Compliant mechanism learning toolkit

This thesis concerns a toolkit designed to assist in learning the behavior of complaint mechanisms. In the design of complaint mechanisms, increasingly complicated designs behave in ways that are harder to intuitively predict. This kit would allow for the rapid construction and disassembly of mechanisms with various constraint arrangements without the need to fabricate new models for each arrangement. This project includes the prototype of such a kit that would be manufactured for use in a classroom setting. The kit itself includes plates used to simulate a rigid ground, flexible components that can be mounted at variable angles to flat surfaces, and rigid stages to be connected to ground by the flexible constraint elements. These components are attached to each other using magnets, which allow them to be completely disassembled for rearrangement or storage. The resulting prototype worked roughly according to expectations. Rigid components attached to the kit walls with the flexible elements would translate about 0.3 inches without issue. The dynamic response of these displacements was very visible.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Allard, Nicholas (Nicholas A.)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Martin L. Culpepper.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/36293

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/36293