On Optimization of 2D Compliant Mechanisms Using Honeycomb Discretization With Material-Mask Overlay Strategy Available to Purchase

Novel honeycomb tessellation and material mask overlay methods are proposed in this paper to obtain optimal planar compliant topologies free from checkerboard and point flexure pathologies. A cardinal reason, namely the presence of strain-free rotation regions in rectangular cell based discretization is identified to be a cause in appearance of such singularities. With each hexagonal cell sharing an edge with its neighboring cells, strain-free displacements are not permitted anywhere in the continuum. The new material assignment approach manipulates material within a group of cells as opposed to a single cell thereby reducing the number of variables making optimization efficient. Optimal solutions obtained are free from intermediate material states and can be manufactured directly after design, without requiring any post processing. The proposed procedure is illustrated using two classical examples in 2D compliant mechanisms solved using genetic algorithm.