AIR MUSCLE [PAM]

AIR MUSCLE
An extraordinary actuator
The Air Muscle consists
of a rubber tube covered
in tough plastic netting
which shortens in length
like a human muscle
when inflated with
compressed air at High
pressure.
 Basic Working Principle

There are two main parts to an air muscle: a

stretchable rubber and a braided mesh sleeve.
The rubber provides a chamber for the air.
The sleeve provides necessary strength against
pulling forces.
• To contract the muscle, air is forced into the
rubber, causing it to expand. Because the
volume is fixed, the expansion causes an axial
load.

http://www.imagesco.com/articles/airmuscle/fig2.jpg
As air is vented, the rubber relaxes and the
muscle returns to its original length.
 Why to go for Air Muscle?

 All the components are quite expensive

 A properly designed system is more complex than an equivalent

electromechanical system

 All these components take up quite a bit of valuable space within a robot
 BRIEF TIMELINE

First developed in the 1950 by American physician, Joseph L. McKibben

1968– Rubber artificial muscle

More recently was commercialized in the 1980's by Bridgestone Rubber Company of

Japan.

Present working industry in this field, Shadow Robot Company

 Natural vs. Artificial Muscle

Natural Muscle Artificial Muscle

• Force velocity
• Force applied is relationship is not
inversely similar to natural
proportional to muscle
velocity of actuation

• Force is directly • Force –length

characteristics are
proportional to similar to natural
length and size of muscle
muscle.
FEATURES OF ARTIFICIAL
MUSCLE

Lightweight:
Air Muscles weigh between 10g and
150g

Smooth:
Air Muscles have no 'stiction'

Powerful:
Produce forces up to 700 N

Reproducible:
Can be manufactured in identical size.
 MOST GENERAL DIMENSIONS
30mm Air muscle
EXTENDED CONTRACTED

These measurements are taken when

Pressure = 3bar

Load =50N.

Hole – Hole Spacing - 220mm Hole – Hole Spacing (1) - 290mm

Total Muscle Length - 180mm Total Muscle Length (2) - 250mm

Active Length =160mm Active Length (3) – 230mm

Headers and Fittings
The header at each end of the
muscle consists of an
Aluminum ring, and a Delrin
plastic bung, with an M10
female thread.

This thread can be used as a

means of attachment, and to
allow air into or out of the
muscle.

The muscle is supplied with

two Delrin fittings, one of
which comes with a 6mm
push-fit connector.
Theoretical Model
 F= P*(dv/dl) – Vb*(dw/dl) - Ff

Where
P = Input actuation pressure
dV = The change in the actuator’s
interior volume
dl = The change in the actuator’s length
Vb = The volume occupied by the
bladder
dw = The change in strain energy
density
Ff = Friction arising from sources such
as contact between the braid and the
bladder and between the fibers of the braid
itself.
 EXPERIMENT
EXPERIMENT NO -1 EXPERIMENT NO -2
 EXPRIMENT CONCLUSIONS
 A PAM shortens by increasing its enclosed volume.
 It will contract against a constant load if the pneumatic
pressure is increased.
 This means that a PAM will shorten at a constant pressure
if its load is decreased and its contraction has an upper
limit at which it develops no force and its enclosed
volume is maximal.
 For each pair of pressure and load a PAM has an
equilibrium length.
 This behavior is in absolute contrast to that of a
pneumatic cylinder.
 Experimental results of contraction and
elongation of the PAM
As WORKING Pressure
increases, the generated force
increases and stretched
length also increases.

It follows different path

when air is injected (Blue
lines) and removed (Red
lines).

As pressure increases

characteristic curve appears
to be straight line. So easy to
determine its behavior.

Ls = Reduction in length when compressed air is injected

from actual un contracted length.
DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS
A 130N Air muscle takes,
hardly
3 seconds (5.5-2.5)
to actuate load, one time.

 The braid meshing absorbs

strain energy at starting 0.5
second
(3 – 2.5) where there is no
contraction & release energy in
last 0.75 second(5.5 – 4.75)

Maximum contraction is
limited to 30%.
PAM USING SHAPE-MEMORY POLYMER (SMP)

Starting in state S1, the actuator is warmed above

Tg. The actuator now enters S2.

In S2 the SMP is soft and can be deformed. When

the internal bladder is pressurized, the actuator
shortens and/or produces a force if it is coupled to a
mechanical load. After the actuator attains its
desirable length, it is cooled below Tg and the
actuator enters state S3.

In S3 the SMP is fixed in its rigid state. If the

internal pressure within the bladder is released the
actuator moved to state S4.

In S4 the actuator maintains its length indefinitely

without the need for an air supply. When the actuator
is next heated above Tg, the SMP enters state S5.

In S5 the actuator has returned to its pre-actuation

state, and has exhibited shape recovery.

Tg = Glass Transition Temperature

 WHY TO GO FOR SMP ?
 The actuator can be fixed more rigidly than conventional
pneumatic actuators using the phase change of the SMP
material.

 The actuators can achieve relatively large deformation

between two rigid states.

 The actuators can maintain a continuous desirable length.

 If only part of the actuator is heated, only that portion of the

SMP will transition to the rubbery state and hence, when
internal air pressure is increased only that portion of the
structure will actuate.
 ADVANTAGES

• Lightweight

• Lower Cost

• Smooth

• Flexible

• Powerful

• Compliant http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/3d/f3/bal
dwin,muscle,hydrostat,in,operation,mckibben,
muscle,morin,muscle,pneumatic,muscle-
3df3d5564e7402e3a21a71a76acbf55e_h.jpg
 Limitations

The major limitations to an air muscle:

- how far it can extend
- how far it can contract
- extremely non-linear
- Only Tensile nature Force
- Rubber is often needed to avoid the tube
from bursting
APPLICATIONS
The entire physical system is
illustrated.
The physical hand and arm
comprises 4 fingers, a thumb and
elbow, all actuated via air muscles.
Each air muscle requires a
precisely controlled source of air
pressure to accurately position the
stroke-length of each air muscle,
positioning the hand fingers and
forearm in the required positions.
 This controlled source of air is
supplied by the Valve Board
Humanoid Robot Eye.
 The mechanism of the
humanoid robot eye is
imitation of the human
eye, which is modified
slightly with the
assumptions mentioned
above.
 There is no contact
between the pulley base
(back base) and the
eyeball. With cooperative
stretching or shrinking of
six EOMs, the eyeball can
rotate with 3 DOF.
The Dexterous hand
 The dexterous hand
was developed by the
Shadow robotic
company.
 The hands operate
just like human hands
with five fingers. It is
powered by 28 Air
Muscles.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
• PAM would have an infinite
amount of infinitely narrow
pleats, leading to an
axisymmetrical membrane
surface that would thus only
be loaded by meridional
stresses (i.e. along fold
lines) and not by parallel
stresses (i.e. along parallels,
which are sections of the
surface and any plane
perpendicular to the axis of
symmetry).
 Actuator Specifications
• Because of the
diverse options - Fully stretched length
provided by a - Fully contracted length
PAM, the
muscle can be - Maximum pressure
made (both of rubber and
specifically for
a given project. fittings)
Some - Tightness of mesh
specifications
to be aware of, weave
however, are:
COSTING & PRICES (SHADOW KIT)