector are as follows: Material: C50 hardened hot rolled steel. Yield stress, Syt = 340 N/mm2 . Factor of safety, FOS = 2. Dimensions of connector, as shown in Fig. B.6, were chosen according to fit with other components. Since Compressive stress, N/mm2 .

less than compressive strength, i.e., S yt = 340 N/mm2 , the design is safe. (See fig B.6) 17

Fig. B.6 Connector

7. Moving tube and fixed tube Moving actuator tube is attached to nut. As the nut moves the tube goes upward and gives motion to the top platform. Fixed tube surrounds the lead screw and provides space for the moving tube. The moving tube has to withstand the total load. Dimensions of the tube are chosen according to fit with other components, as shown in Fig. B.7. The tube was then checked for failure, as per the following calculations. Compressive stress, End condition: fixed-hinged. Effective length, Leff = 0.7L Area moment of inertia, I = Critical load for buckling, Pcr = 947826.78 N. mm4 N/mm2

Since Pcr is less than the applied load 8012.5 N, the design is safe.

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Fig. B.7 Moving tube 8. Nut stopper It stops the movement of the nut after maximum height is reached. Dimensions of the nut stopper are chosen according to fit with other components, as shown in Fig. B.8

Fig. B.8 Nut stopper 9. Stud Two studs are provided to stop rotation of the nut. They pass through the hole provided in the antirotation collar of the nut and secure only translation movement of the nut. Dimensions of stud is shown in Fig. B.9

Fig. B.9 Stud 19