Numerical Simulation of Bending Stiffness Analysis for Spring Linkage Applied to In-Pipe Robot

Spring linkage can be applied to in-pipe robots for connecting different modules together and can make it pass through elbows more easily. However, its stiffness cannot be set to be too hard or too soft. This paper tries to make a balance between the compressive stiffness and the bending stiffness o...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jinwei Qiao, Na Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2020-01-01
Series:Mathematical Problems in Engineering
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/6701696
Description
Summary:Spring linkage can be applied to in-pipe robots for connecting different modules together and can make it pass through elbows more easily. However, its stiffness cannot be set to be too hard or too soft. This paper tries to make a balance between the compressive stiffness and the bending stiffness of the spring. After a brief introduction to the construction mechanism and some assumptions, the mathematical representation of the spring bending stiffness was deduced based on the Kirchhoff theory which describes the spatial curve with displacement rather than time. Then, some simulations aiming at verifying the correctness of the deduced bending stiffness expression were carried out. Finally, the relationship between the two rigidities was found out, which helps to find a way to decrease the bending stiffness of spring while keeping its compressive stiffness strong enough.
ISSN:1024-123X
1563-5147