Compliant Mechanisms: Design of Flexure Hinges

Format: Paperback / softback
Publication date: 30 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Flexure hinges offer a range of advantages over classical rotation joints, making them a preferred choice in various applications. Firstly, they eliminate friction losses, reducing energy consumption and improving efficiency. Secondly, flexure hinges require no lubrication, eliminating the need for regular maintenance and reducing downtime. Additionally, flexure hinges exhibit no hysteresis, ensuring precise and consistent rotation without backlash. Their compactness allows for the integration of flexure hinges into small-scale devices, enhancing their functionality and versatility. Moreover, flexure hinges are easy to fabricate, reducing production costs and time-to-market. Furthermore, they require virtually no assembly, simplifying the manufacturing process. Lastly, flexure hinges offer virtually no maintenance, as they do not suffer from wear and tear or require periodic adjustments.

In terms of design, flexure hinges provide practical solutions to the present and future needs of efficient design, analysis, and optimization of devices incorporating flexure hinges. This book discusses new and classical types of flexure hinges, including single-axis, two-axis, and multiple-axis configurations, for two- and three-dimensional applications. It covers a wide range of industrial applications, such as micro- and nano-scale mechanisms, robotics, medical devices, and aerospace systems.

The book quantifies flexibility, precision of rotation, sensitivity to parasitic loading, energy consumption, and stress limitations of flexure hinges through closed-form compliance equations. It presents individual flexure hinges as fully-compliant members, allowing for the development of lumped-parameter compliance, inertia, and damping properties. The book also develops a finite element approach to compliant mechanisms, providing the elemental formulation of new flexure hinge line elements.

Furthermore, the book incorporates more advanced topics dedicated to flexure hinges, such as large deformations, buckling, torsion, composite flexures, shape optimization, and thermal effects. These topics are essential for designing robust and reliable flexure-based devices that can withstand harsh environments and demanding applications.

Compliant Mechanisms: Design of Flexure Hinges is a valuable resource for engineers, researchers, and students involved in the design and optimization of devices incorporating flexure hinges. It provides practical solutions to real-world problems and offers insights into the latest advancements in flexure hinge technology. With its comprehensive coverage and user-friendly approach, the book is an essential tool for anyone seeking to enhance the performance and efficiency of their devices using flexure hinges.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138748187