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A Gearing Forest Automaton to Automate a Gearing System A gearing forest automaton to automate a gearing system Huazeng Zhao ( [email protected] ) Shandong College of Information Technology Zuxiao Yang Weifang University Qiushi Zhao Virginia Tech: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Original Article Keywords: Gearing system design, Gearing tree, Gearing forest, Gearing forest automaton Posted Date: November 16th, 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-108133/v1 License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full License A gearing forest automaton to automate a gearing system Huazeng Zhao1,*, Zuxiao Yang2,*, Qiushi Zhao3 Abstract A gearing system design completely depends on the designer’s skills and experiences because there is no theory or method to standardize the design process. In this paper, a gearing forest automaton is presented to implement automatic formation of design schemes from the original data without any human intervention. Firstly, a gearing tree is defined to describe a gearing system, and a two-shaft connection by M-transmission shafts (M ≥ 0) and an N-shaft connection by a transmission shaft (N ≥ 3), which can iteratively be combined into any gearing system, are denoted with data structure and automatically achieved. Secondly, the connection methods are both the input alphabet and transition functions of the gearing forest automaton. The start state comprises the original data and the accept state outputs the design schemes. Therefore, an entire design process becomes the construction and running of the automaton. The automaton is optimized to increase efficiency. Finally, according to this automaton, a computer program has been developed, and it is validated through three examples in which design quality is significantly improved. Keywords: Gearing system design, Gearing tree, Gearing forest, Gearing forest automaton Therefore, often the transmitting component load 1 Introduction increases too large and the gear ratio tolerance decreases A gearing system diverts power from a single input shaft too much as a gearing system design proceeds. to multiple output shafts, as shown in Figure 1. It is a key Consequentially, some designs have to be redone because part of many machines, such as a modular machine tool the strength is insufficient, the gear ratio requirements that is the most popular in mass-machining box parts of are not met, or interferences occur, which leads to low vehicles as it can increase production efficiency by efficiency and unreasonable design schemes. Experience multiple times or even by tens of times compared to a and familiarity are much more important qualities than general machine tool. A major task in the design phase is mathematical or drafting skills. Over the past 50 years, it when a designer connects all output shafts to an input has been the significant object of research to improve shaft by adding new transmission shafts. The design such a situation by the design schemes which are method changes almost nothing from past [1] to present automatically generated by a computer program. [2]: 1.1 development in automating a local gearing system 1. Artificially specify a local layout by experience. design 2. Compute the parameters, such as gears and shafts. To address a general algorithm, it is necessary to classify 3. Draw the connection. the gearing systems into certain types. Various shaft 4. Improve the connection by trial and error. connections are reduced to nine types early in 1973 [3], 5. If success, take the connection regard as a shaft. and the reduction is improved [4],[5]. In addition, the 6. Repeat the above steps until the connection special computer programs that automatically calculate becomes a gearing system. the shaft coordinates according to the types after the gears are determined, have been developed. A type Gear teeth must be integers and lie within a practical setting up the intermediate shaft gears as single gears and range, while their combinations must satisfy any gear double gears, has been focused [6]. Except of the shaft ratio constraints and any center distance constraints of a coordinate calculation, an automated gear design is taken gear system. Designing a gear system is basically a into consideration independently [7] or in a way in which straightforward but highly repetitive exercise which has the gear is connected to an automated entity by a decision no unique solution. It is extremely difficult to ensure that structure [8]. Shafts and gears can be automatically every fuzzy experiential decision is correct, even optimal. designed and optimized after the connection forms are specified [9], [10]. After the local parameters are input, a ______________________________________________________________ program can check interferences [11], gear ratios and *Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of Information, Shandong College of Information Technology, strengths [12], [13], and can produce a segmented Weifang 261061, China. graphical solution that is able to be further modified [14]. Full list of author information is available at the end of the article In recent years, an intelligent design has become a 1 research hotspot of some Chinese graduate students [15 consider these works are a contribution to the progress of -17]. As assembly-level geometric errors such as backlash, this field and not suit for practicing in engineering center distance errors and shaft misalignments may practices. adversely affect the operation of a gearing system, the tolerance is analyzed using static analogy [18]. However, 1.3 Methods used in designing automated systems a local design, a multiple solution structure, is not able to A gearing system is a topological structure. Research on be automated when it is not described with a data an automatic structural design can date back to early 1980 structure. when a computer software which automatically designs Some special gearing systems have been automatically steel pitched-roof portal frame buildings was developed designed, such as a coaxial, input/output shaft, double using the methods used in manual design [35]. Various speed reduction gear system [19], a manual gearing technologies for carrying out inferences on an automatic system of a tractor [20], and simple output gearing gearing design have been widely studied to achieve a systems [21], [22]. However, it is not possible to extend variety of automatic structural design systems, such as a the methods used in designing the invariable structure CAD-based methodology in the automated modular forms to a general case. A design process is automated by fixture design system [36], a suitable CAD modeling integrating the dimensional design and the configuration approach of the compound die assembly in an automated design processes in a formalized algorithm [23]. But it is design system for compound washer dies [37], a 3D impossible to formalize a complicated gearing system. geometric modeling method by means of the API function It is worth noting that design optimization is a challenge. of the CAD system in the automated design system of Although genetic algorithms [24], a graph theory [25], and model sets [38], and a building information modeling object parameter methods [26] have been successfully method focused on pre-engineered building as a case applied to optimize local designs, some constraints, such study in the automated modelling system to facilitate as interferences and insufficient strengths, which are seen integrated structural design and wind engineering analysis everywhere, don't be given enough attentions. In addition, [39]. a local solution, sometimes, is optimal when viewed Early in 1994, a cellular automaton (CA) is first within a local perspective, but is a disaster from a global presented to automate the structural design since it can perspective because of interferes, gear ratio constraints, simulate the behavior of dynamic systems and can and etc. generate a clear framed structure for a mechanical condition [40]. Using the concept of a CA, a design domain 1.2 Development in automating a gearing system design is divided into small square cells and then the thicknesses from local to global of the individual cells are taken as the design variables [41]. Early in 1970s, it is proposed that a gearing system is In-plane response of composite laminae has been described with a small gearing tree based on graph theory improved within the context of structural design using [27] and is established with gearing tree graphics from the CA’s iterative numerical techniques that use local rules to tips [28]. A key item specializing in the theories and update both field and design variables to satisfy methods for the computer aided design of a gearing equilibrium and optimality conditions [42]. A CA tries to system in the Chinese machinery industry, takes 100 be translated into a specific design tool from a generic person-years, and develops a program that processes the system in architectural design [43]. production technological parameters into design data, However, although the above researches focused on draws the design, and checks the strength and the the problem-solving technologies for an automated interference [29], [30]. The item is known as the first step structural design, a situation in which adding new to an automatic design [31]. But persistent research parameters are prerequisite when an old state becomes seems to have been thrown. into a new state, is ignored. Although an approach can To avoid the empirical decision-making
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