Design and interactive simulation of cross-axis compliant pivot using dynamic splines

The paper deals with the description of a new methodology for addressing the modelling for static and dynamic simulation of the cross-axis flexural pivot. The proposed methodology is based on the use of the dynamic spline formulation for describing the deformation of the structure using reference points. By using this approach, the very large displacement of the compliant pivot can be modelled using a reduced number of variables. The methodology has been formulated to be also suitable for an integration with an augmented reality interactive design environment. The results coming from the simulations (both static and dynamic) of the proposed model have been compared to those of an equivalent finite element model and show very good accordance. The proposed methodology is able to take into account the nonlinear aspects and it is suitable for real-time computation. An example of implementation in an augmented reality interactive design environment has been successfully implemented.