Structural design and simulation analysis of mining mechanical gripper

Abstract In the process of coal mining, a significant amount of mining solid waste, coal gangue, is generated and needs to be sorted and screened. For the task of coal gangue sorting, this paper proposes a three-fixed-point mechanical gripper mechanism based on five-point gripping, aimed at improving sorting efficiency and gripping stability. First, the model of the five-finger mechanical gripper mechanism is established, and the simulation results demonstrate that the mechanical gripper can complete the gripping action according to the predetermined scheme. Second, kinematic simulation is conducted for the mechanical gripper. The proposed dual-range of horizontal displacement at the end of a single gripper is 0–125 mm, which meets the size requirements for gripping gangue. The end speed range is 0–1.2 m s−1, and the angular velocity range is 0–2.2 rad s−1. The position, velocity, and angular velocity curves are continuous with no abrupt changes. Additionally, the movement involves minimal fluctuations during acceleration. Finally, an ABAQUS finite element analysis is performed, and the mechanical gripper is optimized. Under extreme load conditions, the maximum stress at the gripper is 2.39 MPa, and the elastic deformation under maximum principal stress is 4.1 × 10−7 mm. Simulation results confirm that the structural design of the mechanical gripper is reasonable, with smooth relative motion between components and no impact. This mechanical structure and dimension design scheme satisfy the application requirements and are both rational and feasible.