Compliant Mechanisms

Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560 012, India
Be Flexible and strong.
ME254 Compliant Mechanisms Jan. 2026 to Apr. 2026
Instructor: G. K. Ananthasuresh, Room 106, ME Building, suresh at iisc.ac.in
Lectures: Tu, Th: 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM; Venue: ME MMCR

Course work

This content of the course will cover three aspects of compliant mechanisms.

Principles and concepts
1. Tenets
2. Systematics
3. Kinetoelastics
4. Non-dimensionality
5. Energetics
Analysis and design
1. Modeling
2. Synthesis
3. Optimality
4. Selection
5. Systemics
Applications and case-studies
1. Microsystems
2. Products
3. BioX
4. Mobility
5. Aerospace

There will be approximately 13 lectures in each of the three aspects. Six homeworks will be assigned for each segment. There will be four in-class quizzes. A mid-term examination will be there. Additionally, a project and a term paper are required. The project will entail computational work and programming in Matalb. A presentation is required at the end of the semester. The term paper will entail going through a journal paper published after 2017 and writing a report on it.

Thus, the grading is distributed flexibly across several components.

Grading

For a total of 100 points, we have:

Homeworks: 6 with 4 points for each: 24
Design and programming assignments: 2 with 8 points for each: 16
In-class quizzes: 2 with 5 points each: 10
Midterm examination: 25
Project: 25

The in-class quizzes will be before and after the mid-term examination, to prepare for the mid-term and then to see what you might have missed in the mid-tern.

Homework assignments in 2026

	Assigned	Due	Remarks
Homework 1	Jan. 8, 2026	Jan. 19, 2026	Linear FEA beam Matlab files Nonlinear FEA beam Matalab files The following data files work for linear and nonlinear FEA beam; unzip and place the four data files into the folder where FEA files exist and run. Run file is beam" for linear, and "nlbeam" for nonlinear codes. DaCM data files FaCM data files
Homework 2	Jan. 22, 2026	Jan. 29, 2026	A paper is sent by email.
Design assignment 1	Feb. 5, 2026	Feb. 17, 2026	A few papers are sent by email.

Homework assignments in 2025

	Assigned	Due	Remarks
Homework 1	Jan. 16, 2025	Jan. 23, 2025	Two papers were sent by email.
Homework 2	Feb. 1, 2025	Feb. 11, 2025	Two papers were sent by email.
Homework 3	Feb.18, 2025	Feb.27, 2025	CM9 input files
Design assignment 1	Feb.18, 2025	Mar. 4, 2025	-
Homework 4	Mar. 11, 2025	Mar. 18, 2025	Beam FEA input files
Homework 5; TBA	Apr. #, 2025	Apr. #, 2025	-
Homework 6; TBA	Apr. #, 2025	Apr. #, 2025	-
Design Assignment 2; TBA	Apr. #, 2025	Apr. #, 2025	-

Homework assignments in 2024 Homework assignments in 2024

	Assigned	Due	Remarks
Homework 1	Jan. 9, 2024	Jan. 16, 2024	Solution for CM9
Homework 2	Jan. 30, 2024	Feb. 6, 2024	-
Homework 3	Feb. 13, 2024	Feb. 20, 2024	-
Design and programming assignment 1	Feb. 13, 2024	Feb. 27, 2024	-
Homework 4	Mar. 19, 2024	Mar. 26, 2024	-
Homework 5	Apr. 2, 2024	Apr. 9, 2024	-
Design Assignment 2	Apr. 2, 2024	Apr. 11, 2024	-

Homework assignments in 2023

	Assigned	Due	Remarks
Homework 1	Jan. 17, 2023	Jan. 24, 2023
Quiz 1	Jan. 31, 2023	In-class, 9:30 AM to 9:50 AM	Solution
Homework 2	Jan. 31, 2023	Feb. 9, 2023	Matlab code for the mobility analysis of 3D trusses
Homework 3	Feb. 21, 2023	Mar. 2, 2023	-
Quiz 2	Mar. 7, 2023	In-class, 9:30 AM to 9:50 AM	-
Homework 4	Mar. 23, 2023	Apr. 6, 2023	-
Quiz 3	Apr. 6, 2023	In-class, 9:30 AM to 9:50 AM	-
Homework 5	Apr. 6, 2023	Apr. 11, 2023	-
Quiz 4	Apr. 13, 2023	In-class, 9:30 AM to 9:50 AM	-
Homework 6	Apr. 11, 2023	Apr. 18, 2023	-
Project report	-	Apr. 25, 2023	-
Term paper	-	Apr. 28, 2023	A one-page review of any journal paper in the last five years on compliant mechanisms from the Journal of Mechanisms (ASME) and Robotics or Mechanism and Machine Theory (Elsevier)