Large Deformation Analysis and Experiments With Double Parallelogram Compliant Mechanisms

Author(s):  
Abhijit A. Tanksale ◽  
Prasanna S. Gandhi

Compliant mechanisms are highly preferred in applications demanding motion with high precision. These mechanisms provide friction-less, backlash-free precise motion obtained through deformation of flexible members. The double parallelogram compliant mechanism (DPCM) is one the most important compliant mechanisms to obtain highly precise straight-line motion. DPCM when operated in horizontal plane yield high precision straight-line motion (even with large deformations) useful in several engineering applications. However, constraints such as space, dead loads, etc. may demand DPCMs to be used in the vertical plane. For DPCMs operating in a vertical plane, the axial load due to gravity causes tension and compression in flexible beams which get coupled to bending under large deformations. This ultimately affects the parasitic error of straight-line motion. This paper presents a coupled analysis, along with experimental validation, of DPCM operating in vertical plane considering gravity effects with large deformation.

Author(s):  
Kai Zhao ◽  
James P. Schmiedeler ◽  
Andrew P. Murray

This paper presents a procedure using Pseudo-Rigid-Body Models (PRBMs) to synthesize partially compliant mechanisms capable of approximating a shape change defined by a set of morphing curves in different positions. To generate a single-piece compliant mechanism, flexural pivots and flexible beams are both utilized in the mechanism. New topologies defined by compliant mechanism matrices are enumerated by modifying the components that make up a single degree-of-freedom (DOF) rigid-body mechanism. Because of the introduction of the PRBM for flexural pivots and the simplified PRBM for flexible beams, torsional springs are attached at the characteristic pivots of the 1-DOF rigid-body mechanism in order to generate a corresponding pseudo-rigid-body mechanism. A multi-objective genetic algorithm is employed to find a group of viable compliant mechanisms in the form of candidate pseudo-rigid-body mechanisms that tradeoff minimizing shape matching error with minimizing actuator energy. Since the simplified beam model is not accurate, an optimization loop is established to find the position and shape of the flexible beam using a finite link beam model. The optimal flexible beams together with the pseudo-rigid-body mechanism define the solution mechanism. The procedure is demonstrated with an example in which a partially compliant mechanism approximating two closed-curve profiles is synthesized.


Author(s):  
Jinyong Joo ◽  
Sridhar Kota ◽  
Noboru Kikuchi

Abstract This paper presents a non-linear formulation for size and shape optimization of compliant mechanisms using tapered beam elements. Designs based on linear and nonlinear formulations are compared using a stroke amplification mechanism example. Also, the scaling effect of the compliant mechanism is investigated.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 172988141988674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaqing Zhang ◽  
Wenjie Ge ◽  
Ziang Zhang ◽  
Xiaojuan Mo ◽  
Yonghong Zhang

The morphing wing with large deformation can benefit its flight performance a lot in different conditions. In this study, a variable camber morphing wing with compliant leading and trailing edges is designed by large-displacement compliant mechanisms. The compliant mechanisms are carried out by a hyperelastic structure topology optimization, based on a nonlinear meshless method. A laminated leading-edge skin is designed to fit the curvature changing phenomenon of the leading edge during deformation. A morphing wing demonstrator was manufactured to testify its deformation capability. Comparing to other variable camber morphing wings, the proposal can realize larger deflection of leading and trailing edges. The designed morphing wing shows great improvement in aerodynamic performance and enough strength to resist aerodynamic and structural loadings.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Xueao Liu ◽  
J. Michael McCarthy

Abstract This paper presents a design methodology for mechanisms consisting of a single continuous structure, continuum mechanisms, that blends the kinematic synthesis of rigid-body mechanisms with topology optimization for compliant mechanisms. Rather than start with a generic structure that is shaped to achieve a required force deflection task for a compliant mechanism, our approach shapes the initial structure based on kinematic synthesis of a rigid body mechanism for the required movement, then the structure is shaped using Finite Element Analysis to achieve the required force deflection relationship. The result of this approach is a continuum mechanism with the same workpiece movement as the rigid link mechanism when actuated. An example illustrates the design process to obtain an eight-bar linkage that guides its workpiece in straight-line rectilinear movement. We show that the resulting continuum mechanism provides the desired rectilinear movement. A 210 mm physical model machined from Nylon-6 is shown to achieve 21.5mm rectilinear movement with no perceived deviation from a straight-line.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Zhao ◽  
James P. Schmiedeler

For a path generation problem, this paper uses the base topology of a single degree-of-freedom (DOF) rigid-body mechanism solution to synthesize fully distributed compliant mechanisms that can trace the same path. Two different strategies are proposed to employ the base topology in the structural optimization so that its design space size can be intelligently reduced from an arbitrary complexity. In the first strategy, dimensional synthesis directly determines the optimal size and shape of the compliant mechanism solution while maintaining the exact base topology. In the second, the base topology establishes an initial mesh network to determine the optimal topology and dimensions simultaneously. To increase the possibility of converging to an optimal design, the objective metrics to evaluate the path generation ability are computed in a novel manner. A section-by-section analysis with a rigid-body transformation is implemented to examine the full path of each candidate mechanism. A two-objective genetic algorithm (GA) is employed to find a group of viable designs that tradeoff minimizing the average Euclidean distance between the desired and actual paths with minimizing the peak distance between corresponding points on those paths. Two synthesis examples generating straight-line and curved paths are presented to demonstrate the procedure's utility.


2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nilesh D. Mankame ◽  
G. K. Ananthasuresh

This paper introduces a novel contact-aided compliant mechanism that uses intermittent contacts to convert a single translatory reciprocating input into two output curves, which intersect to enclose a two dimensional region. Contact interactions endow contact-aided compliant mechanisms with enhanced kinematic and kinetostatic capabilities. The mechanism described in this paper is designed to undergo large deformations repeatedly, without yielding by avoiding flexural joints and by using contacts to obtain the desired deformation. A single-material, joint-free and planar design makes the mechanism easy and economical to fabricate at the macro or micro scales. The design is validated experimentally by manufacturing and testing macro scale prototypes. Two potential applications that motivated this mechanism are also noted.


1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 1369-1370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiaki Goto ◽  
Toshihiro Kasugai ◽  
Makoto Obata

2010 ◽  
Vol 07 (03) ◽  
pp. 513-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. LIU ◽  
H. WANG ◽  
H. ZHANG

The smoothed finite element method (SFEM) was developed in order to eliminate certain shortcomings of the finite element method (FEM). SFEM enjoys some of the flexibilities of meshfree methods. One advantage of SFEM is its applicability to modeling large deformations. Due to the absence of volume integration and parametric mapping, issues such as negative volumes and singular Jacobi matrix do not occur. However, despite these advantages, SFEM has never been applied to problems with extreme large deformation. For the first time, we apply SFEM to extreme large deformations. For two numerical problems, we demonstrate the advantages of SFEM over FEM. We also show that SFEM can compete with the flexibility of meshfree methods.


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