Integrated Drive Train and Structural Optimization for a Dynamic System: An Evolving Conceptual Design Algorithm

Selecting the most suitable motor sizes, gear
boxes and structure under certain constraints or desired
values such as payload, speed, deflections, total weight, etc.
for a dynamic system is an exhaustive and time-consuming
iterative process. To overcome this problem, a new-
“evolving” conceptual design algorithm is developed. The
suggested algorithm can be used for the conceptual design
of any dynamic system including drive-train and structural
optimization. To illustrate the suggested methodology, a
robot manipulator, having 3 degrees of freedom, is selected
as a case study. The objective function is minimizing the
robot mass while satisfying the desired dynamic
requirements and constraints of link deflections. A dynamic
simulation environment for flexible body motion,
containing 3 DOF robot manipulator drive-trains and
flexible links, is developed in an evolving optimization loop.
The lumped parameter estimation method is used to model
the flexibility of uniform links in Simmechanics by allowing
the estimation of deflections caused by the dynamic motion.
Thus, both dynamic and structural simulations are made
simultaneously in Simmechanics with no additional
software. Hence, drive-trains and thickness of all links are
simultaneously optimized by using the suggested evolving
conceptual design algorithm.