On the infinitely-stable rotational mechanism using the off-axis rotation of a bistable translational mechanism

Different from the prior art concentrating on the primary translation of bistable translational mechanisms this paper investigates the off-axis rotation behaviour of a bistable translational mechanism through displacing the guided primary translation at different positions. Moment-rotation curves obtained using the nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) for a case study show the multiple stable positions of the rotation under each specific primary motion, suggesting that an infinitely-stable rotational mechanism can be achieved by controlling the primary motion. In addition, several critical transition points have been identified and qualitative testing has been conducted for the case study.