Design, Modeling and Analysis of a Magnetorheological Fluids-Based Soft Actuator for Robotic Joints

Aiming at eliminating vibration generated during the motion state switch of robotic joints, this study proposes a magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) based soft actuator to achieve semi-active vibration control. In this paper, the configuration of the MRFs actuator is described firstly, followed by the theoretical modeling of the magnetic circuit and the transmitted torque. Then, the structural model of the actuator is designed and presented. After these, the influences of working induction and speed difference on both total transmitted torque and controllable coefficient are numerically calculated. Finally, an electromagnetic simulation is carried out with ANSYS 10.0^® to verify the designed magnetic circuit of the actuator. The results indicate that the working induction holds a strong impact on both total transmitted torque and controllable coefficient; however, the influences of speed difference were relatively slight. Moreover, the designed circuit is proved to fulfill the requirements of both induction intensity and uniformity.