Design of Compliant Mechanisms by Topology Optimization for Strain Actuators and Engineering Support.

Compliant mechanisms are the focus of active research because of the flexibility, stability and unitized construction. It is a single elastic continuum used to transfer the force and motion mechanically by elastic deformation without any links and joints. Authors proposed a topology optimization method for designing a compliant amplifier and the steps for conducting the numerical experiments for any shape of design domains with different types of constraint. The paper narrates the design of the compliant amplifier mechanism from the basic geometrical shapes using topology optimization which can be used for amplifying the output displacement of the strain actuators. Numerical experiments are carried out for different basic configurations to design the compliant amplifier. The compliant amplifier is used for amplifying the displacement and stroke performance of the strain actuators when integrated with piezo actuators. The objective is to maximize the geometric advantage of the compliant amplifier. The maximization of the geometric advantage is accomplished by efficient design of compliant mechanisms using the topology optimization approach. The analysis results help to select the best compliant amplifier design from the basic configurations. The outcome of this work will be useful for all types of strain actuators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]