Statically Stable Assembly Sequence Generation And Structure Optimization For A Large Number Of Identical Building Blocks

• Main Author: Wolff, Sebastien Jean
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: Georgia Institute of Technology 2007
• Subjects: Statically stable assembly sequence generation; Assembly-line methods Automation; Shapes Design and construction Automation; Rapid prototyping
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1853/14045

This work develops optimal assembly sequences for modular building blocks. The underlying concept is that an automated device could take a virtual shape such as a CAD file, and automatically decide how to physically build the shape using simple, identical building blocks. This entails deciding where to place blocks inside the shape and generating an efficient assembly sequence that a robot could use to build the shape. The blocks are defined in a general, parameterized manner such that the model can be easily modified in the future. The primary focus of this work is the development of methods for generating assembly sequences in a time-feasible manner that ensure static stability at each step of the assembly. Most existing research focuses on complete enumeration of every possible assembly sequence and evaluation of many possible sequences. This, however, is not practical for systems with a large number of parts for two reasons: (1) the number of possible assembly sequences is exponential in the number of parts, and (2) each static stability test is very time-consuming. The approach proposed here is to develop a multi-hierarchical rule-based approach to assembly sequences. This is accomplished by formalizing and justifying both high-level and mid-level assembly rules based on static considerations. Application of these rules helps develop assembly sequences rapidly. The assembly sequence is developed in a time-feasible manner according to the geometry of the structure, rather than evaluating statics along the way. This work only evaluates the static stability of each step of the assembly once. The behavior of the various rules is observed both numerically and through theory, and guidelines are developed to suggest which rules to apply. A secondary focus of this work is to introduce methods by which the inside of the structure can be optimized. This structure optimization research is implemented by genetic algorithms that solve the multi-objective optimization problem in two dimensions, and can be extended to three dimensions.