Design of an instrumented workpart for robotic aircraft wing-box assembly

Abstract

The idea of an underactuated robotic arm used in aircraft wing assembly and production was created to improve the wing-box assembly process. In order to display the robots capabilities and areas of improvement, a suitable testing device would be most helpful. This project attempts to achieve an appropriate environment by creating a wing-box assembly imitating what would be found at a manufacturing plant. Secondly, the use of beacons to allow for the robot's careful positioning will help it identify certain tasks needed to be fulfilled. The initial design of the wing-box underwent various changes in order to account for financial and physical disturbances. These changes could have compromised the strength of the entire structure however, after the completion of the wing-box, the durability of the assembly surpassed any expectation. The beacon was designed under different specifications which addressed the problem of overall size and ease of assembly. While two of the designs addressed only one of those requirements separately, the third balanced the assembly problems while minimizing the size of the beacon. The third prototype was determined to be most desirable for production. The use of these projects will hopefully lead to the development of innovative technology in aircraft manufacturing.