Hybrid vibration control of a flexible composite box cross-sectional manipulator with piezoelectric actuators

Abstract

Robotic arms can be produced from composite materials with different cross-sections due to their lightness and high strength properties. The flexibility of robotic arms affects the vibration behavior of robots in engineering applications. The suppression of vibrations increases the dynamic performance of flexible robots. In this study, hybrid vibration control of a smart composite box manipulator (SCBM) is investigated numerically and experimentally. Hybrid vibration control is achieved using passive control (PC) and active control (AC) techniques. The single-axis epoxy glass SCBM has a layer orientation of [0/90/0/90]. The PC is achieved with a trapezoidal velocity profile. Experiments are conducted to verify the simulation results. For AC, the PID control with displacement and strain feedbacks is applied to the SCBM, which is driven with the cases in the PC for further reducing residual vibrations. Simulations are performed by embedding the hybrid control method into the finite element solutions in ANSYS. Controller gains are initially found by the tuning methods and then optimized according to the maximum actuation voltage. The residual vibrations of the composite manipulator have been successfully suppressed for different payloads. The effectiveness of the hybrid control technique on residual vibration results is investigated.