Compliant mechanism

OM KACHWAYA(052), ANKUSH SUNAMI (053), ARUNESH GUPTA(054),

PALASH KAUSHIK(057), RISHABH KAKKAR(070)
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL AND AUTOMATION ENGINEERING, G.B. PANT. ENGG. COLLEGE


Abstract
The most widely used method of transferring input force or displacement from one body to another is
through links between rigid members but this method has certain disadvantages which can be overcome
by using compliant mechanism. Compliant mechanisms for engineering applications can be very
effective.
The advantages of compliant systems over conventional hinges and bearings are
numerous. There is absolutely no back lash or end play in these structures. There is no friction and no
hysteresis. On top of all this, compliant systems are inexpensive and can have almost infinite life
expectancy without ever needing lubrication.
On the other hand it also has some limitation associated with it, these mechanisms should be accordant,
i.e they should bend or yield without failing, rupturing or permanently upsetting. All movement should
remain within the elastic realm.

















Introduction:
A mechanism is a mechanical device used to transfer or transform motion, force, or energy.
Traditional rigid-body mechanisms consist of rigid links connected at movable joints. The
portion of a reciprocating engine shown in Figure 1a is an example. The linear input is
transformed to an output rotation, and the input force is transformed to an output torque. As
another example, consider the vice grips shown in Figure 1.b. This mechanism transfers energy
from the input to the output. Since energy is conserved between the input and output (neglecting
friction losses), the output force may be much larger than the input force, but the output
displacement is much smaller than the input displacement. Structures may also consist of rigid
links connected at joints, but relative motion is not allowed between the links. Since a structure
does not have mobility, it does not perform work.

Figure 1





A compliant mechanism also transfers or transforms motion, force, or energy. Unlike rigid-link
mechanisms, however, compliant mechanisms gain at least some of their mobility from the
deflection of flexible members rather than from movable joints only. An example of a compliant
crimping mechanism is shown in Figure 2a. The input force is transferred to the output port,
much like the vice grips mechanism, only now some energy is stored in the form of strain energy
in the flexible members. Note that if the entire device were rigid, it would have no mobility and
it would be a structure. Figure 2b shows a device that is used to focus a lens, and it also requires
compliant members to perform its function.








Advantages of Compliant Mechanisms



There are a number of reasons why a compliant mechanism may be considered for use in a
particular application.

1. Advantage of compliant mechanisms is the potential for a dramatic reduction in the total
number of parts required to accomplish a specified task.
Some mechanisms may be manufactured from an injection-moldable material and
constructed of one piece. For example, the fully compliant crimping mechanism shown
in the figure below, along with its pseudo-rigid-body model. The number of components
required for the compliant mechanism are considerably less than for the rigid mechanism.
The reduction in part count may simplify manufacturing and reduce manufacturing and
assembly time and cost.



2. Compliant mechanisms also have a smaller number of movable joints, such as pin
(turning) and sliding joints. This results in reduced wear and need for lubrication. These
are valuable characteristics for applications where the mechanism is not easily accessible,
or for operation in harsh environments that may adversely affect joints. The reduction of
the number of joints can also increase mechanism precision since backlash may be
reduced or eliminated. Vibration and noise caused by the turning and sliding joints of
rigid-body mechanisms may also be reduced in some applications by using compliant
mechanisms.

3. Since compliant mechanisms rely on the deflection of flexible members, energy is stored
in the form of strain energy in the flexible members. This stored energy is similar to the
potential energy in a deflected spring, and the effects of springs may be integrated into a
compliant mechanisms design. This can be used to easily store and/or transform energy to
be released at a later time or in a different manner. A bow and arrow system is a simple
example of this. Energy is stored in the limbs as the archer draws the bow. This potential
energy is then transformed to kinetic energy of the arrow. These energy storage
characteristics may also be used to design for specific force-deflection properties, or to
cause a mechanism to tend to particular positions.



4. There is a significant reduction in weight by using a compliant mechanism over their
rigid-body counterparts. This may be a significant factor in aerospace and other
applications.

5. An advantage of compliant mechanisms is the ease in which they are miniaturized .
Simple micro structures, actuators, and sensors are seeing wide usage, and many other
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) show great promise. The reduction in the total
number of parts and joints offered by compliant mechanisms is a significant advantage in
the fabrication of micro mechanisms. Compliant micro mechanisms may be fabricated
using technology and materials similar to those used in the fabrication of integrated
circuits.








Challenges of Compliant Mechanisms


Just as there are a number of advantages associated with compliant mechanisms, there are also
several challenges and disadvantages for some applications.


1. The largest challenge is the relative difficulty in analyzing and designing compliant
mechanisms. Knowledge of mechanism analysis methods and the deflection of flexible
members is required. The combination of the two bodies of knowledge in compliant
mechanisms requires not only an understanding of both, but also an understanding of the
interactions of the two in a complex system. Since many of the flexible members undergo
large deflections, linearized beam equations are no longer valid. Nonlinear equations
must be used that account for the geometric nonlinearities caused by large deflections.
Because of these difficulties, many compliant mechanisms in the past were designed by
trial and error approaches. Such methods are only applicable for very simple systems that
perform relatively simple tasks, and are often not cost efficient for many potential
applications.


2. Energy stored in flexible elements was discussed as an advantage since it can be used to
simplify mechanisms that incorporate springs, to obtain specified force-deflection
relationships, and to store energy that is transferred or transformed by the mechanism.
However, in some applications having energy stored in flexible members is a
disadvantage. For example, if a mechanism's function is to transfer energy from the input
to an output, not all of the energy is transferred since some is stored in the mechanism.

3. Fatigue analysis is typically a more vital issue for compliant mechanisms than for their
rigid-body counterparts. Since compliant members are often loaded cyclically when a
compliant mechanism is used, it is important to design those members such that they will
have sufficient fatigue life to perform their prescribed functions.


4. The motion from the deflection of compliant links are also limited by the strength of the
deflecting members. Obviously a compliant link cannot produce a continuous rotational
motion such as that possible with a pin joint.





Pseudo-rigid-body Models

The pseudo-rigid-body model is used to simplify the analysis and design of compliant
mechanisms. It is used to unify compliant mechanism and rigid-body mechanism theory by
providing a method of modeling the nonlinear deflection of flexible beams.
This method of modeling allows well-known rigid-body analysis methods to be used in the
analysis of compliant mechanisms. Since the lengths of the flexural members are small relative
to the lengths of the rigid segments, the flexural pivots are modeled as kinematic joints at the
center of the flexible segment. Torsional springs are used to represent the member stiffness. The
accuracy of this method decreases as the relative length of the flexural member increases, and a
different approach is required for compliant mechanisms containing longer flexural pivots.
Below are a group of simple flexible members, described by pseudo-rigid-body models.

Figure 4


The model consists of two rigid links, connected by a "characteristic pivot" to represent the
displacement, and a torsional spring to model the beam stiffness or resistance to the applied
force. This model predicts the deflection path of the beam end for a given end load, to within
0.5% of the closed-form elliptic integral solutions for quite large deflections. The location of the
characteristic pivot is expressed in terms of the "characteristic radius factor", gamma, which
represents the fraction of the beam length at which the pivot is located. Once gamma is
determined, the deflection path may be parameterized in terms of theta, the "pseudo-rigid-body
angle."

Figure 5


Pseudo-rigid-body models for individual flexible segments offer a simplified method of
determining the deflections of large-deflection members. The availability of such a method for
individual segments suggests its use to model more complex systems which include flexible
segments. This pseudo-rigid-body model concept proves to be very useful in simplifying the
analysis and synthesis of compliant mechanisms. Its advantage lies in its ability to develop a
pseudo-rigid-body model of a compliant mechanism, and then use the knowledge available in the
field of rigid-body mechanism analysis and design. In this way, the pseudo-rigid-body model
concept acts to unify compliant and rigid-body mechanism theories.

Figure 6

In analysis, the kinematic motion, input requirements, and component stresses may be
determined quickly and efficiently by means of the pseudo-rigid-body model. The greatest
benefit of the pseudo-rigid-body model concept is realized in compliant mechanism design. It
also allows the design of systems to perform more complex tasks than would otherwise be
possible. If a designer relies solely on prototyping or full numerical analysis, an initial design
must be obtained before it can be modeled or built. The pseudo-rigid-body model, on the other
hand, may be used to obtain a preliminary design which may then be optimized. Once a design is
obtained such that it meets the specified design objectives, it may be further refined using
methods such as nonlinear finite element analysis, and it may then be prototyped and tested. The
development of design methods using the pseudo-rigid-body model is a priority of this project