An Academic Lecture by Professor Chen Yan from Tianjin University

OnMay 2020, the chair professor, Dr. Chen Yan from School of Mechanical Engineering of Tianjin University, gave an academic lecture titled Deployable Structure and Robot Design Based on Spatial Structure.

Professor Chen Yan's lectureexplainedthe profound things in a simple way.It started from the deployable structure of the animals and plants in the nature and mentioned the mechanisms designed with various methods in thekinematics.The lecture mainly introduced thetriod symmetryBricard over-constrained space mechanism, a special form of Bricard mechanism. Professor Chen Yan's team designed this mechanism and made an analysis of itskinematicbehavior and used it as the basic unit for deployable structure design with 2D or 3D folding and deployment rate.In addition, the team used it as the main body of the deployable robot and realized the movement of the robot through the folding and deployment of the mechanism so as to cross the constrained environment through the folding.The lecture, with thekinematicsandtheapplication of the triod symmetry Bricard as an example, explained the systematic research method from the conceptual design to the structural design of the mechanism and then to the product design in different engineering fields.It not only exhibited the work product of the team, but also exhibited the application of the scientific research.

Chen Yan, a doctor of University of Oxford, standing deputy director of Key Lab of Mechanical Theory and Equipment Design under Ministry of Education, with the mechanical theory as the core, mainly focuses on thefundamentaltheory such as the design method of the deployable structure, establishment of over-constrained mechanism, analysis ofkinematiccharacteristics, mechanism model of folding structure and the design method of superstructure in the crossing fields of multi-disciples includingtheory of mechanisms,mechanicsandstructural engineeringas well as their engineering application in large-sizedastronauticdeployment structure, new-type light engineering structure and medical folding and deployment structure, and formed a relatively complete scientific research system of crossing integration of theory of mechanism and structure design.

The lecture was chaired by Professor Ding Huafeng, the dean of this School and the teachers and the postgraduates attended the lecture.