Middle East Technical University

Department of Mechanical Engineering

ME 310 Theory of Machines I

Part 1 – Planar Mechanisms

Dr. Sezer Özerinç

These lecture notes are adapted from the lecture notes of Prof. Sam Tawfick, Prof.
Seok Kim, and Prof. Liz Hsiao-Wecksler (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
 Topics to be covered
• Planar Kinematics
• Identifying links and joints
• Four-bar linkage (crank-rocker)
• Mechanism mobility
• Degrees of freedom in a mechanism
• Gruebler’s Equation (Gruebler-Kutzbach Equation)
• Gruebler’s Paradoxes
• Isomers
• Grashof Condition
• Inversions
• Toggle Position
• Transmission angle
• Transformation Rules
 PLANAR KINEMATICS
• Kinematics: Study of motion
• position, velocity, acceleration
• We’ll focus on 2-D (planar) designs and
analyses
 Types of planar (2-D) motion
• Rotation
• Translation
• Complex motion = rotation + translation
 Degrees of Freedom (DOF)
• Also called “mobility”
• # independent coordinates required to
define position (and orientation)
• Number of inputs needed to produce
expected output
• Choice of parameters is not unique, but
must be independent
 Degrees of Freedom (DOF)
• 2-D space:
• 3 DOF per object
Y
• Two translations, one rotation
• x, y,q
• One translation, two rotations y q
• r, f ,q r f
x X
• 3-D space:
• 6 DOF per object
• Three translation, three rotation
• x, y, z,q, f, r
 Linkages
• Basic building blocks of mechanisms

• Composed of links and joints

• Mechanism: device that transforms

motions to some desirable pattern and
typically develops very low forces and
transmit little power.
 Examples
Windshield wipers
http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/272

http://kmoddl.library.cornell.edu/linkages/

Desk lamp

Pumpjack
dynref.engr.illinois.edu http://www.densopartsweb.com
 Links
• Rigid body with at least 2 nodes
• “Node”: point of attachment to other links
• Types of links:
• Binary (2 nodes)

• Ternary (3 nodes)

• Quarternary (4 nodes)
 Identifying links

Slocum, 2008
 Joints
• Connection between 2 or more links
• Allows some motion between links
• Also called kinematic pairs
• Types of joints:
• Full joint
• Half joint
• Types of joints can be classified by the
number of DOF that are allowed at the joint
 Types of joints
• Full joint:
• Allows 1 DOF at the joint
• Removes 2 DOF, in planar mechanisms
• pin joint (R = revolute)
• slider joint (P = prismatic)
• pure rolling joint – no slippage, e.g., gears
Δq Δq
 Types of joints
• Half joint:
• Allows 2 DOF at the joint
• Removes 1 DOF, in planar
mechanisms
• pin in slot
• rolling contact – sliding

Δx
Kinematic chains & mechanisms
• Kinematic chain: assemblage of links and
joints interconnected to provide controlled
output motion per supplied input motion
• Mechanism: kinematic chain with at least
one link attached to “ground” or reference
frame
• Machine: collection of mechanisms
arranged to transmit forces and do work
 Four-bar linkage
Crank-rocker
Coupler: not grounded
Crank

Rocker

Ground:
Any link attached to the reference frame
 Mechanism Mobility (or DOF)
• A link has 3 Degrees of Freedom (DOF)
• A system of n unconnected links has 3n DOF
• Half joint
• how many DOF are removed?
• Full joint
• how many DOF are removed?
• Grounding a link
• how many DOF are removed?
How many DOF for each mechanism?

6 4

6 5
 Gruebler’s Equation
(Gruebler-Kutzbach Equation)

• How to compute mobility or #DOF?

• #DOF = 3(n-1) - 2J1 - J2

where n = # links
J1 = # full joints
J2 = # half joints
Four-bar linkage: Identify links, joints and
# DOF by using Gruebler’s equation

= link (n)
= full joint (J1)
= half joint (J2)
Scotch yoke: Identify links, joints and
# DOF by using Gruebler’s equation

= link
= full joint (J1)
= half joint (J2)

Video of Scotch yoke mechanism

http://youtu.be/_K4PSV4MO70
Shoulder press exercise chair:
Identify links, joints and # DOF by using Gruebler’s equation

• 3D -> 2D

http://www.hydraulicfitness.com
Identify links,
joints and
# DOF by
using
Gruebler’s
equation
How many DOF does this mechanism have?
Backhoe, (a) Label links and joints (b) Determine mechanism DOF
(a) Label links and joints (b) Determine mechanism DOF
Three-bar linkage. How many DOF
does this mechanism have?
Mechanism, Structures, and
Preloaded Structures