Optimum dimensional synthesis using GIMSYNT software

Abstract

In the field of mechanism design, optimum dimensional synthesis plays a significant role. Focusing on path generation synthesis, the designer has to find the most adequate mechanism capable of tracing a trajectory as similar as possible to a prescribed one. The objective is obviously clear, but, in many occasions, the methods dealing with optimum synthesis are quite complex and with a lack of transparency. Consequently, students often get lost in the insights of the optimization method and do not comprehend the influence of the different parameters that can be included in the optimization, or important choices such as enhancing the starting mechanism. Thus, they are not qualified to assess the validity of the resulting optimum design. To overcome this lack of knowledge, we propose a didactic optimum dimensional synthesis methodology mainly based on the analytic relations of the mechanism under study and considering the interrelation among synthesis variables. The guidelines of the procedure can be easily programmed and different design criteria can be incorporated. A software named GIMSYNT has been developed with this purpose, focusing on the slider-crank and the four-bar mechanism.