Design and analysis of the elbow for a 30 foot tall exoskeleton
Open Access
Author:
Daveler, Brandon Joseph
Area of Honors:
Engineering Science
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Ivica Smid, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Charles E. Bakis, Thesis Honors Advisor Judith A Todd Copley, Faculty Reader Conrad S Tucker, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
solidworks exoskeleton
Abstract:
The design of the elbow for a 30 foot tall exoskeleton closely mimics as possible the movement of a human elbow while considering cost, ease of manufacturing, and weight. A 3-D model of the elbow is produced in SolidWorks and analyzed using SolidWorks Simulation, a finite element solver. The goal is to utilize the simulation software to design and optimize the elbow such that it structurally supports a load of 4000 pounds.
Throughout the design process, the simulations confirmed whether the optimization of each redesign is feasible. The final design of the elbow exceeds the movement of the human elbow in flexion and extension while also maintaining a factor of safety of two when lifting a 4000 pound load. Future work may consist of analyzing the model using higher level finite element analysis software such as Abaqus to focus on the contact between each of the components of the elbow in addition to performing impact, fatigue, and thermal analysis.