Pareto optimal synthesis of four-bar mechanisms for path generation

In this paper, hybrid multi-objective genetic algorithms (GAs) are used for Pareto optimum synthesis of four-bar linkages considering the minimization of two objective functions simultaneously. The important conflicting objective functions that have been considered in this work are tracking error (TE) and transmission angle’s deviation from 90° (TA). The obtained Pareto fronts demonstrate that trade-offs between these two objectives can be recognized so that a designer can optimally compromise for the selection of a desired four-bar linkage. Moreover, the obtained optimum points are also compared with those given in the literature in terms of both tracking error (TE) and transmission angle error (TA).