Using Constraint Matrices for the Conceptual Design of Mechanisms

A qualitative constraint approach was used in the kinetic analysis of conceptual design stage of mechanisms to study the dynamic performance of conceptual design. Qualitative constraint matrices were first given to describe the spatial configuration of mechanical parts. Reasoning tree with fuzzy information was presented to determine the configuration matrices and output. Using the matrix-transferring method, every functional component in the mechanical chain was defined by the vibration relationship matrices. The dynamic performance of conceptual design was given with particular parameters. The results show that the qualitative method in these stages is flexible and effective with incomplete information.