| Week | Dates Topics | Notes | Codes, etc. |
|
|
Module 1: Principles and Concepts | ||
| 1 |
Jan. 6, 2026:
The spirit of compliant mechanisms: an overview of compliant mechanisms and their applications.
Jan. 8, 2026: A case-study: XY-decoupling planar compliant mechanism |
Prof. Ashok Midha's thoughts on compliant mechanisms and mechanisms in general Overview of compliant mechanisms Spirit of compliant design Applications of compliant mechanisms |
Matalb codes for understanding XY-decoupler and compliant slider elastic pair mechanisms |
| 2 |
Jan. 13, 2026:
Introducing Matlab finite element codes to analyze compliant mechanisms. Familiarization with beam finite element codes in Matlab (linear and nonlinear) In-class hands-on practice with Matlab to understand how compliant mechanisms work using the examples of DaCM, FaCM, etc. Jan. 15, 2026: An overview of 10 design methods of compliant mechanisms. What do we need to learn to understand those methods? | Subtleties in using finite element analysis of compliant mechanisms. |
Matalb code linear finite element analysis with beams Matalb code geometrically nonlinear finite element analysis with beams |
| 3 |
Jan. 20, 2026:
Mobility analysis; how to identify the degrees of freedom and the number of required actuators Reinforcing the concept of virtual rigid segments in the extended Gurbler's formula Jan. 22, 2026: How to compute and interpret DoF of compliant mechanisms using the extended Grubler's formula Maxwell's rule and Calladine's extension |
Mobility analysis of compliant mechanisms Grubler's formula extended for compliant mechanisms |
- |
| 4 |
Jan. 27, 2026:
How to delineate DoF and SoSS using compatibility and force-equilibrium matrices of a truss. Matlab program for the mobility analysis of 2D and 3D trusses; nullspace interpretation of DoF and SoSS modes. Jan. 29, 2026: More about elastic pairs; stiffness matrix of elastic pairs in 2D and 3D A case study of a micromachined accelerometer using elastic pairs |
Delineating DoFs
(degrees of freedom) and SoSSs (states of self-stress) Elastic pairs Micromachined accelerometers |
Matlab code and data files for planar
truss mobility analysis (without supressing the rigid-body modes Matlab code and data files for planar truss mobility analysis (with supressed rigid-body modes 3D beam fea code (linear) |
| 5 |
Feb. 3, 2026:
Instant centre method of synthesis of compliant mechanisms Instant centre method of design of compliant mechanisms Examplification of the instant centre method in multiple stages for amplification of displacement or force Feb. 5, 2026: Delineating kinematic and elastic components of Displacement Advantage (DA) of compliant mechanisms Design guidelines for making the elastic component of DA positive in choosing the beam lengths and cross-sections. | Instant center method | - |
| 6 |
Feb. 10, 2026:
Mechanical advantage aspects of compliant mechanisms Three types of mechanical advantages and their implication; and three definitions of MA Feb. 12, 2026: Overview and demonstration of COMSOL finite element analysis software |
Mechanical advanatges aspects of CMs by Salomon and Midha | |
| 7 |
Feb. 17, 2026:
Spring-lever (SL) model of compliant mechanisms for abstraction of static behaviour kci, kco, and n The equivalence with two DoF (single-input-single-output) model of CMs Feb. 19, 2026: Mechanical advantage in terms of SL model parameters; Sensitivity index of Mechanical Advantage in terms of SL parameters | Spring-lever modeling of CMs | - |
| 8 |
Feb. 24, 2026:
Quiz 1 for 30 min Static balancing of constant force and a spring load; the concept of zero-free-length springs Feb. 26, 2026: Beam constraint model for intermediate range of displacements of compliant mechanisms. | - | - |
| 9 |
Mar. 3, 2026:
Large displacement analysis of a cantilever beam; elastica modelling using elliptic integrals
Burns and Crossley's kinematic approximation of a cantilever with a rigid bar of shortened length Howell and Midha's kinetostatic approximation of a cantilever with a rotation spring of constant stiffness Mar. 5, 2026: Design of CMs using pseudo-rigid-body (PRM) model and kinematic synthesis of linkages; kinematic coefficients and principle of virtual work |
Elastica analysis Elastica similarity analysis 1 Elastica similarity analysis 2 Pseudo-rigid-body (PRB) kinematic model Pseudo-rigid-body (PRB) kinetoelastic model |
- |
| 10 |
Mar. 10, 2026:
Kinematic coefficients and the principle of virtual work leading to force-equilibrium equaton of compliant mechanisms Synthesis Method for compliant mechanisms 2 Precision point synthesis: variables, equations, free choices Mar. 12, 2026: More on precision point synthesis of CMs with PRB | Force-equilibrium equation using PRB | - |
| 11 |
Mar. 17, 2026:
Spring-mass-lever model of a compliant mechanism
Mar. 19, 2026: Midterm examination in the class hour | Spring-mass-lever model | - |
| 12 |
Mar. 24, 2026:
Synthesis Method for compliant mechanisms 3 Selection-based design of compliant mechanisms using the SL models Mar. 26, 2026: An overview of eight design methods for compliant mechanisms; Introduction of YinSyn, the topology optimization program for compliant mechanisms | - | YinSyn: topology optimization code for compliant mechanisms and stiff structures |
| 13 |
Mar. 31st, 2026:
Synthesis Method for compliant mechanisms 4 Topology optimization of compliant mechanisms Topology optimization using YinSyn; Topological gradient-based optimization of compliant mechanisms Destributed compliant mechanisms: what are they and how to obtain them Apr. 2, 2026: Synthesis Method for compliant mechanisms 5 Compliant ellipsoids, centre of elasticity, and the building-block method of compliant mechanisms. |
Topology optimization of compliant mechanisms using beam elements and mutual strain energy and strain energy formulation Topology optimization of compliant mechanisms with distributed compliance Building block method of compliant mechanisms |
- |
| 14 |
Apr. 7, 2026:
Non-dimensional models of beams undergoing large displacements Non-dimensional modeling of compliant mechanisms Synthesis Method for compliant mechanisms 6 Non-dimensional kinetoelastic map-based selection and design of compliant mechanisms. Apr. 9, 2026: Synthesis Method for compliant mechanisms 7 Beam constraint model for designing compliant mechanisms. | Non-dimensionalization of compliant mechanisms response | - |
| 15 |
Apr. 14, 2026:
Synthesis Method for compliant mechanisms 8 A Lego-like kit for designing compliant mechanisms. Advanced applications of compliant mechanisms | Comparison of several design methods of compliant mechanisms | - |