A Study on Astronautical Lightweight Robot Arm by Using Composite Material and Hybrid Structure

抄録

This paper proposes a novel compact and lightweight robot arm for astronautical development by using honeycomb structure. In astronautical development, all the launched objects should possess compact and lightweight to save launch cost. Honeycomb structure is one of such lightweight material and already used in astronautical field mainly for large panels. Besides, Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) is already known to be a lightweight and strong material. In this study, we propose to apply honeycomb structure with CFRP to realize compact and lightweight arm. A prototype using CFRP plates and aluminum honeycomb is produced and its mechanical property is investigated by computational analysis and experiment. The effect of cross-sectional shape of honeycomb core onto the mechanical property is also investigated.