A design approach to fully compliant multistable mechanisms employing a single bistable mechanism

• Yanjie Gou ^[1] ; Guimin Chen ^[1] ; Larry L. Howellb ^[2]
  1. [1] Xidian University

     Xidian University

     China

     
  2. [2] Brigham Young University

     Brigham Young University

     Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Mechanics based design of structures and machines, ISSN 1539-7734, Vol. 49, Nº. 7, 2021, págs. 986-1009
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • A fully compliant multistable mechanism is a monolithic structure that is capable of staying at multiple positions without power input, and has many applications including switches, valves, positioners. However, it is difficult to design such a mechanism because of the complexities of the multistable behavior, the practical stress limits and the buckling constraints.

    This paper discusses the design approach for fully compliant multistable mechanisms which employs a single bistable mechanism and several endeffectors connected in series. The force-displacement characteristics of the end-effectors are derived using the pseudo-rigid-body model. The design approach to the fully compliant multistable mechanism is provided to determine the design parameters for the flexible segments considering the critical buckling load and the bending strength. Two design examples are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.