This study presents a topology optimization method for design of complaint mechanisms with maximum output displacement as the objective function. Unlike traditional approaches, one special characteristic of this method is that the volume fraction, which is defined as the calculated volume divided by the full volume, remains the same value throughout the optimization process based on the proposed pseudodensity and sensitivity number update scheme. The pseudodensity of each element is initially with the same value as the prespecified volume fraction constraint and can be decreased to a very small value or increased to one with a small increment. Two benchmark problems, the optimal design of a force–displacement inverter mechanism and a crunching mechanism, are provided as the illustrative examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results agree well with the previous studies. The proposed method is a general approach which can be used to synthesize the optimal designs of compliant mechanisms with better computational efficiency.
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August 2016
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A Topology Optimization Method With Constant Volume Fraction During Iterations for Design of Compliant Mechanisms
Chih-Hsing Liu,
Chih-Hsing Liu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
National Cheng Kung University,
Tainan 701, Taiwan
e-mail: chliu@mail.ncku.edu.tw
National Cheng Kung University,
Tainan 701, Taiwan
e-mail: chliu@mail.ncku.edu.tw
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Guo-Feng Huang
Guo-Feng Huang
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
National Cheng Kung University,
Tainan 701, Taiwan
National Cheng Kung University,
Tainan 701, Taiwan
Search for other works by this author on:
Chih-Hsing Liu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
National Cheng Kung University,
Tainan 701, Taiwan
e-mail: chliu@mail.ncku.edu.tw
National Cheng Kung University,
Tainan 701, Taiwan
e-mail: chliu@mail.ncku.edu.tw
Guo-Feng Huang
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
National Cheng Kung University,
Tainan 701, Taiwan
National Cheng Kung University,
Tainan 701, Taiwan
Manuscript received September 13, 2015; final manuscript received February 13, 2016; published online March 18, 2016. Assoc. Editor: Xilun Ding.
J. Mechanisms Robotics. Aug 2016, 8(4): 044505 (7 pages)
Published Online: March 18, 2016
Article history
Received:
September 13, 2015
Revised:
February 13, 2016
Citation
Liu, C., and Huang, G. (March 18, 2016). "A Topology Optimization Method With Constant Volume Fraction During Iterations for Design of Compliant Mechanisms." ASME. J. Mechanisms Robotics. August 2016; 8(4): 044505. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4032812
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