Study of Pressure Distribution in Compliant Contact Wheels for Robotic Surface Finishing

Abstract

This paper investigates the compliance characteristics of contact wheels in robotic finishing process, especially pressure distribution – a key parameter for material removal. The current study tackles this problem by developing finite element models of compliant contact wheels to predict pressure distribution with respect to various tool-workpiece scenarios. These models are further verified using pressure film sensors with flat and serrated contact wheels mounted on a robot.