A computational bow-spring model

Author(s)
Sessions, Blake A
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.
Advisor
Hugh Herr.
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Abstract
Bow-springs find few applications in industry. Principally, they are used in archery. In addition, they have found some use in a compression-spring mode in the field of biomechatronics, to emulate elastic human legs. The mechanical behavior (characterized by deflected shape and deformation force) is difficult to model, because internal forces and moments and the geometry are both unknown. The only closed-form solutions to such systems are relatively useless to a mechanical engineer. This work comprises an iterative model developed in MATLAB that computes the mechanical behavior of buckled beam (or bow-spring) sections, over a range of parameters and geometries, to be used in the development and testing of compression bow-springs as parallel loading systems to the human leg.
Description
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, February 2011.
 
"May 2010." Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
 
Date issued
2011
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/65303
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Mechanical Engineering.
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