Analysis and Synthesis of Flexible-link Mechanisms Using Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation

This study delves into the displacement analysis and synthesis of both planar and spatial flexible-link mechanisms utilizing Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation (ANCF). The quasi-static analysis of the mechanism is performed over its range of motion. The large static deflection of the flexible link results in a nonlinear problem, which is solved using the Newton-Raphson method. The research further focuses on the optimal synthesis for path generation. Illustrative examples of synthesized planar flexible-link mechanisms are presented, demonstrating their capabilities for circular, straight-line, and symmetrical coupler curves. The results are compared with those available in the literature, highlighting the improvements and effectiveness achieved using ANCF. Furthermore, for the first time, synthesis of spatial flexible-link mechanism is presented, and we illustrate an example of RRSF (Revolute-Revolute-Spherical-Fixed) spatial flexible-link mechanism. Experimental validation of a planar flexible-link mechanism has also been carried out, and the findings closely align with the synthesized results.