Thermal–mechanical coupling deformation difference analysis for the flexspline of a harmonic drive

Abstract

The flexspline (FS) of the harmonic drive (HD) is subjected to thermal load and force load during operation, leading to the deformation difference between the inner and outer surfaces of the FS. As a result, the transmission performance of the HD assembly decreases. To overcome this problem, the thermal–mechanical coupling deformation mechanism of the FS is analyzed, and then the influence of the deformation difference on the transmission accuracy of the HD is studied in this article. On this basis, the structural parameters of the wave generator are optimized to eliminate actual backlash and to improve the actual transmission accuracy. Finally, the effectiveness of the calculation method proposed in this article was proved by the prototype test.