Nirosh Jayaweera

Automated assembly of fuselage skin panels

Purpose – This paper aims to describe the development and testing of a system for the automated assembly of aircraft fuselage panels.Design/methodology/approach – The system described in this paper uses a low‐cost industrial robot and laser stripe sensor to assemble stringers on to a fuselage panel prior to riveting. The method uses a combination of measurement and best fit placement algorithms to optimally locate parts relative to existing features.Findings – The paper demonstrates that with a combination of metrology and mathematical processing standard industrial robots can be used to assemble aero‐structure subassemblies. The paper also demonstrates that the system can work within the tolerances required within the aerospace industry.Originality/value – The paper introduces techniques for compensating for the inherent distortion that occurs in airframe components during manufacture. This is an enabling technology that will significantly increase the number of possible applications for industrial robot...

Automated aerostructure assembly

Purpose – Describes the application of standard industrial robots to the assembly and riveting of aerostructure sub‐assemblies.Design/methodology/approach – Describes the design and operation of special purpose end‐effectors for assembly and solid riveting and their integration in an aerostructure sub‐assembly fabrication cell. The robots are controlled by a novel control system which allows the cell to compensate for distortion and misalignment of the components.Findings – Demonstrates that with advanced control standard industrial robots can be used to assemble aerostructure sub‐assemblies.Originality/value – Introduces techniques for compensating for the inherent distortion that occurs in airframe components during manufacture. This is an enabling technology that will significantly increase the number of possible applications for robots in the assembly of aerostructures.

Measurement assisted robotic assembly of fabricated aero‐engine components

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the measurement‐assisted assembly of aero‐engine fabricated components and evaluate its capability.Design/methodology/approach – The system described in this paper uses in‐process measurement sensors to determine the components exact location prior to the assembly operation. The core of the system is a set of algorithms capable of best fitting measurement data to find optimal assembly of components.Findings – The paper demonstrates that with a combination of non‐contact metrology systems and mathematical processing, standard industrial robot can be used to assemble fabricated components. Scanning parts after it has been picked up was very effective as it compensates for possible components deformation during previous manufacturing processes and robot handling errors.Originality/value – The paper introduces techniques for compensating the deformation that occurs in aero‐engine fabricated components and potential component handling errors. The developed sy...

Metrology-assisted robotic processing of aerospace applications

Modern aerospace structures tend to consist of large numbers of geometrically complex structural components which by their very nature tend to suffer from significant levels of physical distortion and are thus difficult to assemble. One solution to this problem is to use large complex jigs which physically control the shape of the parts. These jigs are usually loaded using either direct manual labour or manual labour assisted by cranes or lifting devices. The use of manual operations represents a significant health and safety risk and increased likelihood of damaging components during assembly. The application of automation in the processing of such structures has so far been confined to small product specific cells owing to difficulties in pre-defining and fixing the exact geometry and positioning of parts within the work volume. The use of specially designed jigs, fixtures and aids such as drilling templates can be adapted to support automation but are expensive, have long manufacturing lead times and cannot be economically modified for use on other aircraft types. The paper proposes a solution to the above problems using standard industrial robots and an advanced control and non-contact metrology systems. The developed methodology is generic and has been evaluated and demonstrated in a number of different applications. The application described in this paper is the assembly of regional jet fuselage panels. Results are presented along with an analysis of the accuracy and repeatability of the system and its elements.

Fixturing and tooling for wing assembly with reconfigurable datum system pickup

The aerospace manufacturing sector is continuously seeking automation due to increased demand for the next generation single-isle aircraft. In order to reduce weight and fuel consumption aircraft manufacturers have increasingly started to use more composites as part of the structure. The manufacture and assembly of composites poses different constraints and challenges compared to the more traditional aircraft build consisting of metal components. In order to overcome these problems and to achieve the desired production rate existing manufacturing technologies have to be improved. New technologies and build concepts have to be developed in order to achieve the rate and ramp up of production and cost saving. This paper investigates how to achieve the rib hole key characteristic (KC) in a composite wing box assembly process. When the rib hole KC is out of tolerances, possibly, the KC can be achieved by imposing it by means of adjustable tooling and fixturing elements. A test rig has been designed and built that is used to experimentally investigate the capability of both the tooling and fixturing concepts. Some experiments have been carried out that successfully demonstrate the capability of the reconfigurable fixturing technology to achieve the rib hole KC.

Robotic edge profiling of complex components

Purpose – This paper aims to describe the development and testing of a system for the automated deburring of aero‐engine components.Design/methodology/approach – The system described in this paper uses an in‐process measurement sensor to determine the components exact location prior to the deburring operation. The core of the system is a set of algorithms capable of fitting and generating the required robot path relative to the feature to be profiled.Findings – The paper demonstrates that with a combination of non‐contact metrology and mathematical processing standard industrial robot can be used to deburr aero engine components.Originality/value – The paper introduces an efficient robotic deburring method, which is developed based on generating real‐time robotic deburring path. Reducing the reliance on part holding fixtures and the use of a laser‐guided robot ensures the developed deburring system is highly flexible and re‐configurable.

An Intelligent Control System for an Electrically Power Assisted Cycle (EPAC)

This paper is focused on proposing an enhanced controller for a hybrid drive mechanism in an Electrically Power Assisted Cycle (EPAC) to improve the battery energy utilization while maintaining the rider’s physical comfort. A real time data acquisition system was set up on a conventional bicycle using sensors and interfacing modules to verify the operating parameters. A fuzzy logic based novel control algorithm was developed upon the acquired data, to overcome the limitations in proportional assist control aided EPACs. The fuzzy controller was implemented using a novel ‘iControl’ algorithm. The developed control algorithm was installed on the newly developed EPAC and practically implemented. The developed algorithm showed the capability to improve range via better energy utilization and maintain rider comfort at the same time.

A novel reconfigurable supporting structure for aircraft maintenance applications

Modern aerospace industries are continuously seeking novel technological solutions to survive in a highly volatile marketplace. The aerospace industry faces a number of difficulties such as minimizing cost, meeting challenging deadlines while maintaining safety. Currently, large volume, fixed position, dedicated supporting structures are used by the industry to accomplish assembly, maintenance and repair requirements. Manufacture of such dedicated supporting structures are expensive, difficult to use with different aircraft sizes, require long manufacturing lead times backed by a skilled workforce, and occupy large floor space during use. As a solution to above issues, there is a need for affordable, robust, and most importantly, reconfigurable aircraft supporting structures. These supporting structures should be reusable so that, it enhances the operational flexibility and reduces development cost. Reconfigurable supporting structures also provide easy system expandability, rapid response to production changes and considerable reduction to setup time. This research investigates required characteristics of such supporting structures for aerospace applications. Some predominant designs are highlighted from the literature which are based on nut and bolt mechanisms that are time consuming to setup and are vibratory unstable. The proposed design focuses on eliminating the nut and bolt joints to minimize the assembly and disassembly time. Hence the proposed design is novel “quick clamping” design for star joint mechanisms for use in reconfigurable supporting structures. The prototype is developed using 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) software and is manufactured using widely available manufacturing processes.