A statistical tolerance analysis approach for over-constrained mechanism based on optimization and Monte Carlo simulation

Tolerancing decisions can profoundly impact the quality and cost of the mechanism. To evaluate the impact of tolerance on mechanism quality, designers need to simulate the influences of tolerances with respect to the functional requirements. This paper proposes a mathematical formulation of tolerance analysis which integrates the notion of quantifier: For all acceptable deviations (deviations which are inside tolerances), there exists a gap configuration such as the assembly requirements and the behavior constraints are verified & For all acceptable deviations (deviations which are inside tolerances), and for all admissible gap configurations, the assembly and functional requirements and the behavior constraints are verified. The quantifiers provide a univocal expression of the condition corresponding to a geometrical product requirement. This opens a wide area for research in tolerance analysis. To solve the mechanical problem, an approach based on optimization is proposed. Monte Carlo simulation is implemented for the statistical analysis. The proposed approach is tested on an over-constrained mechanism. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.