Self-repairing design process applied to a 4-bar linkage mechanism. (November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bell, Colin; Farnsworth, Michael; Knowles, James; Tiwari, Ashutosh
• Is Part Of: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Volume 231:Number 13(2017)
• Page Start: 2291
• Page End: 2301
• Publication Date: 2017-11
• Subjects: Self-repairing -- linkage mechanism -- design -- optimisation -- mechanical systems; Mechanical engineering -- Periodicals; Engineering -- Management -- Periodicals; Manufacturing processes -- Periodicals; 629.8
• DOI: 10.1177/0954405415598924
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0954-4054

Abstract

Despite significant advances in modelling and design, mechanical systems almost inevitably fail at some point during their operative life. This can be due to a pre-existing design flaw, which is usually overcome in a revision, or more commonly due to some unexpected damage during operation. To overcome a failure during operation, a new method in designing machines or systems is proposed that creates a result, that is, resilient to both expected and unexpected failure. By shifting the focus from a detailed assessment of the underlying cause of failure to how that failure will manifest, a system becomes inherently resilient against a wide range of failure modes. The proposed process involves five steps: cause, detection, diagnosis, confirmation and correction. This is demonstrated with an application to a generic 4 bar linkage mechanism. Through this process, the system is able to return to a near perfect state even after a permanent deformation occurs in the mechanism. These results show the potential that this self-repairing design process has applications including robotics, manufacturing and other systems.