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On the geometry and design of four bar linkage mechanisms

Conference Paper · July 2012

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 ON THE GEOMETRY AND DESIGN OF FOUR BAR LINKAGE
MECHANISMS
E. Martínez1, C. Romero1, M.V. Carbonell1, M. Flórez1

1
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (SPAIN)
elvira.martinez@upm.es, carlos.romerom@upm.es, victoria.carbonell@upm.es,
mercedes.florez@upm.es

Abstract
Machines and mechanisms are used wherever it is necessary to replace human work. Many machines
(engines, machine tools, agricultural machineries, packaging and automatic machineries, …), require
devices that should exhibit certain movements prescribed by technology of working processes.
The generation of desired motion of a point-the locus of a point-has been long studied in mechanics.
By choosing proper link lengths and coupler point location, useful curves can be found, which were
formalized by applying geometry to the analysis and synthesis of machines.
Reuleaux’s theories about machines, based largely on geometric ideas and not on dynamic principles,
are useful in the kinematic analysis and design of a mechanism which requires information on the
changing geometry during motion.
From the time of Watt, the generation of straight-line paths has been widely studied and many
mechanisms describing straight lines have been classified according to their description of an exact or
an approximately-so straight line. For understanding the working of four bar linkage mechanisms,
authors designed different simulations by using the Geogebra software.
Keywords: Simulations, mechanism, four-bar linkage.

1 INTRODUCTION
The generation of motion described by a point has been a problem in the mechanics studied; since the
time of Archimedes (1,2). Such study was later formalized by applying geometry to the analysis and
synthesis of machines.
Although the term kinematics was coined by A.M. Ampère as the part of Physics which analyses
motion without regard to causal forces, the father of modern kinematics is really F. Releaux. He
developed the key idea of the Machine as a kinematic chain linked by pairs of geometric constraints.
Although Reuleaux’s theories (3) about machines were important contributions, his theories were
based largely on geometric ideas and not on dynamic principles, later incorporated in the theory of
machines. In this way, in many engineering applications, such as in engines and mechanisms,
geometry plays an important role.
Topological analysis of mechanisms, involving aspects related to geometrical configuration, leads to
the geometrical conditions for the lengths of mechanical linkages, e.g a four-bar linkage, and
establishes the roles played by the link. Four-bar mechanisms provide a great source of geometrical
problems, such as the identification of design parameters for a given coupler curve.
Some of these linkages played a key role in the industrial revolution, when J. Watt (4) needed a
mechanism with approximate straight-line output to improve his steam engine, and still today find
many uses in robotics. Following Watts, a whole range of mechanisms which approximate a straight
line have been developed.
In this paper we expose the importance of the geometry on the design of mechanisms and its use in
engineering.

2 MECHANICAL LINKAGES AND MECHANISMS

th
Mechanical linkages are a fundamental part of machine design; in the 18 century the problem of
converting circular motion to rectilinear and vice versa was crucial in the design of steam engines.
A mechanical linkage is a series of rigid links connected with joints to form a closed chain, or a series
of closed chains. Each link has two or more joints, and the joints have various degrees of freedom to
allow relative movement.
A linkage is called a mechanism if two or more links are movable with respect to a fixed link.
Mechanical linkages are usually designed to take an input and produce a different output, altering
motion, velocity, acceleration, and applying mechanical advantage. If a linkage is designed to be
stationary it is called a structure.
The function of a link mechanism is the production of rotating, oscillating, or reciprocating motion from
the rotation of a crank or vice versa. Linkage design is often (5) divided into three categories of tasks
called motion generation, function generation and point-path generation, respectively. The point-path
generation category is a classical problem in linkage design where the primary concern is the
generation of straight-line paths.
One of the simplest examples of linkage is the four-link mechanism or four- bar linkage mechanism. A
variety of useful mechanisms can be formed from a four-link mechanism with slight variations, such as
changing the character of the pairs, proportions of links, etc.

2.1 Four bar linkage mechanism

The four-bar linkage mechanism, formed by four links connected in a closed chain, each obtained by
grounding a different link, provides a great number of geometrical problems, some very complex.
The classification of closed chains is based on a study of the mechanism function (function is usually
described as the association of individual inputs and outputs with elements of the chain) as related to
its form (form is usually described by the relative lengths of members and the relative position of the
link selected to act as the fixed or foundation link.).
A four-bar linkage mechanism (Fig. 1) consists of four rigid links; the frame or fixed link, to which is
pivoted the crank and follower, whose intermediary is aptly called coupler. These members are linked
by four revolute pairs. A point on the coupler is called the coupler point, and its path, when the crank is
rotated, is called coupler curve (6).
By choosing proper link lengths and coupler point location, curves can be derived whose usefulness
depends on the shape of a segment, be it, for example, an approximate straight line or a circular arc.
The motion of the coupler point is now the output of the linkage.
Kinematic linkages, identical except in the choice of the foundation link, are called "inversions." In
describing the functional characteristics of inversions of four-bar linkages, one pivoting link is usually
considered the "input" or "driver" member and the other pivoted member the "output" or "driven"
member. The remaining moving link has various names, such as "connecting link" or “coupler link”.
In a four-bar linkage, as shown in Fig. 1, Grashof’s Law (7,8) determines whether there is a link that
can rotate 360 degree. Grashof´s law establishes that “If the sum of length of the longest and shortest
links are less than the sum of length of the other two links, there must be a link that can rotate 360
degrees; if not, no link can rotate 360 degrees”. It is summarized as
s + l <= p + q (has at least one revolving link ) (1)
s + l > p + q (all three mobile links are rocker) (2)
where
s = length of shortest bar
l = length of longest bar
p, q = lengths of intermediate bar
Some important concepts in link mechanisms are: Crank is a side link which revolves relative to the
frame and a rocker is any link which does not revolve.

Coupler link

Output
Input
 Figure 1. Four bar linkage mechanism

All four-bar mechanisms fall into one of the following types, depending on the shortest bar and
Grashof´s law.
l+s versus p+q Shortest bar Mechanism
< Frame Double crank
< Side Rocker-crank
< Coupler Double rocker
= Any Change point
> Any Double rocker

From the above data we can see that one of the links of a mechanism is called crank if the sum of the
length of its shortest and longest links must be less than or equal to the sum of the length of the other
two links. However, this condition is necessary but not sufficient. Mechanisms satisfying this condition
fall into the following three categories:
When the shortest link is a side link, the mechanism is a crank-rocker mechanism. In the mechanism
the shortest link is the crank.
When the shortest link is the frame of the mechanism, the mechanism is a double-crank mechanism.
When the shortest link is the coupler link, the mechanism is a double-rocker mechanism.

2.2 Simulations
In recent years, there is an increasing interest in the use of simulation software in the design of
mechanisms. These computer aids are designed to help construct models that are abstract, detached
from the real world and may be adapted to be as faithful to the physical world as possible. To create a
mechanism the initial approach is to examine the topology of the lever system and then to detail the
geometry to implement that mechanism.For our purpose of design four-bar linkage mechanisms we
have used the Geogebra software of dynamic geometry.
Dynamic geometry is a discipline that appeared during the 1980s as a new tool in geometry. The key
concept in dynamic geometry is interaction, that is, the user selects a geometric object on the screen,
moves it and immediately sees how the geometric construction changes.
GeoGebra makes a connection between Geometry and Algebra. The workspace is divided into the
Geometry window on the right, and the Algebra window on the left (the list of independent and
dependent objects). Every object in the Geometry window is also represented in the Algebra window.
Commands can be entered by selecting toolbar icons, menu options, or by manual entry in the input
text box displayed below the workspace. The toolbar has a full range of icons or tools for constructing
objects from points, segments, lines, vectors, to conic sections. Each tool displayed in the toolbar is
just one of a group of related tools.
The Construction Protocol, a table which lists all the steps needed to create a construction, is also
available in the menu. A construction can be replayed for a demonstration via a navigation bar which
can be displayed in the Geometry window.
The most important advantage of using Geogebra software lies with the fact that the geometric design
can be saved outside the Geogebra environment as an HTML file.
2.3 Design of four bar linkage mechanisms with Geogebra software
Double crank, double rocker and crank-rocker mechanisms were designed with the Geogebra
software, shown in Fig. 2, 3 and 4 respectively. When the double-crank applet starts running (Fig. 2),
points C and D describe circular paths.
When the double-rocker applet (Fig. 3) starts running, points C and D describe arcs and, when the
crank-rocker applet, shown in Fig. 4, starts running, point C describes a circumference while D
describes an arch.

Figure 2

Figure 3. Double rocker mechanism

 Figure 4. Crank-Rocker mechanism

3 CONCLUSIONS
Use of simulations helps to deepen and broaden understanding of mechanical linkages and,
specifically, Grashoff´s law; by changing the length of links, users observe the different configuration
of the mechanisms. Pprepared simulations may be very useful to help the less gifted students to better
understand kinematic problems of mechanisms.
Geogebra software allows the professor to make his/her own didactic design, including not only the
qualitative observation of the motion but also the solving of quantitative problems.

REFERENCES
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in the history of instantaneous planar kinemaics. Mechanism and machine theory 21, pp.489-
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approach and instantaneous properties of a point trajectory in spatial kinematics, Mechanism
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[3] Moon, F.C.(2003). Franz Reuleaux: Contributions to 19th century kinematics and theory of
machines, Appl.Mech.Rev.56, pp. 261.
[4] Ferguson, E.S. (1962). Kinematics of mechanisms from the time of Watt, Contributions from the
museum of history and technology 27, pp185-230.
[5] McCarthy, J.M., Soh, G.S.( 2010). Geometric design of linkages. Springer.
[6] Hunt, K.H.(1973). Profiled-follower mechanisms, Mechanism and Machine Theory, 8, pp. 371-
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[8] Grashof, F.(1883). Theoretische maschinenlehre, Vol. 2. Theorie der Getriebe und der
mechanischen Messinstrumente 2, Book from the collections of University of Michigan, USA.

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