Tolerance analysis for multi-chain assemblies with sequence and functionality constraints

Abstract

We present an approach for evaluating the assemblability of a product based on tolerances and adjustable displacements. An adjustable displacement is a functionally permitted free space between two mating features, which can be used for compensating tolerances. The assemblability of a product is computed in term of a multi chain by incrementally solving the parallel chains. We consider both the functionality and assembly sequence constraint in the evaluation. The result of the computation is a statistical measure of the product assemblability which can be used by the designer to evaluate and to optimize the tolerance allocation. In addition, this measure can be used for evaluating assembly sequences. The algorithms and simulation results are given.