Influence of non-ideal fixed-end constraints on kinetostatic behaviors of compliant bistable mechanisms

Bistable mechanisms can maintain two distinct positions without energy consumption, which made them widely used in many special situations. The performance of bistable mechanisms may suffer from its non-ideal fixed-end constraints (the deformation of its ostensibly rigid frame), which may even incapacitate the bistability of the mechanisms. To capture the influence of non-ideal constraints on the behaviors of the mechanisms, a kinetostatic model for bistable mechanisms is presented in this paper. In the model, behaviors of both the frame and flexible beams are considered and characterized using the Chained Beam Constraint Model (CBCM). Three examples are modeled and analyzed to show the effectiveness of the model for evaluating the influence of non-ideal constraints on the behaviors of the mechanisms. The results are validated by the results of finite element analysis as well as experiments.