Dynamic modelling of a flexible cylindrical manipulator

Abstract

A dynamic model for a flexible cylindrical manipulator is presented. By considering the manipulator arm to be a distributed-mass, flexible element the equations of motion are developed by using the extended Hamilton's principle. The model includes the dynamics of the tail section of the manipulator arm. Simulated results presented for a numerical example indicate that the motion-induced vibration can be considerable and that the vibration of the tail section can cause appreciable position errors. The results emphasize the need for designing sophisticated controllers to dampen out the motion-induced vibration so that a specified maneuver can be executed efficiently. © 1989.