Design and Analysis of a Delta-type Rocket Recovery Mechanism Based on an Annular Cushioning Moving Platform

doi:10.3901/JME.2025.21.168

Abstract

Abstract: To address the practical requirements for the recovery of heavy-lift launch vehicles, a Delta-type rocket recovery mechanism based on an annular cushioning moving platform is proposed. Utilizing the spatially symmetric three-dimensional motion characteristics of the Delta mechanism to achieve two-dimensional capturing motion in the horizontal plane and vertical lowering motion of the rocket. A single-degree-of-freedom annular moving platform is designed to enable energy absorption and cushioning during the instant of rocket capture. A novel kinematic pair embedded with a passive locking mechanism is introduced, allowing instantaneous switching between dynamic and static states of the drive, thereby blocking the transmission of impact loads to the actuator. The relationship between the driving workspace and structural dimensions of the proposed Delta-type rocket recovery mechanism, under the condition of meeting the capture workspace requirements, is investigated. The capture range and local stiffness performance of the mechanism are evaluated. An evaluation metric for the influence of the weight of the parallelogram linkage mechanism on the driving parameters is established. The driving characteristics of the Delta-type mechanism suitable for the recovery of hundred-ton-class rockets and the performance indicators of the cushioning mechanism for the annular moving platform are analyzed. The high-load, high-speed capture dynamic performance indicators, the design and metrics of the annular cushioning energy-absorbing moving platform, and the instantaneous switching mechanism of the kinematic pair constructed can provide technical support and reference for the future development of rocket recovery equipment based on parallel mechanisms or multi-link mechanisms.

Key words: reusable rocket, parallel mechanism, rocket recovery mechanism, cushioning mechanism, dynamics simulation

CLC Number:

TG156

XU Donglai, GUO Sheng, XU Xuelei, JIN Xiaodong, ZHAO Fuqun, SUN Zhenlian, YANG Weijie. Design and Analysis of a Delta-type Rocket Recovery Mechanism Based on an Annular Cushioning Moving Platform[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2025, 61(21): 168-178.

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