Stiffness analysis of a hexaglide parallel loading mechanism

The stiffness characteristics of a hexaglide parallel loading machine (HPLM) are investigated in this paper. The architectural model of a HPLM is constructed and analyzed. Then the total stiffness matrix, in which the variations of the Jacobian matrix are considered, is derived based on the analysis of kinematics and statics. The workspace boundary of the HPLM is determined through a boundary searching method (BSM) and the stiffness performance over the workspace is assessed by using the extreme eigenvalues and condition number of the stiffness matrix while the influence of the architectural parameters on the stiffness behavior of the HPLM is also investigated using the same indices. Eigenscrew decomposition method is utilized to illustrate the physical interpretation of the stiffness matrix. Numerical examples follow to prove validity of the methodology. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.