Finite Element based Compression and Volumetric Load Analysis for Grasped Objects

Grasp evaluation criteria are not only restricted to the planning stage but also while the grasp is performed and are included as optimization parameters to select a suitable grasp. For fragile objects, a strength analysis is needed to determine damages of the object through an end effector. To evaluate this criterion, the emerging residual stresses for various grasping positions must be calculated. In this work we present a Finite Element based mechanical load analysis for a set of grasping positions. Because the grasping positions have a high spatial distribution the setup is dynamic and adaptable to various input parameters. Therefore, boundary conditions are automatically set through auxiliary objects to determine the consequences of clamping forces and volumetric loads on the grasped object. Through the inclusion of all possible mechanical loads we are able to perform a fully comprehensive strength analysis. Our evaluation for a reference object showed comparable displacements (<0.1%) to a manually specified strength analysis in Ansys Structural while significantly reducing the time to set up the strength analysis.