Optimum Design of Flexible Mechanisms

Abstract

In this paper the optimality criterion technique transplanted by Khan and his coworkers into mechanism design and the kinematical refinement technique proposed by the authors are combined into a novel procedure of optimum design of flexible mechanisms. Cross-sectional parameters are taken as the first group of design variables; a fully-stressed mechanism is obtained by using previous researchers’ recursion formulas which contain some improvements introduced by the authors. Geometrical parameters are used as the second group of design variables; a mechanism with improved criterion of kinematic performance is obtained by means of the kinematic refinement technique. The method presented is effective and steady. An example problem in the design of a four-bar path-generating mechanism is given to illustrate the procedure.