USING RIGID-BODY MECHANISM TOPOLOGIES TO DESIGN SHAPE-CHANGING COMPLIANT MECHANISMS

This paper uses rigid-body mechanism topologies to synthe-size distributed compliant mechanisms that approximate a shape change defined by a set of morphing curves in different posi-tions. A single-actuator compliant mechanism is synthesized from a single degree-of-freedom rigid-body mechanism’s base topology in one of two ways. In one case, the base topology is di-rectly evaluated through dimensional synthesis to determine the compliant mechanism’s optimal dimensions. In the second, the base topology establishes an initial element network for an op-timization routine that determines topologies and dimensions si-multaneously, and an improved design domain parameterization scheme ensures that only topologies with well-connected struc-tures are evaluated. A multi-objective genetic algorithm is em-ployed to search the design space, and the deformation is eval-uated using geometrically nonlinear finite element analysis. The procedure’s utility is demonstrated with two practical examples- one approximating open-curve profiles of an adaptive antenna and the other closed-curve profiles of a morphing wing.