Dynamic Analysis and Wear Prediction of Planar Five-Bar Mechanism Considering Multiflexible Links and Multiclearance Joints

Abstract

Effects of wear and member flexibility on the dynamic performance of a planar five-bar mechanism with joint-clearance are investigated. The equation of motion of the mechanism is derived based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF). In order to enhance the accuracy of the contact force, the slope of the load–displacement curve of the cylindrical joint with clearance is used. The contact deformation couples the joint wear to the contact state. The contact force model of Flores and coworkers is improved, by the introduction of the stiffness coefficient. The wear depth is predicted by using the Archard's wear model. Simulations show that the multiclearance joints can generate stronger contact forces relative to single clearance joint case. This leads to more severe wear in the joint. However, the mechanism with multiple flexible links can absorb more of the energy arising from the clearance joint, and this improves the wear phenomenon.