.A multi-objective search-based approach for position and orientation deviations in assemblies with multiple non-ideal surfaces

Abstract

Computing position and orientation deviations (PODs) considering non-ideal morphologies and local deformations of mating surfaces is a key challenge in controlling the performances of assembled mechanical products through tolerance analysis. However, existing computational models based on Skin Model Shapes face difficulty in handling the PODs for all types of assembly issues. This paper proposes a novel multi-objective search-based approach for POD computation on a conception of force equilibrium constraints. A multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm is employed to solve the multi-objective model, and the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed approach are tested and compared with the NSGA-II and FEM methods. To demonstrate its distinctive capability to deal with assembly issues with multiple non-ideal mating surfaces, the proposed approach is applied to assemblies with multiple planar and cylindrical surfaces. Finally, an application of predicting the coaxial accuracy of a fuel pump is carried out, and the capabilities of the proposed approach are further demonstrated.