Design and analysis of Leaf-spring flexure hinge with adjustable fillet shapes

Abstract

Leaf-spring flexure hinge is a fundamentally compliant element that can be combined to create various hinge configurations. The shapes of the hinge’s fillets directly affect its performance. This study systematically investigates leaf-spring flexure hinges with adjustable fillet shapes and proposes a parametric design method. Based on Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) curves, this method allows the design of adjustable fillet shapes such as circular, elliptical, parabolic and hyperbolic forms. Then, the performance of the leaf-spring flexure hinges is investigated by means of a parameter study with a focus on the effects of fillet shapes. Finally, multi-objective optimization was conducted, and a test system is built to verify the analysis model. In summary, the proposed parametric design method for leaf-spring flexure hinges effectively predicts and optimizes hinge performance and provides new ideas for the design of spatial compliant mechanisms.