Performance evaluation for Braided McKibben pneumatic actuators in telescopic nested structure

Abstract

This study presents the usage of Braided Actuators with Nested Structures to improve the stroke characteristics of the McKibben actuators. Thin McKibben actuators can contract 23% of their original length when pressurized. Usage of braiding and nested structures to improve contraction ratio has proven successful. In this study, we use a combined telescopic Nested Structure and Braided Actuators to increase the contraction ratio of the actuators. The Nested Braided Actuator (NBA) performance was compared to Single Actuator (SA), Braided Actuator (BA), and Nested Actuator (NA). The results at 350 kPa indicate that, NBA had the highest contraction ratio of 45.5%, followed by NA (39.38%), BA (29.57%), and SA (23.41%). At 350 kPa, the contraction force per actuator NBA was 36.29 N, NA exerted 41.33 N, BA exerted 30.41 N and SA exerted 43.8 N. The actuator's performance showed that it was capable of high stroke with only a 20-30% loss in contraction force compared to the SA.