A Type of Actuator with Large Deformation and Load Capacity: Design and Modeling
Lingzhe Meng, Xinyu Wang, Zhuhong Ying, Mingxuan Ding, Peng Jia, Feihong Yun, Gang Wang
AI summary
Problem
Flexible actuators suffer from low load capacity and stiffness, while existing modeling methods fail to accurately capture the geometric nonlinearity and coupled rigid-flexible dynamics under large deformations.
Approach
The authors designed a rigid-shell-encapsulated actuator with a custom carbon fiber spring element and developed a multibody dynamics model that explicitly calculates variable equivalent stiffness to solve for large-deformation behavior.
Key results
- Designed a 290 mm, 0.32 kg RFCA prototype with a carbon fiber spring element and PA12 shell
- Developed a rigid-flexible coupled multibody dynamics model incorporating geometric nonlinearity
- Derived a nonlinear torque–rotation angle curve through static experiments
- Validated model accuracy by aligning simulation outputs with dynamic experimental data
Why it matters
Provides a scalable, high-load-capacity actuator design and accurate modeling framework for legged and amphibious robots operating in complex, high-impact environments.
Abstract
Flexible actuators have garnered extensive atten- tion due to their flexibility and versatility. However, they still exhibit significant limitations in load capacity and structural stiffness. We have developed a multifunctional rigid-flexible coupled actuator with large deformation and high load capacity. We first investigated the structural design and material selection of the actuator. When establishing the mechanical model, we found that conventional methods could not solve it and that geometric nonlinearity could not be neglected. Therefore, we proposed a rigid-flexible coupled multibody dynamics modeling method suitable for large deformations and conducted static experiments to obtain a nonlinear torque–rotation angle curve. Finally, we compared the simulation results with the dynamic experimental results, demonstrating the effectiveness and accu- racy of the proposed method.