Lamina Emergent Torsional (LET) Joint

Part of the challenge in designing compliant mechanisms is finding suitable joints that provide the needed motion and force-deflection characteristics. The Lamina Emergent Torsional (LET) Joint is presented as a compliant joint suited for applications where large angular rotation is desired, but high off-axis stiffness is not as critical. The joint is introduced and the equations necessary for determining the force-deflection characteristics are presented. Since the LET Joint can be fabricated from a single planar layer, it is well suited for macro and micro applications. Illustrative examples are provided with devices fabricated from materials as diverse as steel, polypropylene, and polycrystalline silicon. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.