Design and Control Considerations for a High-Speed Electro-Rheological Traversing Mechanism

Abstract

A high-speed traversing mechanism using two electro-rheological clutches is described. An application of the traversing mechanism is in winding textile filaments onto spinning or weaving bobbins. The design specifications are a traverse speed of 5m/s; a turn round period of 10-20 ms and a traverse length of 250 mm. The turn round position must be controllable and repeatable within ± 1 mm and the traverse length requires to be periodically varied in order to shape the ends of the resulting bobbin. These combined criteria of high speed and controllability makes the use of electro-rheological fluids an attractive proposition. The paper considers the effects of the main geometric and fluid parameters on the performance of the mechanism and uses this to outline the limiting performance of the mechanism, together with the effects on the precision of the mechanism. The paper also outlines control aspects of the mechanism and uses this to indicate important areas for consideration in the future development of electro-rheological fluids.