A flexible-link model for compliant member synthesis

Abstract

A new approach for the synthesis of a compliant link experiencing nonlinear deformations is herein introduced. The model is being proposed as an alternative to the pseudo-rigid-body model widely used in compliant mechanisms synthesis. The proposed approach is based on the exact elliptic integral equations that govern beam deformations. The model entails the determination of a few parameters in an optimum sense that would move the endpoint of the beam through several desired positions with minimal error. A tabu-gradient optimization algorithm is employed to search the design space for an optimum solution that minimizes the square of the error between the desired and the generated endpoint positions while satisfying a set of relevant constraints. Attributes of the model are highlighted by way of several examples. A brief outline on how the proposed model is used as the basis for compliant mechanism synthesis is presented and demonstrated by way of two examples. Copyright © 2006 by ASME.