Authors:
Jelmer Braaksma
1
;
Ben Klaassens
1
;
Robert Babuška
1
and
Cees de Keizer
2
Affiliations:
1
Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
;
2
IHC Systems, Netherlands
Keyword(s):
Robotic manipulator, shield tunneling, hybrid control, collision, environment model, feedback linearization.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Control and Supervision Systems
;
Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics
;
Robot Design, Development and Control
;
Robotics and Automation
Abstract:
In a novel shield tunneling method, the tunnel lining is produced by an extrusion process with continuous
shield advance. A robotic manipulator is used to build the tunnel supporting formwork, consisting of rings
of steel segments. As the shield of the tunnel-boring machine advances, concrete is continuously injected in the space between the formwork and the surrounding soil. This technology requires a fully automated manipulator, since potential human errors may jeopardize the continuity of the tunneling process. Moreover, the environment is hazardous for human operators. The manipulator has a linked structure with seven degrees of freedom and it is equipped with a head that can clamp the formwork segment. To design and test the controller, a dynamic model of the manipulator and its environment was first developed. Then, a feedback-linearizing hybrid position-force controller was designed. The design was validated through simulation in Matlab/Simulink. Virtual reality visualization
was used to demonstrate the compliance properties of the controlled system.
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