Manufacture and research of Y-shaped flexible hinge_Industry News

With the rapid advancement of modern machinery towards high speed and high precision, there is a growing demand for flexible hinges and compliant mechanisms in various fields such as micro-manipulation robots, precision optical instruments, aerospace vehicles, and industrial equipment. These hinges offer advantages such as no gaps, impact resistance, and no wear [1-5]. Flexible hinges can be classified as micro-motion type or large-stroke type based on their motion stroke. While extensive research has been conducted on flexible hinges by scholars globally [6-7], there are still some limitations in terms of large deformation and large stroke. Therefore, researchers are focusing on developing flexible hinges that offer higher precision, greater off-axis stiffness, and simpler structure to meet the increasing demand for parallel mechanisms.

Various approaches have been proposed to improve flexible hinges with large deformation and large stroke. Li Zongxuan et al. introduced a dimensionless design diagram method to design a Cartwheel-type biaxial flexible hinge [8], while Chen Guimin et al. proposed a deep-cut elliptical flexible hinge with higher precision and derived analytical calculation formulas for rotation angle, rotation accuracy, and maximum stress [9]. Zong Guanghua et al. designed a hyperbolic hollow flexible hinge with advantages such as large rotation angle and high stability, but it also presented challenges such as complex structure and significant axis drift [10]. Kikuchi N and Bi Shusheng proposed a cross-leaf rotating flexible hinge that offers high precision and large rotation angle but features a complicated structure [11-12]. Goldfarb et al. developed a split-barrel flexible hinge that enables a rotation angle of 150°, expanding the application scope of flexible hinges [13]. Smith proposed a barrel-shaped rotary joint with a thin-walled beam that exhibits minimal axial drift but is more complex in structure and production [14].

Although the aforementioned flexible hinges have made considerable progress, they still exhibit issues such as large axis drift, low off-axis stiffness, and complex structure. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a Y-type flexible hinge, which is analyzed and studied using ANSYS and ADAMS software. The flexible hinge is fabricated using a numerical control machine tool and assembled. The axis drift of the Y-shaped flexible hinge is measured through experiments, and a circular trajectory experiment is conducted on a 3-RRR parallel platform.

The design of the Y-type flexible hinge involves a scheme design and the determination of the center of rotation. The Y-shaped flexible hinge comprises two rigid rods and two identical arc-shaped leaf springs, where the central angle of the leaf springs is 135°. Solidworks2014 is utilized for 3D modeling and simulation to determine the center of rotation. The optimum installation method and travel requirements are also determined, and kinematics simulation is performed using Solidworks2014.

To validate the motion precision and large rotary stroke characteristics of the Y-type flexible hinge, finite element mesh division and motion simulation are conducted using ANSYS and ADAMS software tools. The resulting data is processed and analyzed using MATLAB, which confirms that the Y-type flexible hinge meets the requirements of the parallel platform.

The Y-type flexible hinge is then physically produced by processing and assembling the leaf spring and rigid rod using different materials. A series of experiments is conducted, including axis drift measurement and trajectory experiments on the parallel test bench. The results demonstrate that the Y-type flexible hinge effectively enhances the motion accuracy of the parallel platform.

In conclusion, this study proposes a Y-shaped flexible hinge that addresses the limitations of existing flexible hinges. The experimental results confirm that the Y-type flexible hinge offers high precision, a simple structure, and a large rotation angle, making it a suitable replacement for revolving pairs in planar parallel platforms and significantly improving their motion accuracy. AOSITE Hardware, a standardized enterprise, stands out in the global hardware market and is recognized by many international institutions for its commitment to providing excellent customer service.