Thesis
Design and testing of a hybrid magnetorheological pneumatic cylinder for use in haptics
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2016
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/102043
Abstract
Pneumatic cylinders are standard actuators which are used in an assortment of machinery in industry applications. Traditionally, supplied air to pneumatic cylinders is either controlled with expensive servo valves, or inexpensive solenoid valves with complex control algorithms. The proposed pneumatic cylinder with an internal magnetorheological brake (MRbrake) can provide better position following and disturbance rejection than a traditional control method. Fields such as haptics and robotics would benefit greatly from the use of a hybrid cylinder, where a high force-to-weight ratio could be employed, while minimizing the effects of the compressibility of air. A pneumatic cylinder with a triple helix pattern was designed to guide the magnetic flux through the cylinder, maximizing the braking efficiency, while providing the same flux to the internal brake on the piston throughout the piston stroke. A serpentine flux path was incorporated into the piston to further increase efficiency. A prototype cylinder was manufactured and tested to validate the design. Testing of the incorporated brake showed a dynamic resistive force of up to 11.5 N, as well as a linear response to both current and position. Virtual wall and virtual damping tests demonstrated the ability of the brake to translate forces from a virtual environment to a mechanical device. Testing of the hybrid actuator verified the ability of the designed actuator to react to both step and sinusoidal position commands. When compared to an existing purely pneumatic control algorithm, the hybrid actuator exceeded the performance in response to both position and force step changes. Finally, a power saving algorithm was successfully demonstrated; this algorithm showed that disabling the MR-brake when not in use could vastly decreased the power required utilizing the hybrid system. The performance of the new hybrid actuator exceeded the performance of a comparable standard pneumatic actuator.
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Details
- Title
- Design and testing of a hybrid magnetorheological pneumatic cylinder for use in haptics
- Creators
- Max Ellsworth Cinq-Mars
- Contributors
- Hakan Gürocak (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525035501842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis