Design of Centric Drag-Link

Mechanisms for Delay

Generation With Focus on Space
Occupation
Abdullah F. Al-Dwairi
Department of Industrial Engineering,
Jordan University of Science and Technology,
P.O. Box 3030,
Irbid 22110, Jordan
e-mail: [email protected]

Planar drag-link mechanism is a Grashofian four-bar chain with the shortest link fixed.
In practice, the mechanism is used as a coupling between two shafts to convert uniform
rotation of the driving shaft into a nonuniform rotation of the driven shaft. The nonuniformity in rotation is characterized by a cyclically increasing and decreasing delay (or
advance) in the displacement of the driven shaft relative to that of the driving shaft.
Drag-link synthesis problems include synthesizing the mechanism to generate a specified
maximum delay. In a drag-link mechanism, the longer links make a full rotation about
fixed pivots, which results in a relatively large installation space. This calls for designing
drag-link mechanisms with a focus on space occupation, along with the traditional criteria of quality of motion transmission. Using position analysis, we investigate the relationships among mechanism space occupation, extreme transmission angle, and the generated maximum delay. Space occupation is represented by the link-length ratio of input
link to fixed link. Given a desired maximum delay, the proposed approach suggests
finding a unique extreme transmission angle value for which this link-length ratio is at a
minimum. A closed-form solution to drag-link synthesis to generate a specified maximum
delay is developed based on a compromise between quality of motion transmission and
space occupation. For any drag-link designed by this compromise, the coupler link and
the output crank are of the same length. Based on the obtained design equations, a
graphical design solution and a method for evaluating space occupation are provided.
DOI: 10.1115/1.3042157
Keywords: dimensional synthesis, drag-link, nonuniform rotation, delay, transmission
angle, space occupation

Introduction

Drag-link mechanism is an inversion of the Grashofian four-bar

chain that is formed when the shortest link is fixed. In a drag-link
mechanism, both links that are pivoted to the ground are capable
of full rotation about their fixed pivots, which is why the drag-link
is often called a double-crank mechanism. The drag-link mechanism converts the uniform rotation of the input crank into a nonuniform cyclically-varying rotation of the output crank. In practice, the resulting nonuniform rotation is used to drive another
mechanism loop in order to modify motion characteristics of the
latter. Drag-links are used to improve the performance of other
mechanisms including cam-follower mechanisms to modify the
motion program of the follower, quick-return linkages to alter the
advance-to-return time ratio of the mechanism, and dwell mechanisms to adjust dwell-to-motion time index ratio 14.
Dimensional synthesis of four-bar linkages is usually based on
maximizing the quality of motion transmission in the mechanism.
Quality of motion transmission is judged based on the extreme
value of the transmission anglethe included angle between the
output link and the coupler link. The closer the extreme transmission angle is to 90 deg, the better is the quality of motion transmission. Optimization of the transmission angle in mechanisms is
a classical problem that has been the subject of extensive research
see, for instance, Refs. 59. An exhaustive survey of research
Contributed by the Mechanisms and Robotics Committee of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL DESIGN. Manuscript received February 28, 2008;
final manuscript received October 10, 2008; published online December 16, 2008.
Review conducted by Pierre M. Larochelle, P.E. Paper presented at the 12th IFToMM World Congress, France, 2007.

Journal of Mechanical Design

on transmission angle in various mechanisms is provided by Balli

and Chand 10. In general, the transmission angle is considered
optimized when its minimum and maximum values deviate
equally from 90 deg.
While linkage design is based mainly on maximizing the quality of motion transmission, other design requirements, such as
limitations on link dimensions and space occupation, are often
considered secondary objectives. In the case of practical designs
of the drag-link mechanism, however, the three moving links are
the longer ones, resulting in a relatively large space occupation
and inertia effects. This calls for giving special attention to the
space occupation of this type of mechanism. Note that the term
space occupation here refers to the planar area occupied by the
mechanism.
Several research papers devoted to drag-link synthesis can be
found in the literature. Bagci 4 presented a synthesis procedure
to design drag-link mechanisms to generate nonuniform rotation.
Nonuniformity was described using the variation of the output-toinput velocity ratio of the mechanism. The author developed minimax velocity ratio charts that can be used to select a desired
drag-link. The approach used by Bagci requires assigning a minimum transmission angle value and an output crank length. Design
examples were provided to demonstrate how drag-links can be
used to design quick-return mechanisms with adjustable time ratios and to design indexing mechanisms free of infinite jerk.
Eckhardt 11,12 provided design charts for the synthesis of
drag-link mechanisms to give a desired time ratio or a desired
velocity ratio. Eckhardt used the similarity between drag-link and
Whitworth turning-block mechanisms to gain insight into the
drag-link motion. Design charts were generated for various values

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of the crank-to-ground link-length ratio. The charts can be used to

select a suitable drag-link with a desired maximum time ratio or a
maximum velocity ratio and to find the drag-link position at which
that ratio takes place. The procedure guarantees that the selected
drag-link has a minimized deviation of the transmission angle
from 90 deg.
Tsai 13,14 introduced the concept of delay or advance generation to describe the nonuniformity of the drag-link motion. As
the input link rotates at a constant speed, the output link was
shown to rotate with a variable delay with respect to the input link
and that over a full cycle of the drag-link, delay changes from
zero to a maximum and back to zero. Furthermore, delay was
shown to reach its zero and maximum values when the drag link
passes through its parallel and antiparallel configurations, respectively, with the coupler link being parallel or antiparallel to the
fixed link. Tsai suggested that a drag-link is utilized to its maximum capacity of delay generation if the event of interest starts at
the position of zero delay and ends at the position of maximum
delay.
In Ref. 13, Tsai addressed drag-link synthesis when the input
crank displacement from parallel to antiparallel configuration is
180 deg, in which case the drag-link is said to be centric. In a
centric drag-link, the extreme transmission angle values deviate
equally from 90 deg. The synthesis procedure assumes a specified
maximum delay and a tentatively assigned minimum transmission
angle. Design charts and tables were given, from which a suitable
drag-link can be selected. A simple graphical solution was also
proposed based on the developed equations.
In Ref. 14, Tsai derived equations for the design of noncentric
drag-link mechanisms. In a noncentric drag-link, the input displacement between parallel and antiparallel configurations is not
180 deg. A closed-form solution for the transmission angle optimization was obtained based on minimizing its maximum deviation from 90 deg. The synthesis procedure lends itself to solving a
bicubic equation in the link-length ratio of coupler link to fixed
link. A similar approach was used by Peisach and Nesterov 9,
who obtained a bicubic equation of simpler form and explored the
domain of existence of the mechanism and the geometric limitations imposed on the mechanism link-length ratios. The works of
Peisach and Nesterov 9 and Tsai 14 demonstrated that centric
drag-links have a higher capacity of delay generation than noncentric ones; a centric drag-link can provide a desired maximum
delay with better quality of motion transmission.
Dwairi 15 proposed a procedure for drag-link synthesis based
on minimizing the link-length ratio of input link to fixed link for a
given extreme transmission angle. Design equations were derived
that give the mechanism link-length ratios in terms of the extreme
transmission angle. The delay-generation function of the drag-link
was not addressed in developing the design procedure. Using this
procedure, the author presented a design of a drag-link driven
six-bar linkage with an adjustable time ratio. A numerical approach was used to investigate the quick-return action capacity of
the six-link mechanism.
This paper expands the work of Dwairi 15 by incorporating
the requirement to generate a specified maximum delay into the
problem statement. The essential derivations performed earlier by
Dwairi are included in this paper for integrity of presentation. The
approach used here differs from those found in the literature in
that it addresses the space occupation of the mechanism as a direct
design criterion in analytical form. As a result, a closed-form solution is obtained that defines each of the mechanism link-length
ratios uniquely. A simple graphical solution is developed based on
the obtained design equations, and a method for estimating space
occupation is provided.

Fig. 1 Drag-link mechanism

AB between the two positions is , and the corresponding displacement of the output crank DC is . Angular coordinates of
the input and output cranks in any arbitrary position are denoted
by and , respectively, and are measured counterclockwise from
the fixed link AD. In the two positions shown, these angles assume values of = 1,2 and = 1,2 angles 2 and 2 not shown.
Typical shapes of the mechanisms displacement function,
= f, and its first derivative are shown in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively. In these figures, angles and denote input and output
link displacements measured starting from the drag-link position
ABCD, as shown in Fig. 1. These displacements are related to
and by the transformations = 1 and = 1.
By examining Fig. 1 and recalling that coupler link BC should
always be greater in length than ground link AD, we conclude that
angle is always greater than . Therefore, the output link DC
always lags behind the input link AB. Following the same approach used by Tsai 13 to describe drag-link motion, a lag angle,
L, is introduced as the difference between and , that is,
L=

By recalling that = 1 and = 1, Eq. 1 becomes

Fig. 2 Drag-link displacement function

Drag-Link Motion Characteristics

Figure 1 shows a drag-link mechanism in two finitely separated

positions ABCD and ABCD, where the coupler link BC is parallel to the ground link AD. The displacement of the driving crank
011015-2 / Vol. 131, JANUARY 2009

Fig. 3 Velocity-ratio variation of drag-link

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L = + 1 1

Now, since angles 1 and 1 are constant for a given design,

differentiating Eq. 2 with respect to gives
dL
d
=1
d
d

Based on Eq. 3 above, the output crank DC can be thought of

as being dragged by the input crank AB with a variable lag L.
From Figs. 2 and 3, it is seen that over a full motion cycle, the
drag-link experiences two distinct motion phases: a phase over the
range 0 , where the velocity ratio, d / d, is below unity
with increasing lag, and another phase over the range
360 deg, where the velocity ratio is above unity with decreasing lag. At = 0 and = , the velocity ratio becomes unity and
the lag L reaches its extreme values. From the velocity analysis of
the mechanism, unity velocity ratio occurs when the coupler link
becomes parallel to the fixed link, i.e., in the two positions shown
in Fig. 1. Observe that ABCD is the position of minimum lag
while ABCD is the position of maximum lag. Line AE is parallel
to the output link DC. Minimum and maximum lag values, therefore, are
Lmin = 1 1

Lmax = 2 2

and

Fig. 4 Extreme transmission angles of drag-link

that corresponding to each delay characteristic , there exists a

unique extreme transmission angle value that provides a good
compromise between the two design objectives.
The procedure below is based on analytically investigating the
relationship between the minimum transmission angle and the
space occupied by the mechanism. Space occupation is represented by the link-length ratio of input link to fixed link. It is
shown in Sec. 4 below that just this ratio almost completely determines space occupation of centric drag-links with acceptable
transmission angle values.
Consider the two drag-link positions shown in Fig. 4 where the
input link AB coincides with the fixed link AD. In these positions,
the transmission angle is at its extreme values min and max.
Since these angles deviate equally from 90 deg, we have

As lag increases, a delay is generated in the output motion.

Delay, therefore, is defined as the change in lag with respect to the
lag at its minimum value. The delay function can be visualized
from Fig. 2 as the deviation of the displacement curve from the
diagonal line. The maximum delay, L, therefore, corresponds to
the maximum deviation and is given by

Applying the cosine law to the triangles B1C1D and B2C2D in

Fig. 4 and using Eq. 8 yield

L =

a + 12 = b2 + c2 + 2cb cos min

a 12 = b2 + c2 2cb cos min

10

In view of Eq. 6 above, drag-link mechanisms are divided into

centric drag-links at = 180 deg and noncentric drag-links at
180 deg. Centricity of a drag-link is the necessary condition
for it to have an optimized transmission angle, i.e., a transmission
angle with extreme values equally deviated from 90 deg 9,13.
Interestingly, a centric drag-link cannot be synthesized as a particular case using design procedures for noncentric drag-links.
Trying to do it yields input and coupler links of infinite lengths
9,14.
This paper addresses the synthesis of centric drag-links. Since
the maximum delay, L, is equal to 180 deg , the angle
can be used to characterize the maximum delay. As it is readily
visualized in the mechanism diagram Fig. 1, angle will be
used throughout the development below, instead of L. Hereafter,
angle will be called delay characteristic.

Synthesis Procedure

l2
,
l1

b=

l3
,
l1

c=

l4
l1

Adding Eqs. 9 and 10 gives

a2 + 1 = b2 + c2

Journal of Mechanical Design

11

Subtracting Eq. 10 from Eq. 9 and rearranging terms yield

a = bc cos min

12

Equations 11 and 12 now are solved simultaneously for linklength ratios b and c. This results in two possible values for each
of them. Namely:
1

13

14

b1,2 = 2 X2 X1
and
c1,2 = 2 X2 X1

X1,2 =

1 + a2

2a
cos min

15

For Eq. 15 to yield a positive real root, it is necessary that

either

The synthesis problem consists in finding a set of link-length

ratios, a , b , c, that satisfies design requirements. The main design requirement here is to generate a specified delay characteristic, , corresponding to = 180 deg. Design performance will
be assessed using two criteria including extreme transmission
angle and mechanism space occupation. As it is shown below,
these two criteria are in conflict; a better transmission angle value
corresponds to a larger space occupation and vice versa. A compromising approach, therefore, is necessary. Below it is shown

and

where

Referring to the drag-link shown in Fig. 1, the mechanism link

lengths are l1, l2, l3, and l4. Taking the fixed link length, l1, for the
unit of length and normalizing other lengths relative to it yields
the following link-length ratios:
a=

cos min = cos max

1 sin min
cos min

16

1 + sin min
cos min

17

or

The first of these solutions, Eq. 16, is not acceptable here

since values of the link-length ratio a by this equation are less
than unity, which cannot be true for a drag-link mechanism.
Therefore, only results obtained from Eq. 17 are applicable here.
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At this point, and for purposes of reducing the space occupation of

the drag-link, we require the link-length ratio a to be at its leastpossible value at strict equality. Equation 17, therefore, reduces
to
1 + sin min
cos min

a=

18

Substituting from Eq. 18 into Eq. 15 yields

X1 = 0

19

20

and
X2 =

1 sin min .

Substituting from Eqs. 19 and 20 into Eqs. 13 and 14

yields
b=c=

21

1 sin min

Equations 18 and 21 provide the link-length ratios of the

mechanism as functions of the minimum transmission angle. To
find these ratios as functions of the delay characteristic , consider angles 1 and 2 in Fig. 1. Applying geometrical relations
yields
c2 + b 12 a2
cos 1 =
,
2cb 1
c + b + 1 a
cos 2 =
,
2cb + 1
2

sin 1 = 1 cos2 1

22

Fig. 5 Link-length ratios versus delay characteristic

enclosed inside that of joint B, as shown in Fig. 6c. Otherwise,

the locus of joint C will protrude from that of joint B, as in Fig.
6a. Assessment of the space occupation of a given drag-link
depends on which of these two occurrences takes place. In order
to investigate this question, consider the boundary between the
two occurrences, i.e., the case at which loci of joints B and C are
tangent, as shown in Fig. 6b. This occurs when
l2 = l1 + l4
a=1+c

sin 2 = 1 cos 2 23

= 2 1

24

Analyzing Eqs. 22 and 23 shows that the angle 1 always

resides in the second quadrant, while the angle 2 resides in the
third quadrant. Equation 24 thus limits the delay characteristic
to the range 0 deg 180 deg.
Substituting from Eqs. 18 and 21 into Eqs. 22 and 23 and
simplifying yield
sin 1 = sin 2 = sin min

+ cos
0.5 = 0
2
2

31

One of the solutions of Eq. 31 lies in the possible range of

and is = 137.06 deg. By Eq. 26, this corresponds to min
= 60 deg. Building on this finding, we make the following conclusions.
a

cos 1 = cos 2 = 1 sin min

30

Substituting from Eqs. 27 and 28 into Eq. 30 and simplifying yield

cos2

29

Dividing both sides by l1 and using the notations in Eq. 7 give

For 137.06 deg min 60 deg, the output crank

and the coupler link are entirely enclosed inside the circular path of joint B and, consequently, the space occupied by the drag-link is a circle of radius R1 = l2 centered
at joint A.
For 137.06 deg min 60 deg, the space occu-

25

Incorporating Eq. 25 into Eq. 24 and simplifying give

cos

= 1 sin min
2

26

Substituting from Eq. 26 into Eq. 21 yields

b=c=

cos
2

27

Finally, by accounting for the equality between b and c from

Eq. 27, Eq. 11 is rearranged to
a = 2b2 1 = 2c2 1

28

Equations 27 and 28 present closed forms for obtaining the

mechanism link-length ratios in terms of a specified delay characteristic . Figure 5 is a plot of these equations showing by how
much the link-length ratio a is greater than b or c for any given
.

Space Occupation

The space occupied by a centric drag-link is of circular or an

approximately circular shape. As Fig. 4 shows, if the input crank
length, l2, is larger than the sum of lengths of the output link and
the fixed link, l1 + l4, then the locus of joint C will entirely be
011015-4 / Vol. 131, JANUARY 2009

Fig. 6 Space occupation of drag-link mechanism: a min

= 40 deg, b min = 60 deg, and c min = 70 deg

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pied may closely be approximated by a circle of radius

R2 = l2 + l1 + l4 / 2 and with the center between fixed
joints A and D. This approximation is sufficiently accurate for drag-links with min 40 deg.
The three drag-link designs shown in Fig. 6 have been drawn to
scale with the same fixed link length to show their relative space
occupation. Notice that the input crank length AB fully determines
the space occupation for min 60 deg and has a very high influence on space occupation for other cases.

Further Remarks

One of the equations derived above, Eq. 26, is of particular

interest. This equation can be simplified to a more convenient
form as
sin min = sin2

32

The following three points are realized by a closer examination

of this equation.
1 Equation 32 allows the designer to assess the quality of
motion transmission in the drag-link based only on the required delay characteristic , i.e., prior to synthesis. For
any given delay characteristic , Eq. 32 yields a transmission angle min for which space occupation is at a minimum.
2 The capability of centric drag-link mechanisms to generate
maximum delay values may be quantified directly from Eq.
32. To illustrate, let the least acceptable transmission
angle be min = 30 deg. Equation 32 then limits the delay
characteristic to the range 90 deg 180 deg. For
90 deg, the minimum transmission angle drops to below 30 deg.
3 Substituting from Eq. 32 into Eq. 25 yields
cos 1 = cos 2 = cos
sin 1 = sin 2 = sin

33

Equation 33 has a useful graphical interpretation: points C, A,

and C in Fig. 1 lie on the same straight line and this line is
perpendicular to the fixed link AD. Moreover, the fixed link AD
always bisects angle . This forms the basis for the graphical
design procedure presented in Sec. 6.

Graphical Design Procedure

A graphical synthesis procedure can be developed based on

Eqs. 27, 28, and 33. This should be considered a reduction
from the graphical solution developed by Tsai 13. Construction
proceeds as follows see Fig. 7:
1. Establish an x-y coordinate system with an origin A. Point A
is the first fixed pivot of the drag-link.
2. Locate point D at a distance equal to the desired fixed link
length along the x-axis. Point D is the second fixed pivot.
3. From point D, draw a line at an angle / 2 with respect to
the negative x-direction. This line will intersect the y-axis in
point C, which is a moving pivot. Line DC represents the
output crank. Notice that the triangle ACD satisfies Eq. 27
for the link-length ratio c.
4. From point C, draw a line CB parallel to the fixed link AD
and equal in length to the output crank DC. Line BC is the
coupler link.
5. Connect points A and B. Line AB is the input crank. Notice
that the triangle ABC satisfies Eq. 28.
Journal of Mechanical Design

Fig. 7 Graphical design solution

The resulting four-bar, ABCD, is the required centric drag-link

with the least-possible input crank length corresponding to a minimum transmission angle obtained from Eq. 32.
Design Example. Synthesize a centric drag-link to generate a
maximum delay of L = 30 deg with a fixed link length of l1
= 100 mm. Find the minimum transmission angle and estimate
space occupation of the designed mechanism.
The solution is as follows.
The desired maximum delay is L = 30 deg. Using Eq. 6
at = 180 deg, the delay characteristic is
= 180 deg 30 deg= 150 deg.
From Eqs. 27 and 28, the link-length ratios are b = c
= 3.864 and a = 5.372.
Using Eq. 7, the actual link lengths are l2 = al1
= 537.2 mm and l3 = l4 = cl1 = 386.4 mm.
From Eq. 32, the minimum transmission angle is min
= 68.9 deg.
Based on the results in Sec. 4 above, the space occupied by
this drag-link is a circle of radius R1 = l2 = 537.2 mm centered at joint A.

Figure 1 is a scaled drawing of the drag-link designed in this

example. Analysis of this mechanism shows that 1 = 136 deg,
2 = 316 deg, 1 = 105 deg, and 2 = 255 deg. Therefore,
= 150 deg and = 180 deg, as required.

Conclusions

A closed-form analytical solution is developed for synthesizing

centric drag-link mechanisms to generate a specified maximum
delay in the output motion. The solution is based on providing a
compromise between motion transmission quality and space occupation of the mechanism. Space occupation is represented by
the input-to-ground link-length ratio, which, in turn, is a function
of the extreme transmission angle. The compromise is realized by
finding an extreme transmission angle value for which this linklength ratio is at a minimum. For any centric drag-link designed
by the proposed solution, the coupler link and the output link are
equal to each other in length. Geometrical interpretation of the
obtained design equations has led to a simple graphical design
procedure. A method for evaluating space occupation is presented.

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