Research Regarding Improvement of Torsional Stiffness for Planetary Speed Reducers Used in the Actuation of Industrial Robots

Abstract

Planetary speed reducers are used in the actuation of the revolute kinematic joints thanks to their specific advantages. However, in order to achieve a good positioning accuracy for the kinematic chains, these must have reduced backlash and high torsional stiffness. Therefore the deformations of the elements composing the mechanical structure under the action of gearing forces should be as low as possible, thus leading to backlash reduction. This also becomes important since the presence of backlash in the structure of the planetary speed reducer affects the stability of the overall kinematic chain. In this paper, a novel computation method for bearing deflections is proposed, starting from the kinematic diagram of the planetary speed reducer. Having known the kinematic diagram, it becomes possible to compute the gearing forces, keeping in mind the non-uniform power distribution on the planetary gears. The bearing reactions were computed in two cases: when the planetary gears are free to spin on the planetary carrier and when the planetary gears are fixed on the planet carrier, being supported at the extremities. Based on the computed values for bearing reactions, the corresponding deflections are determined. Once the values of the bearing reactions and deflections had been determined, the load-deflection and stiffness-deflection diagrams were elaborated for ball and roller bearings, allowing the determination of the bearing type that ensures low deflections and high stiffness. Based on the results, some recommendations are made, allowing the reduction of bearing deflections, and increasing the torsional stiffness.