A 3D Pseudo-Rigid-Body Model for Large Spatial Deflections of Rectangular Cantilever Beams
The design of compliant mechanisms has been aided by the development of pseudo-rigid-body models to predict the motion of flexible members undergoing large displacements. Many of these models are based on the fact that the end of a cantilever beam follows a near-circular path when planar loads are applied. This paper shows that the application of 3-dimensional end-loading causes a beam to follow a near-spherical path, even for beams with non-circular cross-sections. A 3D pseudo-rigid-body model is presented that allows the motion of an end-loaded rectangular beam to be predicted using a rigid link and a spherical joint. Two sets of deflection limits for 0.5% error are presented and shown to be dependent upon the aspect ratio of the cross-section of the beam. The model has the potential for aiding in the design of spatial compliant mechanisms and analysis of planar compliant mechanisms undergoing large out-of-plane motions.