Numerical Modeling and Simulation of Cycloidal Speed Reducer for Contact Forces in Robotic Joints

The speed reducer is a mechanism where the speed of input to output shaft is reduced by a certain ratio. The cycloidal speed reducer is commonly used in RV-3SB series robotic joints. The paper focuses on designing a cycloidal speed reducer for 89: 1 in a single stage with torque amplification. The challenge lies in designing cycloidal speed reducer without exceeding the contact stress limit of rollers and disc. The scope of this paper is restrcited to numerical analysis and simulation only; material selection is beyond the scope of work. Dynamic analysis of cycloidal speed reducer is carried out to evaluate contact forces between the disc and rollers. These contact forces obtained through simulation are validated with the analytical values. The simulation results are found to be agreeing with the analytical results.