Research on constant force grinding control of aero-engine blades based on extended state observer

Purpose Considering the influence of environmental noise and modeling error during the process of the robotic automatic grinding aero-engine blade, this study aims to propose a method based on the extended state observer (ESO) to reduce the fluctuation of normal grinding force. Design/methodology/approach First, the measurement range of the six-dimensional force sensor is calibrated according to the maximum acceleration of end-effector and grinding force. Second, the gravity and zero drift compensation model is built to compensate for measurement error. Finally, the switching function is designed based on the difference between the expected grinding force and the actual feedback value. When the value of function stays within the switching band, a nonlinear active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) loop is applied. When the function value reaches outside the switching band, an ESO-based sliding mode control (SMC) loop is applied. Findings The simulated and experimental results show that the proposed control method has higher robustness compared with proportion-integral-derivative (PID), Fuzzy PID and ADRC. Research limitations/implications The processing parameters of this paper are obtained based on the single-factor experiment without considering the correlation between these variables. A new control strategy is proposed, which is not only used to control the grinding force of blades but also promotes the development of industrial control. Originality/value ESO is used to observe environmental interference and modeling errors of the system for real-time compensation. The segment control method consisting of ESO-based SMC and ESO-based ADRC is designed to improve the robustness. The common application of the two parts realizes suppression of fluctuation of grinding force.