DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF A 6 DOF PLATFORM (PKM) FOR FLIGHT/VEHICLE SIMULATION

Abstract

Parallel mechanisms have been the center of attention for several decades. PKMs have various advantages such as high stiffness; high accuracy and high payload capacity compared to the most commonly used serial mechanisms. This work presents the design, and analysis for a parallel kinetic manipulator based on a parallel platform design. The parallel mechanism is composed of a top platform and a base platform connected by six instrumented compliant leg connectors. The pose of the top platform relative to the base as well as the external wrench applied to the top Platform is determined by measuring the displacements of the individual leg connectors. A mechanical system has been fabricated with an emphasis placed on sleekness, smartness, fidelity, standardization, ease to redesign, system size and minimizing friction at the joints. Each leg has been calibrated individually off-line to determine connector properties, i.e., spring constant and free length. The forward analysis for the special 6-6 parallel platform as well as the kinematic control is also studied. The outcome of this research is the development of a simulation model of the PKM using ProE® software, which is universal in nature. This model can be employed to verify and validate various modifications in system design and geometry. The model has the characteristic that it can be scaled UP and scaled DOWN as per the requirements.