Direct stiffness method

About: Direct stiffness method is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2584 publications have been published within this topic receiving 53131 citations.

A parameterized numerical model for the evaluation of gear mesh stiffness variation of a helical gear pair

Abstract: One of the most common challenges in gear drive design is to determine the best combination of gear geometry parameters. These parameters should be capable of being varied effectively and related to gear mesh stiffness variation in advanced excitation and vibration analysis. Accurate prediction of gear mesh stiffness and transmission error requires an efficient numerical method. The parameterized numerical model was developed for the evaluation of excitation induced by mesh stiffness variation for helical gear design purposes. The model uses linear finite-element (FE) method to calculate tooth deflections, including tooth foundation flexibility. The model combines Hertzian contact analysis with structural analysis to avoid large FE meshes. Thus, mesh stiffness variation was obtained in the time and frequency domains, which gives flexibility if comparison is made with measured spectrums. Calculations showed that a fairly low number of elements suffice for the estimation of mesh stiffness variation. A reaso...

On curved finite elements for the analysis of circular arches

Abstract: This paper proposes a straightforward criterion to warrant the displacement functions being used in the finite element approximation of circular arches. The criterion was established by studying the natural shape function, i.e. the exact solution of the deformed shape, of the circular arch element. The exact stiffness matrix [K]exact is derived from the natural shape and is confirmed to be the inverse of the well-known flexibility matrix [F]exact in the curved beam theory. The present paper compares the inverse [K]−1 of the stiffness matrix derived from the assumed displacement function with the [F]exact. It is shown that the procedure also guarantees the implicit inclusion of rigid-body modes in the pertinent stiffness matrix [K]. Case studies on typical approximate displacement functions assure the appropriateness as well as the ease of application of the proposed method.

Stiffness research on a high-precision, large-workspace parallel mechanism with compliant joints

Abstract: Parallel-structure mechanisms, especially the non-backlash compliant parallel mechanisms, excel serial-structure ones in many indexes. This paper explores a novel six-strut compliant parallel mechanism based on the development of wide-range flexure hinges, and in this system the repeatability and resolution of sub-micron scale can be achieved over cubic centimeter motion range. The system stiffness, as a very important performance for compliant parallel mechanisms, directly influences the workspace, load-carrying capacity and driving-load capacity, etc. The system stiffness depends on the parallel mechanism's geometric dimensions and spatial layout, which is discussed in detail in this paper. The stiffness equation of individual flexure hinge is established firstly, and then the stiffness of the whole mechanism is modeled via assembling stiffness matrices and formulating constraint equations. Finally, the system stiffness influence plots are presented and discussed. The stiffness research on the six-strut compliant parallel mechanism provides further theoretical principles for designing and developing this kind of precision parallel devices.