A novel technique for position analysis of planar compliant mechanisms

An iterative technique to perform the non-linear position analysis of planar compliant mechanisms is presented. The technique makes it possible to find the position and orientation (pose) of each link of a mechanism whose input link deflection is assigned. Unlike most papers, it does not rely on the finite-element method. Its innovative part is in the fact that large deflections are considered, and the position analysis is solved without resorting to the linear approximation of small deflections. The technique is highly suitable for rigid-link mechanisms with compliant kinematic pairs: mathematical models for such pairs are used, and a modular approach for the study of compliant mechanisms is obtained. This modular approach reduces the time needed for the mechanism modelling, as different compliant pairs can be quickly embedded into any mechanism. Furthermore, using dedicated models for such pairs highly increases the computational efficiency. In the last part of the paper, the technique is applied to a four-bar mechanism.