This paper is a first approach in finding design principles for the design of shaking force balanced compliant mechanisms. Shaking force balance means that the motions of the mechanism do not create any resultant dynamic reaction forces on the base, eliminating base vibrations.It is found that for a single balanced rotatable flexible link two stiffness related balance conditions exist in addition to the balance condition known for a rigid link. With these conditions the shaking force balance of a planar parallelogram mechanism with flexible links is considered. The case with fully compliant hinges is applied to a planar translator and the results are compared with the case in which the hinges are real revolute joints. Simulations show perfect force balance for the model with revolute joints and a reduced shaking force of 67% for the model with flexible joints. Prototypes of both mechanisms were developed and experimentally tested, showing shaking force reductions of 93% and 97.5%, respectively.@en

he present study is to point out the outcomes of the Sem-inar on the Chemical Weapon Convention and Chemical Safety and Security Management for Member States in the Asia Region held by Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in Doha, Qatar, in February 2017. The seminar was aimed at supporting chemical safety and secu-rity (CSS) management in the chemical industry in Asian countries. Overall goal was to sensitize States Parties to the new approaches that can be adopted in relation to CSS management, with a particular focus on providing assis-tance to small and medium-sized enterprises. This article reflects the observations made by keynote speakers via their interaction with participants from Asian State Parties dur-ing presentations’ questions & answers sessions and follow-ing workshops. The article is an attempt to highlight the challenges in security risk assessment and management of chemical facilities and discuss some new trends for further improvements.@en