Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Engineering Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Mechanical Engineering

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type

Articles 541 - 570 of 1727

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Parameter Determination And Experimental Validation Of A Wire Feed Additive Manufacturing Model, Kannan Suresh Kumar, Todd E. Sparks, Frank W. Liou Aug 2015

Parameter Determination And Experimental Validation Of A Wire Feed Additive Manufacturing Model, Kannan Suresh Kumar, Todd E. Sparks, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Laser metal deposition with wire feed is one of the additive manufacturing methods with great scope and robustness. Process parameters plays an important role in controlling the process and obtaining an ideal manufactured part. Simulations tools are highly essential in determining the ideal parameters and melt pool conditions. The current work is a transient 3D model of wire feed additive manufacturing which realizes the heat transfer and fluid flow behavior of the process with varying laser power and power density. The model was programmed in Python and a 1 KW Gaussian beam fiber laser was used to conduct experiments. The …


Solid Freeform Fabrication Of Transparent Fused Quartz Using A Filament Fed Process, J. Luo, L. J. Gilbert, C. Qu, B. Morrow, Douglas A. Bristow, Robert G. Landers, J. Goldstein, A. Urbas, Edward C. Kinzel Aug 2015

Solid Freeform Fabrication Of Transparent Fused Quartz Using A Filament Fed Process, J. Luo, L. J. Gilbert, C. Qu, B. Morrow, Douglas A. Bristow, Robert G. Landers, J. Goldstein, A. Urbas, Edward C. Kinzel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Glass is a critical material for many scientific and engineering applications including optics, communications, electronics, and hermetic seals. Despite this technological relevance, there has been minimal research toward Additive Manufacturing (AM) of glass, particularly optically transparent glass. Additive Manufacturing of transparent glass offers potential advantages for lower processing costs for small production volumes, increased design freedom, and the ability to locally vary the optical properties of the part. Compared to common soda lime glass, fused quartz is better for AM since it has lower thermal expansion and higher index homogeneity. This paper presents a study of additive manufacturing of transparent …


Modeling Of Powder Bed Processing -- A Review, Aaron Flood, Frank W. Liou Aug 2015

Modeling Of Powder Bed Processing -- A Review, Aaron Flood, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Many models have been developed to model powder beds and these methods can be implemented to model a powder bed for Selective Laser Sintering, Selective Laser Melting and any other technique of additive manufacturing which uses powder beds. Two of the main systems are the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and the Geometric Method. The purpose of this paper is to analyze each of the methods. It will first highlight how each of the models creates the powder bed. The next aspect reviewed is the computational time and its causes. And lastly, each of the methods will be examined for their …


Effects Of Temperature On Aqueous Freeform Extrusion Fabrication, Jie Li, Ming-Chuan Leu, Greg Hilmas Aug 2015

Effects Of Temperature On Aqueous Freeform Extrusion Fabrication, Jie Li, Ming-Chuan Leu, Greg Hilmas

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effect of temperature on ceramic parts produced by paste extrusion based additive manufacturing followed by sintering. A computer-controlled gantry system equipped with a piston extruder was used to extrude aqueous alumina paste. The system includes a temperature control subsystem that allows for freeform extrusion fabrication inside a low-temperature (<0°C) chamber. It can also be used for fabricating parts on a hot plate at ambient or higher temperatures (≥20°C). Test specimens were fabricated from aqueous aluminum pastes at -20°C in the low-temperature chamber and also on the hot plate at 40°C. The minimum angles achievable by these two processes for part fabrication, without use of support material, were compared. Also compared were the relative density and mechanical properties of the parts obtained after sintering. Microstructures were examined via scanning electron microscopy in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the effect of fabrication temperature.


Laser Metal Deposition Of Functionally Gradient Materials From Elemental Copper And Nickel Powders, Sreekar Karnati, Todd E. Sparks, Frank W. Liou, Joseph William Newkirk, Karen M. Brown Taminger, William J. Seufzer Aug 2015

Laser Metal Deposition Of Functionally Gradient Materials From Elemental Copper And Nickel Powders, Sreekar Karnati, Todd E. Sparks, Frank W. Liou, Joseph William Newkirk, Karen M. Brown Taminger, William J. Seufzer

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work deals with the planning and fabrication of a functionally gradient copper-nickel composition via Laser Metal Deposition (LMD). Various compositions of copper and nickel were made by blending different weight percentages which were then sequentially deposited to fabricate functionally gradient copper-nickel thin-wall structures. Analyses were performed by sectioning the thin-wall samples for metallographic, hardness, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) studies. The fabrication was studied for identifying and corroborating the deposited compositions and their corresponding gradients. XRD analyses were performed to identify the crystal structure of the deposit. EDS analysis was instrumental in identifying the variation …


Microstructure And Property Of Tib-Reinforced Ti Alloy Composites By Laser Metal Deposition, Yunlu Zhang, Jingwei Zhang, Frank W. Liou, Joseph William Newkirk Aug 2015

Microstructure And Property Of Tib-Reinforced Ti Alloy Composites By Laser Metal Deposition, Yunlu Zhang, Jingwei Zhang, Frank W. Liou, Joseph William Newkirk

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

TiB-reinforced Ti alloy composites have been laser deposited with pre-alloyed Ti-6Al4V-1B powder. The microstructure of the as-deposited and heat treated composites have been characterized in detail using scanning electron microscope (SEM). A homogeneous dispersion of needle-like TiB precipitates is formed in the Ti-6Al-4V α/β matrix. TiB precipitates promote formation of small near equaxed α/β grain after β annealing process. The micro-hardness of the laser deposited composites increase 20-30% with 5 vol. % TiB precipitates compared to unreinforced Ti-6Al-4V deposits.


Depth Of Cut Monitoring For Hybrid Manufacturing Using Acoustic Emission Sensor, Haythem Gaja, Frank W. Liou Aug 2015

Depth Of Cut Monitoring For Hybrid Manufacturing Using Acoustic Emission Sensor, Haythem Gaja, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Laser Metal Deposition LMD is a hybrid manufacturing process consist of a laser deposition system combined with a 5-axis CNC milling system. During laser deposition many parameters and their interaction affect the dimensional accuracy of the part produced, powder flow rate, laser power and travel speed are some of these parameters. Sensing the acoustic emission during milling marching gives feedback information regarding depth of metal being cut subsequent part dimensions, if an error in dimensions is found certain actions, such as remaching, close loop control, or laser remelting can be carried out to correct it. Thus a reliable hybrid manufacturing …


A Microstructure And Hardness Study Of Functionally Graded Materials Ti6al4v/Tic By Laser Metal Deposition, Jingwei Zhang, Yunlu Zhang, Frank W. Liou, Joseph William Newkirk, Karen M. Brown Taminger, William J. Seufzer Aug 2015

A Microstructure And Hardness Study Of Functionally Graded Materials Ti6al4v/Tic By Laser Metal Deposition, Jingwei Zhang, Yunlu Zhang, Frank W. Liou, Joseph William Newkirk, Karen M. Brown Taminger, William J. Seufzer

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Crack free functionally graded material (FGM) Ti6Al4V-TiC has been fabricated by laser metal deposition (LMD) using TiC and Ti6Al4V powder which were premixed for different ratios. This study focuses on the influence of laser processing parameters and TiC compositional distribution on microstructure, Vickers hardness and phase. The microstructure is analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and hardness tests. Primary carbide, eutectic carbide and unmelted carbide are found in the deposit area. When laser power increased, the primary and secondary dendrite arm spacing increased. The laser power and scanning speed did not influence the Vickers hardness distribution significantly.


Aluminum Plasmonic Metamaterials For Structural Color Printing, F. Cheng, Jie Gao, L. Stan, D. Rosenmann, D. Czaplewski, Xiaodong Yang Jun 2015

Aluminum Plasmonic Metamaterials For Structural Color Printing, F. Cheng, Jie Gao, L. Stan, D. Rosenmann, D. Czaplewski, Xiaodong Yang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.


Real-Time Monitoring Of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Process Using High-Speed X-Ray Imaging And Diffraction, C. Zhao, K. Fezzaa, R. W. Cunningham, H. Wen, F. De Carlo, Lianyi Chen, A. D. Rollett, T. Sun Jun 2015

Real-Time Monitoring Of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Process Using High-Speed X-Ray Imaging And Diffraction, C. Zhao, K. Fezzaa, R. W. Cunningham, H. Wen, F. De Carlo, Lianyi Chen, A. D. Rollett, T. Sun

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.


Structural Color Printing Based On Plasmonic Metasurfaces Of Perfect Light Absorption, F. Cheng, Jie Gao, T. S. Luk, Xiaodong Yang Jun 2015

Structural Color Printing Based On Plasmonic Metasurfaces Of Perfect Light Absorption, F. Cheng, Jie Gao, T. S. Luk, Xiaodong Yang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.


Slip Length Crossover On A Graphene Surface, Zhi Liang, Pawel Keblinski Apr 2015

Slip Length Crossover On A Graphene Surface, Zhi Liang, Pawel Keblinski

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Using Equilibrium and Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics Simulations, We Study the Flow of Argon Fluid above the Critical Temperature in a Planar Nanochannel Delimited by Graphene Walls. We Observe that, as a Function of Pressure, the Slip Length First Decreases Due to the Decreasing Mean Free Path of Gas Molecules, Reaches the Minimum Value When the Pressure is Close to the Critical Pressure, and Then Increases with Further Increase in Pressure. We Demonstrate that the Slip Length Increase at High Pressures is Due to the Fact that the Viscosity of Fluid Increases Much Faster with Pressure Than the Friction Coefficient between …


An Interoperable System For Automated Diagnosis Of Cardiac Abnormalities From Electrocardiogram Data, Thidarat Tinnakornsrisuphap, Richard E. Billo Mar 2015

An Interoperable System For Automated Diagnosis Of Cardiac Abnormalities From Electrocardiogram Data, Thidarat Tinnakornsrisuphap, Richard E. Billo

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electrocardiogram (ECG) data are stored and analyzed in different formats, devices, and computer platforms. As a result, ECG data from different monitoring devices cannot be displayed unless the user has access to the proprietary software of each particular device. This research describes an ontology and encoding for representation of ECG data that allows open exchange and display of ECG data in a web browser. The ontology is based on the Health Level Seven (HL7) medical device communication standard. It integrates ECG waveform data, HL7 standard ECG data descriptions, and cardiac diagnosis rules, providing a capability to both represent ECG waveforms …


Control Of Fluid Dynamics By Nanoparticles In Laser Melting, Chao Ma, Lianyi Chen, Jiaquan Xu, Jingzhou Zhao, Xiaochun Li Mar 2015

Control Of Fluid Dynamics By Nanoparticles In Laser Melting, Chao Ma, Lianyi Chen, Jiaquan Xu, Jingzhou Zhao, Xiaochun Li

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Effective control of fluid dynamics is of remarkable scientific and practical significance. It is hypothesized that nanoparticles could offer a novel means to control fluid dynamics. In this study, laser melting was used to investigate the feasibility of tuning fluid dynamics by nanoparticles and possibly breaking existing limits of conventional laser processing techniques. Alumina nanoparticles reinforced nickel samples, fabricated through electrocodeposition, were used for laser melting experiments. Since the melt pool surface is controlled by the fluid dynamics, surface topographies were carefully studied to reveal the nanoparticle effect on the fluid dynamics. Characterizations of surface topographies and microstructures of pure …


Thermodynamic And Chemical Kinetic Coupled Modeling For The Determination Of Cyclic Combustion Phasing In Hcci Engines, Krishawn Michele Goodwin Jan 2015

Thermodynamic And Chemical Kinetic Coupled Modeling For The Determination Of Cyclic Combustion Phasing In Hcci Engines, Krishawn Michele Goodwin

Masters Theses

"Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is a low temperature combustion mode that contains great potential for decreasing emissions while increasing efficiency in internal combustion engines. The limitation is in that it is inherently difficult to control based on the lack of an external combustion trigger. This thesis outlines the potential of using the combustion residual species of carbon monoxide as a method of controlling the location of combustion by using data from a computer model. The model is a nonlinear five-state thermodynamic model that is coupled with a skeletal chemical kinetic model for PRF96. The model computes the amount of …


Parameter Determination And Experimental Validation Of A Wire Feed Additive Manufacturing Model, Kannan Suresh Kumar Jan 2015

Parameter Determination And Experimental Validation Of A Wire Feed Additive Manufacturing Model, Kannan Suresh Kumar

Masters Theses

“Laser metal deposition is an additive manufacturing method with great scope and robustness. The wire fed additive manufacturing method has great opportunities in space applications and other zero gravity manufacturing processes. Process parameters play an important role in controlling the complex phenomenon and obtaining an ideal manufactured part. These parameters can be efficiently determined using simulation tools which are highly essential in visualizing real world experiments, therefore saving time and experimental costs. The objective of this study is to develop a transient 3D model of laser aided wire feed metal deposition which realizes the heat transfer and fluid flow behavior …


Design Studies Of Infrastructural Development For Applications Of Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Yousif M. H. Hamad Jan 2015

Design Studies Of Infrastructural Development For Applications Of Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Yousif M. H. Hamad

Doctoral Dissertations

"Countries around the world are trying to reduce their energy consumption, fossil fuel usage, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the International Energy Outlook 2012 released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the estimated fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards proposed for light-duty vehicles for model years 2017-2025 has an increase of 44% in fuel economy and a reduction of 34% in GHG emissions. The use of alternative fuel vehicles and renewable energy sources are, therefore, inevitable toward achieving this goal. Biogas has untapped potential as an alternative energy source. This immediately available resource would allow countries …


Freeze-Form Extrusion Fabrication Of Boron Carbide, Aaron Scott Thornton Jan 2015

Freeze-Form Extrusion Fabrication Of Boron Carbide, Aaron Scott Thornton

Masters Theses

"Boron carbide is a safe, alternative to beryllium as a material for aerospace structures since it is also light-weight and exhibits high strength. This paper discusses a study of the Freeze-form Extrusion Fabrication (FEF) process to fabricate parts from boron carbide. Process parameters and hardware were modified to fabricate boron carbide specimens free of printed defects. Four-point bending tests were performed to measure the flexural strength of fabricated specimens. Observations of the presence of voids caused by ice crystals in fabricated parts led to further development and characterization of the boron carbide paste used with the FEF process. Additives were …


Combustion And Pollutant Characteristics Of Ic Engines Fueled With Hydrogen And Diesel/Hydrogen Mixtures Using 3d Computations With Detailed Chemical Kinetics, Hassan A. Khairallah Jan 2015

Combustion And Pollutant Characteristics Of Ic Engines Fueled With Hydrogen And Diesel/Hydrogen Mixtures Using 3d Computations With Detailed Chemical Kinetics, Hassan A. Khairallah

Doctoral Dissertations

In order to develop design guidelines for optimum operations of internal combustion engines fueled with alternative fuels, a comprehensive understanding combustion behavior and the pollutant formation inside the cylinder are needed. The first part of this thesis aimed to numerically study the engine performance and in-cylinder pollutant formation in a spark ignition engine fueled with hydrogen. Advanced simulations were performed using multi- dimensional software AVL FIRE coupled with CHEMKIN. The detailed chemical reactions with 29 steps of hydrogen oxidation with additional nitrogen oxidation reactions were also employed. Formation rates of nitrogen oxides (NOx) within the engine were accurately predicted using …


Experimental And Computational Analysis Of Thermosyphon Based Water Heaters, Siddarth Ashokkumar Jan 2015

Experimental And Computational Analysis Of Thermosyphon Based Water Heaters, Siddarth Ashokkumar

Masters Theses

"Storage type electric water heaters are one of the most commonly found type of heaters in households today. Due to energy costs and limited generation capacity, there is a need for improving the efficiency of such water heaters. The efficiency of water heating systems have impact both at the household and at the national level, because of their sheer numbers. Efficient water heaters lead to lower utility bills for the consumer and also reduced demand on the grid supplying electrical power to such households. This leads to a reduction in the amount of fuel used in generating electrical power and …


Numerical Study Of Upstream And Downstream Regions Of One Dimensional Detonation Wave In A Dusty Gas Medium, Shubhadeep Banik Jan 2015

Numerical Study Of Upstream And Downstream Regions Of One Dimensional Detonation Wave In A Dusty Gas Medium, Shubhadeep Banik

Masters Theses

"In detonative combustion very high temperatures are attained by the burned gases. As a result, a large amount of thermal energy is produced during the combustion process. This heat can affect the state of the unburned fuel through radiation of heat from the burned gases. In this study a one-dimensional model was deemed appropriate to gain insight into the fundamental structure of the detonation wave. In this model, the detonation wave divides the fluid stream into an upstream region, consisting of fuel and oxidant, and a downstream region, consisting of burned gases. A set of computer programs, some developed during …


American Sign Language Alphabet Recognition Using Microsoft Kinect, Cao Dong Jan 2015

American Sign Language Alphabet Recognition Using Microsoft Kinect, Cao Dong

Masters Theses

"American Sign Language (ASL) fingerspelling recognition using marker-less vision sensors is a challenging task due to the complexity of ASL signs, self-occlusion of the hand, and limited resolution of the sensors. This thesis describes a new method for ASL fingerspelling recognition using a low-cost vision camera, which is Microsoft's Kinect. A segmented hand configuration is first obtained by using a depth contrast feature based per-pixel classification algorithm. Then, a hierarchical mode-finding method is developed and implemented to localize hand joint positions under kinematic constraints. Finally, a Random Decision Forest (RDF) classifier is built to recognize ASL signs according to the …


Pipeline Leak Detection, Marcia Golmohamadi Jan 2015

Pipeline Leak Detection, Marcia Golmohamadi

Masters Theses

"In the present research two techniques are applied for leak detection in pipelines. The first method is a hardware-based technique which uses ultrasonic wave's emission for pipeline inspection. Ultrasonic waves are propagated in the pipe walls and reflected signal from leakage will be used for pipe analysis. Several Pipes with various dimensions and characteristics are modeled by finite element method using ANSYS. Second order longitudinal modes of ultrasonic waves are emitted in their walls. For this purpose, excited frequency is calculated such that it excites the second order longitude mode. In order to investigate the behavior of emitted wave in …


Thermographic Investigation Of Laser Metal Deposition, Sreekar Karnati Jan 2015

Thermographic Investigation Of Laser Metal Deposition, Sreekar Karnati

Masters Theses

"Laser metal deposition as an additive manufacturing technique has been proven to possess the capability for fabricating complex, intricate geometries and excellent material properties through material deposition. Accurate manufacture of such geometric features would require precise control over the material deposition process. The need of the hour are process monitoring and analyses mechanisms that are crucial in ascertaining the occurrence of the intended actions during deposition while also serving as effective learning tools. The current work involved developing and incorporating an Infra-Red (IR) camera as a process monitoring tool for laser metal deposition. Using the IR camera the thermal dynamics …


An Experimental Study Of Fabrication Temperature Effect On Aqueous Extrusion Freeform Fabrication, Jie Li Jan 2015

An Experimental Study Of Fabrication Temperature Effect On Aqueous Extrusion Freeform Fabrication, Jie Li

Masters Theses

"In order to understand the effect of fabrication temperature, a computer controlled 3-D gantry system was used to extrude aqueous alumina paste using Extrusion Freeform Fabrication. The system includes a temperature control subsystem that allows for fabrication of components below the paste's freezing temperature in the range of -10⁰C to -30⁰C and a hot plate with temperature in the range of 20⁰C to 80⁰C inside a room temperature chamber. Comparisons in terms of relative density, mechanical properties, part accuracy and minimum deposition angle were performed by Extrusion Freeform Fabrication at 40⁰C plate temperature inside a room temperature chamber and at …


Laser Surface And Sub-Surface Repair During Metal Additive Manufacturing, Prudvi Teja Ravi Jan 2015

Laser Surface And Sub-Surface Repair During Metal Additive Manufacturing, Prudvi Teja Ravi

Masters Theses

"This study examines the use of laser surface treatment to repair surface and subsurface defects. Numerical analysis was performed on laser surface melting using Gaussian heat distribution equations to analyze the depth of the melt pool created by the phenomena. Concurrently, a process map was developed with a planned set of experiments by varying the ranges of laser power and travel speed to determine the dimensions of the melt pool across the gamut. The data generated from both the process studies and the numerical analysis was then used to determine the ideal operating ranges of the process parameters to repair …


A Force Feedback Haptic Interface For Atomic Force Microscopy, Abdulmohsen Alabdulmuhsin Jan 2015

A Force Feedback Haptic Interface For Atomic Force Microscopy, Abdulmohsen Alabdulmuhsin

Masters Theses

"Integrating a force feedback haptic device with atomic force microscopy (AFM) improves the capability to investigate and manipulate the objects on a micro- and nanoscale surface. The haptic device provides the researcher with a sense of touch and movement by changing the position of the stylus or amount of force on it. The developed system's concept is to provide the user a sense and feel and control of the AFM probe at the nanoscale. By positing the haptic stylus, the user generates reference to commands to the AFM probe. In turn, forces experienced by the probe are communicated to the …


Mechanistic Modeling Of Cutting Forces In Wavy-Edge Bull-Nose Helical End-Milling Of Inconel 718 Under Different Cooling-Lubrication Strategies, Abdulhakim Ali Sultan Jan 2015

Mechanistic Modeling Of Cutting Forces In Wavy-Edge Bull-Nose Helical End-Milling Of Inconel 718 Under Different Cooling-Lubrication Strategies, Abdulhakim Ali Sultan

Doctoral Dissertations

“This research presents the results of the development of a mechanistic cutting force prediction model for the wavy-edge bull-nose helical endmill (WEBNHE). The mechanistic model was developed to predict cutting force components and the resultant cutting force in high-speed end-milling of Inconel 718 under two cooling strategies: emulsion and Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL). The effects of the cooling strategies are incorporated into the mechanistic model through six cutting force coefficients (Ktc, Krc, Kac), and edge force coefficients (Kte, Kre, Kae), which have been experimentally identified in a separate …


Investigation Of Effect Of Process Parameters On Multilayer Builds By Direct Metal Deposition, Tarak Amine Jan 2015

Investigation Of Effect Of Process Parameters On Multilayer Builds By Direct Metal Deposition, Tarak Amine

Doctoral Dissertations

"Multilayer direct laser deposition (DLD) is a fabrication process through which parts are fabricated by creating a molten pool into which metal powder is injected as. During fabrication, complex thermal activity occurs in different regions of the build; for example, newly deposited layers will reheat previously deposited layers. The objective of this study was to provide insight into the thermal activity that occurs during the DLD process. This work focused on the effect of the deposition parameters of deposited layers on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the previously deposited layers. Varying the parameters was shown to produce different effects …


On The Design And Analysis Of Compliant Mechanisms Using The Pseudo-Rigid-Body Model Concept, Sushrut Gangadhar Bapat Jan 2015

On The Design And Analysis Of Compliant Mechanisms Using The Pseudo-Rigid-Body Model Concept, Sushrut Gangadhar Bapat

Doctoral Dissertations

"The pseudo-rigid-body model (PRBM) concept, developed for the analysis and design of large-deflection flexible members, has proved over time to be a simple, efficient and accurate tool for the synthesis, analysis and design of compliant mechanisms. This dissertation investigates a variety of compliant mechanism analysis and design problems using the PRBM concept and assists in further advancement of the implementation of the PRBMs. The dissertation begins with the development of a PRBM for a fixed-guided compliant beam with one inflection point in the deformed state. This research investigation advances the concept of characteristic deflection domain to a new synthesis framework …