In this paper, it is shown how a nonlinear elastic mechanical system can be exploited to increase the elastic potential energy compared to its linear counterpart. A strategy for optimizing the system parameters is proposed, and performance is compared considering equal maximum displacement and maximum force. A theoretical insight is presented, and some asymptotic trends for optimum parameters selection are derived in closed-form and highlighted to help the design. A specific nonlinear mechanical system is considered, but the overall approach can be generalized. The actual system consists of a set of linear springs arranged to achieve geometric nonlinearity, and its configuration is selected based on a practical realization. A prototype device is finally assembled and tested to show evidence of the theoretical discussion.

在本文中，展示了如何利用非线性弹性机械系统来增加与其线性对应物相比的弹性势能。提出了优化系统参数的策略，并在最大位移和最大力相等的情况下比较了性能。提出了理论见解，并以封闭形式导出了一些最佳参数选择的渐近趋势，并突出显示以帮助设计。考虑了特定的非线性机械系统，但整体方法可以推广。实际系统由一组线性弹簧组成，用于实现几何非线性，其配置是根据实际实现选择的。最终组装并测试原型设备以显示理论讨论的证据。