Performance evaluation of vibration-damping bucking bar in human-robot collaboration

Abstract The riveting process in aircraft manufacturing generates large vibrations, and if it is exposed to vibration for a long period of time, riveting workers may suffer from Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome causing irreversible damage to the robot. In this study, firstly, the vibration mechanical model of human-robot collaboration was established, and then the vibration characteristics of human-robot collaboration under squeezing force were deduced. Finally, an experiment was performed to evaluate the vibration damping performance of vibration-damping bucking bars by evaluating the mean peak squeezing force with different rivet guns and input pneumatic pressure. Compared with the conventional stainless steel bucking bar, the PU-cylinder bucking bar has a lower mean peak squeezing force. The results show that the utilization of the PU-cylinder bucking bar in human-robot collaborative riveting operations can considerably reduce the vibration transmitted from the rivet gun to the robot and the operator.