Flexible Beam Part Manipulation for Assembly Operation Simulation in a Virtual Reality Environment

Abstract

The aspects of fast and realistic simulation of flexible parts during the Assembly/Disassembly (A/D) process are discussed in this paper. The proposed approach, adapted to current Virtual Reality (VR) devices and incorporating mechanical models, will be used as a basis for A/D of flexible parts in a VR environment. First of all, the study of current A/D simulation methods is performed. Secondly, a new system integrating real-time and interactive mechanical models is proposed. Finally, an example of the interactive mechanical model for virtual A/D of flexible beam-parts is presented. Numerical tests are set up to evaluate the proposed approach and focus on typical boundary conditions prescribed in the configuration and force spaces introduced.