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Published December 1, 2008 | public
Journal Article

Compliant multistable structural elements

Abstract

Compliant multistable structures are presented which exhibit a large geometric change when actuated between their stable states. It is demonstrated how asymmetric-bistability is achieved through the combination of linear and nonlinear springs. Finite element analytical techniques are provided which enable the design of such structures, and which illustrate how the presence of imperfections can substantially alter their structural performance. A multistable structure is developed which consists of four connected bistable tetrahedral units. The validity of the analytical techniques is confirmed through observation of several physical models.

Additional Information

Copyright © 2008 Elsevier. Received 17 January 2008; revised 30 May 2008. Available online 31 July 2008. The work presented in this paper was funded by the Cambridge-MIT Institute (CMI) and carried out in the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge in collaboration with Prof. Dubowsky at MIT. Two anonymous referees are thanked for their helpful comments, and for introducing the authors to the Sierpiński Gasket.

Additional details

Created:
August 22, 2023
Modified:
October 17, 2023