AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

MENG 372: Mechanical Systems

Mid Term Exam 2, 2 December 2010
Name: ID:

1. (40) A scotch yoke mechanism is used to convert

rotary motion to rectilinear motion of a slider, as
illustrated.

(a) For a constant input angular velocity , a

given radius r and angle , show how to
solve for the slider velocity using complex
vectors. Write down these equations in a
matrix form.
r

(b) Write down the equation(s) that can be
solved for the slider acceleration.
(c) Using relative velocities, draw a velocity
diagram and derive an equation for the
slider velocity.
(d) For r = 0.02 m and  = 50 rad/s, calculate
the slider velocity when  = 0° and 90°.

2. (40) Using analytical synthesis, we wish to design a four-bar linkage to move a coupler from C1D1 to
C2D2, while keeping the ground supports at O2 and O4, as illustrated below.
D2
D1
C1
C2

O2 O4

(a) Write down the vector loop equation(s) necessary to design the linkage.
(b) Identify the unknowns. How many free choices can you make?

3. (20) Draw a free body diagram for the wheel of Problem 1, and write down the equations needed to
conduct a dynamic force analysis. Neglect friction.