Currently used nonprehensile manipulation systems that are based on vibrational techniques employ temporal (vibrational) asymmetry, spatial asymmetry, or force asymmetry to provide and control a directional motion of a body. This paper presents a novel method of nonprehensile manipulation of miniature and microminiature bodies on a harmonically oscillating platform by creating a frictional asymmetry through dynamic dry friction control. To theoretically verify the feasibility of the method and to determine the control parameters that define the motion characteristics, a mathematical model was developed, and modeling was carried out. Experimental setups for miniature and microminiature bodies were developed for nonprehensile manipulation by dry friction control, and manipulation experiments were carried out to experimentally verify the feasibility of the proposed method and theoretical findings. By revealing how characteristic control parameters influence the direction and velocity, the modeling results theoretically verified the feasibility of the proposed method. The experimental investigation verified that the proposed method is technically feasible and can be applied in practice, as well as confirmed the theoretical findings that the velocity and direction of the body can be controlled by changing the parameters of the function for dynamic dry friction control. The presented research enriches the classical theories of manipulation methods on vibrating plates and platforms, as well as the presented results, are relevant for industries dealing with feeding, assembling, or manipulation of miniature and microminiature bodies.

Currently used planar manipulation methods that utilize oscillating surfaces are usually based on asymmetries of time, kinematic, wave, or power types. This paper proposes a method for omnidirectional manipulation of microparticles on a platform subjected to circular motion, where the motion of the particle is achieved and controlled through the asymmetry created by dynamic friction control. The range of angles at which microparticles can be directed, and the average velocity were considered figures of merit. To determine the intrinsic parameters of the system that define the direction and velocity of the particles, a nondimensional mathematical model of the proposed method was developed, and modeling of the manipulation process was carried out. The modeling has shown that it is possible to direct the particle omnidirectionally at any angle over the full 2π range by changing the phase shift between the function governing the circular motion and the dry friction control function. The shape of the trajectory and the average velocity of the particle depend mainly on the width of the dry friction control function. An experimental investigation of omnidirectional manipulation was carried out by implementing the method of dynamic dry friction control. The experiments verified that the asymmetry created by dynamic dry friction control is technically feasible and can be applied for the omnidirectional manipulation of microparticles. The experimental results were consistent with the modeling results and qualitatively confirmed the influence of the control parameters on the motion characteristics predicted by the modeling. The study enriches the classical theories of particle motion on oscillating rigid plates, and it is relevant for the industries that implement various tasks related to assembling, handling, feeding, transporting, or manipulating microparticles.

This paper presents a novel method for nonprehensile manipulation of parts on a circularly oscillating platform when the effective coefficient of dry friction between the part and the platform is being dynamically controlled. Theoretical and experimental analyses have been performed to validate the proposed method and to determine the control parameters that define the characteristics of the part’s motion. A mathematical model of the manipulation process with dynamic dry friction control was developed and solved. The modeling showed that by changing the phase shift between the function for dynamic dry friction control and the function defining the circular motion of the platform, the part can be moved in any direction as the angle of displacement can be controlled in a full range from 0 to 2π. The nature of the trajectory and the mean displacement velocity of the part mainly depend on the width of the rectangular function for dynamic dry friction control. To verify the theoretical findings, an experimental setup was developed, and experiments of manipulation were carried out. The experimental results qualitatively confirmed the theoretical findings. The presented analysis enriches the classical theories of nonprehensile manipulation on oscillating platforms, and the presented findings are relevant for mechatronics, robotics, mechanics, electronics, medical, and other industries.

Positioning applications are very important in a variety of industrial processes, including automatic assembly. This paper proposes a technique for positioning applications that involves employing a platform subjected to planar oscillations along circular, elliptical, and complex trajectories. Dynamic and mathematical models of the motion of a part on the platform were developed to investigate the motion characteristics of the part. The research showed that when the platform was excited in two perpendicular directions by sinusoidal waves, different trajectories of the part’s motion could be obtained by controlling excitation parameters such as the frequencies and amplitudes of the waves and the phase shift between the waves. Furthermore, by adjusting these parameters, the average displacement velocity of the part could be controlled. The results demonstrate that the part can be moved in any direction at a given velocity and can be subjected to complex dense positioning trajectories. Therefore, such a platform can be applied in feeding, positioning, and manipulation tasks.

This article presents the results of numerical investigation of the influence of the streamlined body temperature on drag force and on the falling velocity in a water channel. The experimental data reflecting the cooling dynamics and body temperature influence on the falling velocity are presented as well. k − ε turbulence model and homogenous heat transfer model were chosen for the numerical 3D simulation. Drag force changes induced by the alteration of the body temperature were investigated. Velocity of the streamlined body under different temperatures of water was investigated experimentally, and the results were compared to the data obtained during the numerical simulation. The increase of the falling velocity and decrease of drag force were found to have been affected by the increase of the body temperature, which had influence on the change of the water parameters (density, phase, etc.) near the surface of the body. Simulation showed that the drag force and a velocity also depended on the water temperature. The drag force of the streamlined body decreased by 32% in comparison to the cold body for the body temperature equal to 150 °C and water temperature close to the saturation temperature (98 °C). Experimentally, it was determined that the velocity of the streamlined body covered by vapor film depended on the falling time and increased by 10–30%. Velocity difference was very small for the cold and hot bodies at the initial moment of the drop; however, it reached 20% and more after 0.3 s of the falling process.

A transportation system requires an asymmetry to achieve objects’ motion on an oscillating surface. Transportation methods based on vibrational techniques usually employ different types of asymmetries, such as temporal (time) asymmetry, kinematic asymmetry, wave asymmetry or power asymmetry. However, transporting an object on an inclined angle requires a relatively high net frictional force over each period of vibrational cycles due to the gravitational potential energy exerted on the object. This paper investigates the transportation of an object upward on an inclined plane that harmonically oscillates in its longitudinal direction. The novelty of this research is attributed to the upward motion of the object on the inclined plane, which is achieved by creating an additional asymmetry of the system through dry friction dynamic manipulations. For this reason, periodic dynamic dry friction manipulations have been employed to create the asymmetry of frictional conditions, resulting in a net frictional force that outweighs the gravitational force. A mathematical model has been developed using the Lagrange method, which describes the moving object’s motion. Moreover, the theoretical findings and results confirmed that the object’s velocity and direction can be controlled by dynamic dry friction manipulations. To demonstrate the technical feasibility of the proposed method, an experimental investigation was carried out where the results demonstrated that the control parameters significantly influence the characteristics of the directional motion of the moving object. This transportation method is beneficial for various modern industries engaged in transportation and manipulation tasks with objects spanning a broad range of sizes, including those operating at small scales for applications in lab-on-a-chip technology, micro-assembly lines, micro-feeder systems and other delicate component manipulation systems. The presented research advances the classical theories of vibrational transportation on inclined surfaces.