Load-Transmitter Constraint sets: Part II - A building block based methodology for the synthesis of compliant mechanisms

Designers have always conceptualized of load flow as a part of their initial design process for mechanisms and structures. However, the lack of mathematical representation of load flow makes it inappropriate to be included in systematic design processes. Load Transmitter Constraint (LTC) sets provide a mathematical framework for visualizing load paths in compliant mechanisms. In this paper we propose a systematic design methodology for compliant mechanisms by systematic combination of LTC sets. This enables the designer to conceptualize load flow and choose relevant LTC sets to enforce it. Apart from being intuitive this process gives an understanding of the importance of each member in the mechanism. Furthermore this theory enables accurate and deterministic design for given motion specification without the aid of extensive computation. In this paper we propose guidelines for the design of mechanisms with a single load flow path and multi load flow path, particularly relevant in shape morphing applications.