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Representation of assemblies for automatic tolerance chain generation

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Abstract

A scheme of representing assemblies and an algorithm for the tolerance chain generation are developed so that tolerance chains of assemblies can be generated automatically to accommodate tolerance analysis at the assembly level. In the hierarchical data structure representing an assembly the connectivity information is carried by the instances of components and subassemblies, and the mating relations between each pair of mating entities are described by mating links, mating paths, mating conditions, and mating features. Mating graphs are derived from the mating links before they are searched for the generation of tolerance chains. The scheme has been implemented in a prototype interactive package that allows the user to model assemblies directly without detailed object modeling. Several examples of various complexity have been tested with success.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, 18015, Bethlehem, PA, USA

    Nanxin Wang & Tulga M. Ozsoy

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  1. Nanxin Wang
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  2. Tulga M. Ozsoy
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Wang, N., Ozsoy, T.M. Representation of assemblies for automatic tolerance chain generation. Engineering with Computers 6, 121–126 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01200244

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