Design and Development of a Spiral Chain Actuator
Rakshya Subedi, Shia Gourdet, Leah Harris, Andrew Bae
AI summary
Problem
Previous spiral zipper actuators rely on flexible bands that lack structural integrity under tension and moment loads, limiting their use in Variable Topology Truss (VTT) systems.
Approach
The authors designed a spiral actuator using rigid, interlocking chain pieces to form a load-bearing column, integrated into a three-actuator positioning platform controlled via ROS2 inverse kinematics.
Key results
- Designed a rigid interlocking chain actuator providing 54 mm linear extension per revolution
- Built a three-actuator tetrahedral positioning platform for 3-DOF motion
- Validated successful position tracking across x, y, and z axes using ROS2 control
- Demonstrated discrete motion capabilities with noted geometric asymmetries in y-direction
Why it matters
Provides a robust, compact actuation foundation for future Variable Topology Truss systems that require high tensile and moment load capacity.
Abstract
In this paper, design and experimental validation of a novel Spiral Chain Actuator and its application in a three-degree-of-freedom positioning platform are presented. Unlike previous spiral zipper actuators that rely on flexible bands and face structural integrity limitations under tensions and moment loads, the proposed design employs rigid chain pieces that interlock during rotation. This rigid architecture enables an improved load-bearing capacity while maintaining the compact, lightweight advantages of spiral actuation. We developed a positioning platform equipped with three Spiral Chain Actuators arranged in a tetrahedral configuration and validated position control through experimental testing. The results demonstrated successful position tracking across all three translational axes, which establishes foundation to develop full VTT system and it’s performance evaluation in the future.