The effects of joint clearance on the dynamics of the 3RRR planar parallel manipulator

SUMMARY In reality, clearances in the joints are inevitable due to tolerances, and defects arising from design and manufacturing. Therefore, poor dynamic performance, reduction in components component lifetimes and generation of undesirable vibrations result in impacts of mating parts in the clearance joint. In this study, the dynamic behavior of a planar mechanism with revolute joints, in the presence of clearances is investigated. A continuous contact force model, based on elastic Hertz theory together with a dissipative term, is used to evaluate the contact forces here. Moreover, using a contact model, the effects of working speed and clearance size on the dynamic characteristics of a planar mechanical system are analyzed and compared. Furthermore, numerical results for a 3RRR planar parallel manipulator with six revolute clearance joints are presented.