Synthesis through Use of Building Blocks

A general building block approach for the design synthesis of compliant mechanisms facilitates synthesis of original designs and may be implemented without an initial existing design. It is beneficial to use a building block approach when a designer needs to generate a design from scratch, although it is possible to use it when an initial design already exists. The designer is involved throughout the process, thereby increasing both insight and intuition. There are three key elements important to a building block design approach: identification of basic building blocks, mathematical representation of building block function, and strategies to systematically design mechanisms based on available building blocks. Building blocks are identified and their usefulness is illustrated in simple design examples. The methods presented enable a designer to synthesize original compliant mechanisms based only on the desired mechanism behavior. This edition first published 2013