Shape Memory Alloy Actuator Test Bed

Project Contributions

Skills Used

• Mechanical Design: CAD, GD&T
  • SolidWorks
• Sensor Integration
  • Arduino, Python
• Rapid Prototyping
  • 3D printing

Project Description

In this project, I designed and assembled a custom dynamometer to empirically obtain the motor torque constants of the BLDC motors used in the StaccaToe robot. I fabricated custom motor mounting plates using the Tormach PCNC1100 CNC mill and assisted in setting up the FUTEK TRS-300 torque sensor in MATLAB for obtaining torque data. The input current to the BLDC motor is measured using the motor’s onboard drivers.

The design of the shaft couplings were optimized using a by-hand torsion calculation with a safety factor of 1.2, and were manufactured through MISUMI’s contract manufacturing service. The shaft couplings are connected via two oldham couplings.