Point-by-Point-Contact-Based Approach to Compute Position and Orientation between Parts Assembled by Multiple Non-Ideal Planes

Abstract

Position and orientation deviations (PODs), being affected by surface deviations, occur after parts are assembled, which directly affects the performance of mechanical products. Moreover, mechanical parts are generally assembled with multiple constraint planes, and the generated PODs are influenced by the type of positioning. Therefore, the PODs of multiple planes should be computed in the design stage according to the predicted surface deviations, to control the product performance. However, even though the POD computation of multiple planes has been researched, the effects of surface deviations and multiple types of positioning cannot be considered simultaneously. To address this problem, this study proposes a point-by-point-contact-based approach. The six-point positioning principle is employed to determine the possible number of contact points on each mating plane. The surface deviations are modeled from the perspective of manufacturing errors. Furthermore, the contact points on each mating plane are determined successively using both the strategies of progressively approaching position and of the orientation and recursion of contact points. As a result, the PODs are acquired. The feasibility and usefulness of the proposed approach are verified through a case study. Herein, effects of surface deviations and multiple types of positioning on PODs are unified as contact point variations. Consequently, this approach is expected to assist with accurately controlling the POD influence on the performance of mechanical products in the design stage.