Modelling and system identification of a stiff stay wire fence machine

Abstract

The present paper investigates a severe gear backlash problem encountered in a stiff stay machine that is capable of producing a 26-line fence up to 2.6 m in height at a speed of 80 stays/min. Related problems in the literature typically concentrate on the effect of gear backlash on the ability to control a shaft. However, in this case, very good control of the reference speed of the shaft was maintained in spite of the gear backlash. The problem was that the commanded torques were excessively large and threatened to damage the gearbox. This problem motivated a complete analysis of the system's dynamics including the development of a model to better understand the response and allow the identification of external loads on the system. It was found that the method of sensing the shaft position (resolvers) was a major factor as well as the upgrading of the motor, which was over-responding to disturbances in the shaft. The model was validated using several torque limiting experiments and gave accurate prediction of the machine's major dynamics. The simulation tool developed provides the basis to predict the effect of different loads, wire types, and/or motors on the machine for future designs, minimizing the amount of experimentation on the machine.