With a rigorous and comprehensive coverage, the second edition of Compliant Mechanisms: Design of Flexure Hinges provides practical answers to the design and analysis of devices that incorporate flexible hinges. Complex-shaped flexible-hinge mechanisms are generated from basic elastic segments by means of a bottom-up compliance (flexibility) approach. The same compliance method and the classical finite element analysis are utilized to study the quasi-static and dynamic performances of these compliant mechanisms. This book offers easy-to-use mathematical tools to investigate a wealth of flexible-hinge configurations and two- or three-dimensional compliant mechanism applications. FEATURES Introduces a bottom-up compliance-based approach to characterize the flexibility of new and existing flexible hinges of straight- and curvilinear-axis configurations Develops a consistent linear lumped-parameter compliance model to thoroughly describe the quasi-static and dynamic behavior of planar/spatial, serial/parallel flexible-hinge mechanisms Utilizes the finite element method to analyze the quasi-statics and dynamics of compliant mechanisms by means of straight- and curvilinear-axis flexible-hinge elements Covers miscellaneous topics such as stress concentration, yielding and related maximum load, precision of rotation of straight- and circular-axis flexible hinges, temperature effects on compliances, layered flexible hinges and piezoelectric actuation/sensing Offers multiple solved examples of flexible hinges and flexible-hinge mechanisms. This book should serve as a reference to students, researchers, academics and anyone interested to investigate precision flexible-hinge mechanisms by linear model-based methods in various areas of mechanical, aerospace or biomedical engineering, as well as in robotics and micro-/nanosystems.

This book offers a comprehensive coverage to the mechanics of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), which are analyzed from a mechanical engineer's viewpoint as devices that transform an input form of energy, such as thermal, electrostatic, electromagnetic or optical, into output mechanical motion (in the case of actuation) or that can operate with the reversed functionality (as in sensors) and convert an external stimulus, such as mechanical motion, into (generally) electric energy. The impetus of this proposal stems from the perception that such an approach might contribute to a more solid understanding of the principles governing the mechanics of MEMS, and would hopefully enhance the efficiency of modeling and designing reliable and desirably-optimized microsystems. The work represents an attempt at both extending and deepening the mechanical-based approach to MEMS in the static domain by providing simple, yet reliable tools that are applicable to micromechanism design through current fabrication technologies. Lumped-parameter stiffness and compliance properties of flexible components are derived both analytically (as closed-form solutions) and as simplified (engineering) formulas. Also studied are the principal means of actuation/sensing and their integration into the overall microsystem. Various examples of MEMS are studied in order to better illustrate the presentation of the different modeling principles and algorithms. Through its objective, approach and scope, this book offers a novel and systematic insight into the MEMS domain and complements existing work in the literature addressing part of the material developed herein.

With a rigorous and comprehensive coverage, the second edition of Compliant Mechanisms: Design of Flexure Hinges provides practical answers to the design and analysis of devices that incorporate flexible hinges. Complex-shaped flexible-hinge mechanisms are generated from basic elastic segments by means of a bottom-up compliance (flexibility) approach. The same compliance method and the classical finite element analysis are utilized to study the quasi-static and dynamic performances of these compliant mechanisms. This book offers easy-to-use mathematical tools to investigate a wealth of flexible-hinge configurations and two- or three-dimensional compliant mechanism applications. FEATURES Introduces a bottom-up compliance-based approach to characterize the flexibility of new and existing flexible hinges of straight- and curvilinear-axis configurations Develops a consistent linear lumped-parameter compliance model to thoroughly describe the quasi-static and dynamic behavior of planar/spatial, serial/parallel flexible-hinge mechanisms Utilizes the finite element method to analyze the quasi-statics and dynamics of compliant mechanisms by means of straight- and curvilinear-axis flexible-hinge elements Covers miscellaneous topics such as stress concentration, yielding and related maximum load, precision of rotation of straight- and circular-axis flexible hinges, temperature effects on compliances, layered flexible hinges and piezoelectric actuation/sensing Offers multiple solved examples of flexible hinges and flexible-hinge mechanisms. This book should serve as a reference to students, researchers, academics and anyone interested to investigate precision flexible-hinge mechanisms by linear model-based methods in various areas of mechanical, aerospace or biomedical engineering, as well as in robotics and micro-/nanosystems.

Here is a textbook for senior undergraduate and graduate level students that offers a novel and systematic look into the dynamics of MEMS. It includes numerous solved examples together with the proposed problems. The material to be found here will also be of interest to researchers with a non-mechanical background. The book focuses on the mechanical domain, specifically the dynamic sub-domain, and provides an in-depth treatment of problems that involve reliable modeling, analysis and design.

This book offers a comprehensive coverage to the mechanics of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), which are analyzed from a mechanical engineer's viewpoint as devices that transform an input form of energy, such as thermal, electrostatic, electromagnetic or optical, into output mechanical motion (in the case of actuation) or that can operate with the reversed functionality (as in sensors) and convert an external stimulus, such as mechanical motion, into (generally) electric energy. The impetus of this proposal stems from the perception that such an approach might contribute to a more solid understanding of the principles governing the mechanics of MEMS, and would hopefully enhance the efficiency of modeling and designing reliable and desirably-optimized microsystems. The work represents an attempt at both extending and deepening the mechanical-based approach to MEMS in the static domain by providing simple, yet reliable tools that are applicable to micromechanism design through current fabrication technologies. Lumped-parameter stiffness and compliance properties of flexible components are derived both analytically (as closed-form solutions) and as simplified (engineering) formulas. Also studied are the principal means of actuation/sensing and their integration into the overall microsystem. Various examples of MEMS are studied in order to better illustrate the presentation of the different modeling principles and algorithms. Through its objective, approach and scope, this book offers a novel and systematic insight into the MEMS domain and complements existing work in the literature addressing part of the material developed herein.

Here is a textbook for senior undergraduate and graduate level students that offers a novel and systematic look into the dynamics of MEMS. It includes numerous solved examples together with the proposed problems. The material to be found here will also be of interest to researchers with a non-mechanical background. The book focuses on the mechanical domain, specifically the dynamic sub-domain, and provides an in-depth treatment of problems that involve reliable modeling, analysis and design.

Resonators act as a frequency reference or to filter specific frequencies. Used in such products as cell phones or computers, resonators will allow the user to take advantage of high bandwidths to process and send greater amounts of data. When used in medical devises such as MRIs they can detect microorganisms and biological molecules. The dilemma that Researcher face when building these micro resonators is that the smaller a resonator gets the less reliable it becomes. Based on his research at Cornell University, the author employs current modeling and fabrication technologies to bring a solution to this seemingly insurmountable problem one step closer. Microresonators are fundamental components in a host of MEMS applications beginning with the auto sector (safety systems, stability and rollover, occupant detection, tire pressure monitoring, biometric sensors for comfort programs), to the telecommunication industry (especially the radio-frequency domain with implementations such as switches, tunable capacitors and mechanical filters implemented in wavelength division multiplexing. Different research and development groups in