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This study is focused on the application of 3D-printed elements and conventional elements to create a prototype of a custom-made exoskeleton for lower limb rehabilitation. The 3D-printed elements were produced by using Fused Deposition Modeling technology and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) material. The scope of this work involved the design and construction of an exoskeleton, experimental testing of the ABS material and numerical research by using the finite element method. On the basis of the obtained results, it was possible to deduce whether the load-bearing 3D-printed elements can be used in the proposed mechanical construction. The work contains full data of the material models used in FEM modeling, taking into account the orthotropic properties of the ABS material. Various types of finite elements were used in the presented FE models. The work is a comprehensive combination of material testing issues with the possibility of implementing the obtained results in numerical strength models of machine parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the bifurcation characteristics and vibration reduction of a 2 -DOF dynamical system simulating the nonlinear oscillation of an asymmetric rotor model subjected to simultaneous multiparametric and external excitations. To suppress the system's vibrations, two 1 / 2 -DOF active dampers are attached to the system in linear and cubic nonlinear forms via a magnetic coupling actuator. The closed-loop system model is derived as two differential equations with multi-control terms, including cubic, quantic, and septic, coupled nonlinearly to two first-order systems. Applying perturbation theory, the system model is solved, and the autonomous system describing the closed-loop slow-flow dynamics is obtained. Through numerical algorithms, the motion bifurcation is analyzed using various tools such as 2D and 3D bifurcation diagrams, two-parameter stability charts, basins of attraction, orbit plots, and time response profiles. The analytical investigations confirm that the uncontrolled model behaves like a hardening Duffing oscillator with multistability characteristics, displaying simultaneous mono-stable, bi-stable, tri-stable, or quadri-stable periodic oscillations depending on both the asymmetric nonlinearities and angular velocity. Subsequently, the influence of different control parameters is analyzed to determine the threshold between mono and multi-stability conditions. Finally, optimal control parameters are designed to eliminate multistability characteristics and achieve minimum and safe vibration levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some robots are designed to be lightweight and flexible, enabling them to access small and challenging paths in various applications. These features enable robots to collaborate with humans in performing specific production tasks. However,the movement of the flexible manipulator can become self-excited when handling a cutting tool on a workpiece, which can lead to a control problem. This article presents a control solution for lightweight robotic manipulators with rotating tools, such as polishing and milling, using smart actuators. The control discretization method is also introduced to facilitate integration into digital controllers. The paper starts by describing the governing equations of the non-ideal flexible manipulator for polishing and milling and analysing its dynamic behavior. Subsequently, models for the controllers of the DC motor-only actuators and the hybrid (shape memory alloy and DC motors) actuators were formulated using shape memory alloy and a suboptimal control scheme known as the discrete state-dependent Riccati equation. The coupled system was analysed dynamically, and it was observed that it exhibits chaotic behavior. The results suggest that incorporating smart actuators into the motor group of the system could decrease the positioning error of the manipulator and significantly reduce the oscillation of the robot's end-effector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work is devoted to the study of vibrations and buckling of a graphene sheet (GS) with the shape of a right triangle, and embedded in a nonlinear polymer matrix. The research is based on the nonlocal elasticity theory and the application of the Bubnov‐Galerkin method. Due to the influence of the polymer surrounding, the study of vibrations is reduced to the analysis of a nonlinear cubic ordinary differential equation considering small‐scale effects. The nonlocal buckling problem for the triangular GS under in‐plane uniform compression is investigated including the finding of critical buckling load and the post‐buckling behaviour determined by the nonlinear medium effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]