Huachao Xu

The torsional stiffness of rehabilitation robot joints is a critical performance determinant, significantly affecting motion accuracy, stability, and user comfort. This paper introduces an innovative traction drive mechanism that transmits torque through friction forces, overcoming mechanical impact issues of traditional gear transmissions, though accurately modeling surface roughness effects remains challenging. Based on fractal theory, this study presents a comprehensive torsional stiffness analysis for advanced traction drive joints. Surface topography is characterized using the Weierstrass–Mandelbrot function, and a contact mechanics model accounting for elastic–plastic deformation of micro-asperities is developed to derive the tangential stiffness of individual contact pairs. Static force analysis determines load distribution, and overall joint torsional stiffness is calculated through the integration of individual contact contributions. Parametric analyses reveal that contact stiffness increases with normal load, contact length, and radius, while decreasing with the tangential load and roughness parameter. Stiffness exhibits a non-monotonic relationship with fractal dimension, reaching a maximum at intermediate values. Overall system stiffness demonstrates similar parameter dependencies, with a slight decrease under increasing output load when sufficient preload is applied. This fractal-based model enables more accurate stiffness prediction and offers valuable theoretical guidance for design optimization and performance improvement in rehabilitation robot joints.

Rotate vector (RV) reducers have widely been used in high-performance precision drives for industrial robots. However, the current nonlinear dynamic studies on RV reducers are not extensive and require a deeper focus. To bridge this gap, a translational–torsional nonlinear dynamic model for an RV reducer transmission system is proposed. The gear backlash, time-varying mesh stiffness, and comprehensive meshing errors are taken into account in the model. The dimensionless vibration differential equations of the system were derived and solved numerically. By means of bifurcation diagrams, phase trajectories, Poincaré sections, and the power spectrum, the motion state of the system was studied with the bifurcation parameters’ variation, including excitation frequency and meshing damping. The results demonstrate that this system presents enriched nonlinear dynamic characteristics under different parameter combinations. The motion state of the system is more susceptible to change at lower frequencies. Increasing the meshing damping coefficient proves effective in suppressing the occurrence of chaos and reducing vibration amplitudes, significantly enhancing the stability of the transmission system.