Jacques Peters

Design : an integrated approach

In a first part design is situated as an activity which integrates four domains: the customers domain, the functional one, the product and the process domains. Two phases are distinguished: the creative and the analytic one. Successively following aspects are discussed: Geometric Modelling, Interfacing Product Modelling, Features, Simulation and System Architecture.

Contribution of CIRP to the Development of Metrology and Surface Quality Evaluation during the last fifty years

Abstract An overview of the contribution of the members of the C.I.R.P. community to the progress of Metrology and Surface Roughness Quality Evaluation is given. The following items are included in the part on metrology: brief overview of the existing situation before 1950, contribution to the successive definitions of the unit of length and related reference length standards, traceability, preliminary work to standardization, thermal effects, design and construction of precision machine tools and measuring machines, CMM, large scale metrology. In the field of surface quality evaluation, the following items are reviewed: reference profiles and related definitions of parameters, filtering, surface and subsurface integrity, functional meaning of parameters, instrumentation, scanning probe microscopy, 3D surface evaluation. A comprehensive list of references is provided.

Contribution of CIRP Research to Industrial Problem in Grinding

Summary As in the last CIRP meeting in Harrogate a series of urgent industrial problems were enumerated, by industrial members, it appeared opportune to summarize the main results of CIRP research as direct answer to the questions. Successively following subjects are treated : wheel testing, grinding data, relation between machining parameters and performance, evaluation of coolants, short grinding cycles, stability problems, residual stress, surface integrity and some specific design problems. This is a survey paper refering to the research of CIRP members.

Surface Interactions in Steel Polishing for the Precision Tool Making

The polishing of steel becomes more and more important due to the increasing qualitative demands on the surface finish of tools and dies. But despite many research activities in the recent years, the polishing process is still characterized by a poor knowledge of the relevant mechanisms. Especially the complex interactions among the system components cannot be sufficiently described, yet. In this paper, the relevant interactions between the polishing abrasive and the steel surface are discussed. Starting from a phenomenological view on the removal behaviour of different steel alloys, a model for the wear resistance of the steel surface is presented. It shows that next to the hardness of the material particularly the mechanisms of micro-ploughing and micro-cutting determine the removal behaviour. Furthermore, the influence of the workpiece material on the removal rates is discussed.

An Intelligent Force Controlled Robot

Based upon earlier work [10] on adaptive assembly using an active adaptable compliant wrist, a universal active force control concept has been developed and implemented into a commercial industrial robot. It contains an off-line programming system with a set of conditional move-subroutines in robot or real-world coordinates and further a six degrees of freedom force sensor with control hard- and software. Multi-degree of freedom compliant behaviour is obtained by special software routines. Several task algorithms for constant force contour tracking and automatic assembly are discussed and illustrated with practical experiments.

Additive damping treatments for mechanical structures

The prediction and optimisation of structural damping has become a matter of primary interest in the design of machines and structures. A succesful way of increasing structural damping is the utilisation of damping materials in additive layer treatments. In this paper emphasis is put on the recently developed high damping materials. Results of a comparative study of the dynamic properties, stiffness and damping, are presented. Techniques to predict the effect of free and constrained layers are discussed. For complex structures, these calculations are based on modal parameters. This is illustrated with practical case-studies.

Design Philosophy in Filament Winding

Abstract Within the scope of the Composite Materials Group of the K.U. Leuven, the Department of Mechanical Engineering directs its research towards design and manufacturing of filament wound structures. This paper dealt with an adequate design philosophy which has been applied in industrial winding projects. The design philosophy is situated and in a wider environmental context by referring to literature, projects developed at the K.U. Leuven, and by giving comments based on internal research and experience.