Mechanical structure design refers to the design of the structural shape of components and the connection relationships between components. It is the main component of mechanical design, and is the work stage with the most problems, the most specific details, and the largest workload. In these specific processes, it is necessary to consider the influence of various factors such as the mechanical properties of materials, component functions, working conditions, processing technology, assembly, use, cost, safety, and environmental protection. Structural design is not a simple repetitive operational work, but a creative work. Rich knowledge is the prerequisite for engaging in structural design work, and clever combination of shapes is the core of creative structural design.
The structural design of a mechanical system involves the design of the shapes, sizes, positions, quantities, materials, heat treatment methods, and surface conditions of all components. In addition to meeting the motion requirements specified in the principle scheme, the structure should also satisfy the design requirements for strength, stiffness, precision, stability, manufacturability, service life, reliability, and other aspects. One of the important features of mechanical structural design is the existence of multiple solutions to design problems, meaning that there is not a unique mechanical structure that satisfies the same design requirements. The task of mechanical structural design is to seek a better or optimal solution from among the many feasible structural design schemes. The variation design method of structural schemes allows the designer to generate a large number of feasible solutions by starting from a known feasible structural design scheme and transforming it. Through optimization of the parameters in these schemes, the designer can obtain multiple local optimal solutions, and by analyzing and comparing these local optimal solutions, the optimal or global optimal solution can be obtained. Creativity and innovative thinking are required to achieve this.