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21st Century Kinematics pp 189–216Cite as

Compliant Mechanisms

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Abstract

Compliant mechanisms exploit bending of flexible members to achieve their motion. Advantages of compliant mechanisms include high precision motion, low weight, low friction, and compactness, to name a few. Challenges of compliant mechanisms include limited rotation, dependence on material properties, nonlinear motion, and challenging design. Compliant mechanism design methods include finite element analysis, topology optimization, and pseudo-rigid-body model methods. There are many areas of active research in compliant mechanisms, and three examples are described in this chapter: compliant microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), biomedical compliant mechanisms, and lamina emergent mechanisms.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This section is based on “Compliant Mechanisms” by L.L. Howell in Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology, Editor: B. Bhusham, © Springer, 2012, used with permission.

  2. 2.

    This section is based on Compliant Mechanisms, by L.L. Howell in Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology, Editor: B. Bhusham, Springer, 2012, used with permission.

  3. 3.

    This section is based on “Spinal Implant Development, Modeling, and Testing to Achieve Customizable and Nonlinear Stiffness” by E. Dodgen, E. Stratton, A.E. Bowden, L.L. Howell, in Journal of Medical Devices, vol. 6, doi:10.1115/1.4006543, 2012. Used with kind permission © ASME.

  4. 4.

    This section is based on “Lamina Emergent Mechanisms and Their Basic Elements,” by J.O. Jacobsen, B.G. Winder, L.L. Howell, and S.P. Magleby, Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics, vol. 2, No. 1, 011003-1 to 011003-9, 2010. Used with kind permission © ASME.

  5. 5.

    This section is based on “Identifying Potential Applications for Lamina Emergent Mechanisms Using Technology Push Product Development,” by N.B. Albrechtsen, S.P. Magleby, and L.L. Howell, in Proceedings of the ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences, Montreal, Quebec, Aug. 15–18, 2010, DETC2010-28531, used with permission. Used with kind permission © ASME.

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Acknowledgements

This chapter is based on work done in collaboration with many other people, and the contributions of the co-authors on those works are gratefully acknowledged. This includes Spencer Magleby, Anton Bowden, Nathan Albrechtsen, Eric Dodgen, Eric Stratton, Joseph Jacobsen, and Brian Winder. The assistance of Danielle Peterson, Kevin Francis, Holly Greenberg and Larrin Wada are also appreciated. The author gratefully acknowledges support from Crocker Ventures, the Utah Technology Commercialization and Innovation Program, and the National Science Foundation through grant CMMI-0800606.

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  1. Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA

    Larry L. Howell

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  1. Larry L. Howell
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Correspondence to Larry L. Howell .

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  1. Dept. of Mech. & Aerospace Engineering, Robotics and Automation Laboratory, University of California, Engineering Gateway S4218, Irvine, 92697-3975, USA

    J. Michael McCarthy

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Howell, L.L. (2013). Compliant Mechanisms. In: McCarthy, J. (eds) 21st Century Kinematics. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4510-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4510-3_7

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