TOWARDS THE DESIGN OF KRESLING TOWER ORIGAMI AS A COMPLIANT BUILDING BLOCK

In this paper, the use of the Kresling tower origami as a building block for compliant mechanism design is considered. Design tools to help building systems using this origami are introduced. First, a model which can describe the tower kinematics during its deployment is introduced. This model is exploited to link the origami pattern geometry to the main Kresling tower characteristics which include the position of stable configurations, the helical motion and the configuration of panels during the tower deployment. Second, a local modification of fold geometry is introduced to adjust the tower stiffness. This aims at modifying the actuation force without affecting the kinematics and consists in the removal of material on the fold line where constraints are concentrated during the folding. Experimental evaluation is conducted to verify the relevance of the proposed models and the impact of fold line modification. As a result, the design relationships derived from the model are precise enough for the synthesis, with a global relative mean error around 0.8% for the prediction of the helical motion, and 3.1% for the assessment of stable configurations. The capacity to significantly modify the actuation force thanks to the fold line modification is also observed with a reduction of about 73% of the maximal force to switch between two stable configurations.

Towards a Synthesis Method of Kresling Tower Used as a Compliant Building Block

In this paper, the use of the Kresling tower origami as a building block for compliant mechanism design is considered. Two contributions are introduced to develop a synthesis method of such a building block. First, models to link the origami pattern geometry to the Kresling tower kinematics are derived. The position of stable configurations, the lead angle of its helical motion are expressed as functions of the pattern parameters. Experimental validation of the models is performed. Second, a modification of pattern by local adjustment of fold geometry is introduced. This aims at modifying the origami stiffness without affecting the kinematics. The use of modified fold geometries is experimentally investigated. The capacity to strongly modify the stiffness level is observed, which is encouraging to go towards a synthesis method with decoupling of kinematics and stiffness selection.

Smooth Design of 3D Self-Supporting Topologies Using Additive Manufacturing Filter and SEMDOT

The smooth design of self-supporting topologies has attracted great attention in the design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) field as it cannot only enhance the manufacturability of optimized designs but can obtain light-weight designs that satisfy specific performance requirements. This paper integrates Langelaar’s AM filter into the Smooth-Edged Material Distribution for Optimizing Topology (SEMDOT) algorithm—a new element-based topology optimization method capable of forming smooth boundaries—to obtain print-ready designs without introducing post-processing methods for smoothing boundaries before fabrication and adding extra support structures during fabrication. The effects of different build orientations and critical overhang angles on self-supporting topologies are demonstrated by solving several compliance minimization (stiffness maximization) problems. In addition, a typical compliant mechanism design problem—the force inverter design—is solved to further demonstrate the effectiveness of the combination between SEMDOT and Langelaar’s AM filter.

Shape Optimization Framework for the Path of the Primary Compliance Vector in Compliant Mechanisms

The primary compliance vector (PCV) captures the dominant kinematic behavior of a compliant mechanism. Its trajectory describes large deformation mechanism behavior and can be integrated in an optimization objective in detailed compliant mechanism design. This paper presents a general framework for the optimization of the PCV path, the mechanism trajectory of lowest energy, using a unified stiffness characterization and piecewise curve representation. We present a meaningful objective formulation for the PCV path that evaluates path shape, location, orientation, and length independently and apply the framework to two design examples. The framework is useful for design of planar and shell compliant mechanisms that traverse a specified mechanism trajectory and that are insensitive to load perturbations.

Overview and Kinetostatic Characterization of Compliant Shell Mechanism Building Blocks

Compliant shell mechanisms utilize thin-walled structures to achieve motion and force generation. Shell mechanisms, because of their thin-walled nature and spatial geometry, are building blocks for spatial mechanism applications. In spatial compliant mechanism design, the ratio of compliance is the representation of the kinetostatics involved. Using shell mechanisms in concept design, however, can prove difficult without a uniform characterization method. In this article, we make use of compliance ellipsoids to achieve characterization of the ratio of compliance for shell mechanisms. Ten promising shells are presented with the kinetostatic characteristics, combined with a uniform method of determining the kinetostatic characteristics for other unknown shells. Finally, we show how shells are indeed a valid alternative in the spatial mechanism design, compared to conventional flexure mechanisms.

Shape Optimization Framework for the Path of the Primary Compliance Vector in Compliant Mechanisms

The primary compliance vector captures the predominant kinematic degree of freedom of a mechanism. Its displacement describes large deformation mechanism behavior and can be an optimization objective in detailed compliant mechanism design. This paper presents a general framework for the optimization of the PCV path of compliant mechanisms using unified stiffness characterization, Fourier descriptors, and surrogate-based optimization. We found a meaningful objective formulation that evaluates PCV path shape independently. Furthermore, we reason that design variables should effect mechanism shape. Lastly, we apply the framework to a design example.