Design and Analysis of Multilink Flexible Mechanisms With Multiple Clearance Connections

The problem of predicting the dynamic behavior of general planar mechanisms with elastic links and multiple clearance connections is addressed using a perturbation coordinate approach. Particular emphasis is placed on studying the effects of system elasticity on the high internal impact forces generated by the presence of the clearances at high speeds. Two examples of complete systems are considered and their responses are compared to the behavior of relatively simple dynamic models: the object is the development of design guidelines. The results show that the simpler models yield useful insights into the behavior of the more complex systems.