Review of the Application of Genetic Algorithm and Precision Points in Optimisation of the Four-bar Mechanism

Abstract

Four-bar linkages are the most popular mechanisms and several studies have been dedicated to improving them. One area that has attracted the attention of many researchers is kinematic synthesis. Kinematics synthesis is the reverse of kinematic analysis in that while the latter involves the determination of the motion in a mechanism, the former is concerned with the development of a mechanism to satisfy certain desired motion specifications, either displacement, velocity or acceleration or a combination of any of them. A specific task of kinematic synthesis is of interest: This is the dimensional synthesis which deals with the synthesis of linkage lengths. Over the years, two main techniques have been used for dimensional synthesis: Precision point synthesis and genetic algorithm optimisation. Precision point synthesis was the initial method in the optimisation of the four-bar mechanism designs. Recently, the use of evolutionary techniques such as genetic algorithm (GA) have made it easier to create efficient mechanisms courtesy of advancements in computer technology. The emergence of computational software such as MATLAB simplifies the use of GA. This paper reviews how precision points and genetic algorithms have been used to optimise the four-bar mechanism.