POSGRADO EN INGENIERÍA MECÁNICA

SYNTHESIS AND DYNAMICS OF MECHANISMS

Introduction to Mechanisms

Dr. Hugo Iván Medellín Castillo

Mechanics
Mechanics is the area of physics concerned with the motions of macroscopic
objects.

During the early modern period, scientists such as Galileo, Kepler, and Newton
laid the foundation for what is now known as classical mechanics. It is a
branch of classical physics that deals with particles that are either at rest or are
moving with velocities significantly less than the speed of light.

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Kinematics and kinetics
Kinematics
The study of motion without regard to forces.

Kinetics
The study of forces on systems in motion.

These two concepts are really not physically separable, but they are
separated to ease the analysis and understanding.

One principal aim of kinematics is to create (design) the desired motions of

the subject mechanical parts and then mathematically compute the positions,
velocities, and accelerations which those motions will create on the parts.

Mechanisms
Mechanism
- It is a device which transforms motion to some desirable pattern and
typically develops very low forces and transmits little power.

- A system of elements arranged to transmit motion in a predetermined

fashion.

- A mechanical system comprised of several bodies connected by joints to

generate one or more desired movements.

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Mechanisms and machines
Examples of mechanisms

Machines
Machine
- A machine typically contains mechanisms which are designed to provide
significant forces and transmit significant power.

- A combination of resistant bodies arranged to compel the mechanical

forces of nature to do work accompanied by determinate motions.

- A machine is a collection of mechanisms arranged to transmit forces and

do work.

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Mechanisms and machines
Examples of machines

Mechanisms
A mechanism is comprised of links (bodies) and joints.

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Links
A link is an (assumed) rigid body which possesses at least two nodes which
are points for attachment to other links.

Links can be classified as:

 Rigid: The geometry of the link remains constant.
 Flexible: The geometry of the link varies (examples: springs, belts,
chains, etc.).

According to the number of joints, links can be also classified into:

 Binary link - one with two nodes.
 Ternary link - one with three nodes.
 Quaternary link - one with four nodes.

Links

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Joints (kinematic pairs)
A joint (also called kinematic pairs) is a connection between two or more
links (at their nodes), which allows some motion, or potential motion,
between the connected links.

Joints can be classified in several ways:

1. Type of contact between the elements (line, point, or surface).

2. Number of degrees of freedom allowed at the joint.
3. Type of physical closure of the joint: either force or form closed.
4. Number of links joined (order of the joint).
5. Function.

Joints (kinematic pairs)

1. Type of contact between the elements:
 Lower kinematic pairs, surface contact.
 Higher kinematic pairs, point or line contact.

Lower kinematic pairs: contact on a surface

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Joints (kinematic pairs)
Higher kinematic pairs: contact on at a point or on a line

Joints (kinematic pairs)

Most common kinematic pairs

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Joints (kinematic pairs)
3. Type of physical closure of the joint: either force or form closed.

A form-closed joint is kept together or closed by its geometry. A

pin in a hole or a slider in a two-sided slot are form closed.

In a force-closed joint, such as a pin in a half-bearing or a slider on

a surface, requires some external force to keep it together or closed.
This force could be supplied by gravity, a spring, or any external
means.

Joints (kinematic pairs)

4. Number of links joined (order of the joint).
The order of a joint is defined as the number of links joined minus one. It
takes two links to make a single joint; thus the simplest joint combination of
two links has order one.

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Joints (kinematic pairs)
According to their function in the mechanism, joints can be classified into:
 Active joints (independent variables)
 Passive joints (dependent variables)

Active joints
They have motors or actuators to activate or drive them (input movements
usually known).

Passive joints
They do not have motors or actuators to activate them (output movements
usually unknown).

Joints (kinematic pairs)

Example of active and passive joints:
Four bar linkages with an actuator (motor)

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Types of mechanisms
According to type of joints or pairs, mechanisms can be classified as:
 Linkages. They use lower kinematics pairs.
 Mechanisms. They use lower and higher kinematic pairs.

Types of mechanisms
According to their nature of motion, mechanisms can be classified into three
types :
 Planar mechanisms
 Spherical mechanism
 Spatial mechanism

Planar mechanisms
A planar mechanism is one in which all the moving links perform parallel
planar motions. For a planar mechanism, the loci of all points in all links can
be conveniently drawn in one plane. The movement of all links are on parallel
planes.

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Types of mechanisms
Spherical mechanisms
A spherical mechanism is one in which all the moving links perform concentric
spherical motions about a common stationary point, called the spherical
center. In a spherical mechanism, the motions of all particles can be
conveniently described by their radial projections on the surface of a unit
sphere.
The revolute joint is the only permissible lower-pair joint for constructing
spherical mechanisms. In addition, all the joint axes must intersect at a
common.

Types of mechanisms
Spatial mechanisms
A spatial mechanism is a mechanism that cannot be classified as planar or
spherical. In this regard, we cannot associate some unique motion
characteristics with spatial mechanisms. However, a spatial mechanism may
have several links performing planar motions that are not parallel to one
another.

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Compliant mechanisms
Compliant mechanisms
Unlike rigid-link mechanisms, compliant mechanisms gain at least some of
their mobility from the deflection of flexible members rather than from movable
joints only.

Basically not all the links of a mechanism need to be flexible for it to be termed
as A Compliant System but some important links must be flexible.
Fully compliant mechanisms are very unstable and unreliable.

Kinematic chain
A kinematic chain is defined as an assemblage of links and joints,
interconnected in a way to provide a controlled output motion in response to a
supplied input motion.

When one of the links in a kinematic chain is fixed to the ground or base, it is
called a mechanism. The link that is fixed to the base is called the fixed link.

Open-loop kinematic chain

If every link in a kinematic chain is connected to every other link by one and
only one path, it is called an open-loop chain.

Close-loop kinematic chain

If every link is connected to every other link by at least two distinct paths, the
kinematic chain forms one or more closed loops and is called a closed-loop
chain.

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Kinematic chain
Hybrid kinematic chain
A kinematic chain that contains both closed- and open-loop chains.

Examples:

Kinematic inversions
When different links of a kinematic chain are chosen as the fixed link, the
relative motions between all the links are not altered. However, their motions
with respect to the ground may be completely different.

The process of selecting various links of a kinematic chain as the fixed link is
called kinematic inversion.

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Kinematic inversions

Kinematic inversions

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Topological net
The topological net of a mechanism is a simple representation of the
mechanism considering the links and joints.
The links and joint must be identified and numbered.
J2:R
J3:R
1 2
J2:R
2 J3:R
J1:R
1 3
4 3
J4:R
4 J4:R
J1:R
topological net

J3:R J3:R
3 J2:R
4 3 4
J2:R
2
2 J1:R

J1:R 1
1

Kinematic loop
A kinematic loop is an imaginary closed trajectory when walking along close-
loop kinematic chain.

J2:R

1 2

J1:R Loop J3:R

1

4 3

J4:R

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Topological net and loops
topological net and loops
J2:R
J2:R 3 2 3
2
J3:R
loop J3:R
J1:R
4 1
1 4
J1:R 1 J4:P
J4:P
4

J3:R J2:R
J4:P 2 3

loop J3:R
3 J1:R
2 1
1 4
J2:R
J4:P

1 J1:R

Topological net
topological net

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Degrees of freedom
The concept of degree of freedom (DOF) is fundamental to both the synthesis
and analysis of mechanisms.
The DOF can be defined as…

- the number of inputs which need to be provided in order to create a

predictable output

- the number of independent coordinates required to define its position.

- the number of minimum movements needed to entirely define the

kinematic of a mechanism.

- the minimum number of actuators needed to move a mechanism.

- The minimum number of variables needed to solve the kinematic

equations.

Degrees of freedom
Planar mechanisms:
To determine the DOF of a planar mechanism, the following
Kutzbach’s modification equation of Gruebler’s equation can be used:

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Degrees of freedom
Spatial mechanisms:
The Kutzbach mobility equation for spatial linkages is:

where the subscript refers to the number of freedoms of the joint.

Degrees of freedom
Mechanisms and structures
If the DOF is positive, it will be a mechanism, and the links will have relative
motion.

If the DOF is exactly zero, then it will be a structure, and no motion is possible.

If the DOF is negative, then it is a preloaded structure, which means that no

motion is possible and some stresses may also be present at the time of
assembly.

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Degrees of freedom
DOF

3 4 1 2 4 1

3 4 1 2 4 1

Grashof’s Law
The fourbar linkage is the simplest possible pin-jointed mechanism for single
degree of freedom controlled motion.

It is in the most common and ubiquitous device used in machinery.

It is also extremely versatile in terms of the types of motion which it can

generate.

Thus, the fourbar linkage should be among the first solutions to motion
control problems to be investigated.

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Grashof’s Law
The Grashof condition is a very simple relationship which predicts the rotation
behavior or rotatability of a fourbar linkage's inversions based only on the link
lengths.
Let: S = length of shortest link
L = length of longest link
P = length of one remaining link
Q = length of other remaining link

Then if :

The linkage is Grashof and at least one link will be capable of making a full
revolution with respect to the ground plane.

If the inequality is not true, then the linkage is non-Grashof and no link will be
capable of a complete revolution relative to any other link.

Grashof’s Law

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Grashof’s Law

Kinematics of mechanisms
There are two branches of kinematics known as kinematic analysis and
kinematic synthesis.

Kinematic analysis
It is the study of relative motions associated with the links of a mechanism or
machine and is a critical step toward proper design of a mechanism.
Specifically, given a mechanism and the motion of its input link(s), the
relative displacement, velocity, acceleration, etc., of the other links are to be
found.

These characteristics can be derived by considering the constraints imposed

by the joints. The problem can be formulated by the graphical, vector algebra,
matrix, or other mathematical methods.

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Kinematics of mechanisms
Kinematic synthesis
It is the reverse problem of kinematic analysis. In this case, the designer is
challenged to devise (conceive, develop or invent) a new mechanism that
satisfies certain desired motion characteristics of an output link.

The kinematic synthesis problem can be further divided into three interrelated
phases:

1. Type synthesis refers to the selection of a specific type of mechanism

for product development.

2. Number synthesis deals with the determination of the number of links,

type of joint, and number of joints needed to achieve a given number
of degrees of freedom of a desired mechanism.

3. Dimensional synthesis deals with the determination of the dimensions

or proportions of the links of a mechanism.

QUESTIONS?

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