Introduction to Kinematics

Mechanism - defined as that division of machine design which is concerned with kinematic design
of linkages, cams, gears, and gear trains.

Kinematic Design - Design on the basis of motion requirements in contrast to design on the basis of
strength requirements.

Slider Crank Mechanism

Link 1 is the frame, Link 2 is the crank,

Link 3 is the connecting Rod and Link 4
is the slider

Internal Combustion Engine

Cam and Follower

The Cam rotates at a constant

angular velocity, and the
follower moves up and down.
On the upward motion the
follower is driven by the cam,
and on the return motion it is
driven by the action of gravity
or a spring.
Gears

Use in many applications to transmit motion from on shaft to another with a constant angular
velocity ratio.

Gear Train

Gear Train - For reduction of

angular speed

Mechanism - is a combination of rigid or resistant bodies so formed and connected that they move
upon each other with definite relative motion. Example is the crank, connecting rod, and piston of
an internal combustion engine.

Machine - is a mechanism or collection of mechanisms which transmit force from the source of power
to resistance to overcome. An example of internal combustion engine.

TYPES OF MOTION
Plane motion

Translation - When a rigid body so moves that the position of each straight line of the body
is parallel to all of its other positions, the body has motion of translation.

❀ Rectilinear Motion
- all points of the body move in
parallel straight-line paths. When the
body moves back and forth in this
manner, it is said to reciprocate.
Where the slider 4 reciprocates
between the limits of B’ and B’’’
Rotation - if each point of a rigid body having a plane
motion remains at constant distance from a fixed axis
that is perpendicular to the plane of motion, the body
has motion of rotation. If the body rotates back and
forth through given angle, it is said to oscillate.

Rotation and Translation

❀ Helical Motion - When a rigid body moves so that each point of the body has motion
of rotation about a fixed axis and at the same time has translation parallel to the axis,
the body has helical motion. An example of helical motion is the motion of a nut as
the nut is screw onto the bolt.
❀ Spherical Motion - When a rigid body moves so that each point of the body has
motion about a fixed point while remaining at a constant distance from it, the body
has spherical motion.
❀ Spatial Motion - A body moving with rotation about three nonparallel axes and
translation in three independent directions is said to be undergoing general spatial
motion.

KINEMATIC DIAGRAM
A strip-down
(simplified) drawing
showing the essentials
needed for kinematic
analysis. All links are
numbered while the
joints are lettered.
Degrees of freedom
An object has six degrees of freedom

❀ Translation - Movement along X, Y, and Z axis (Three degrees of freedom)

❀ Rotation - rotate about X,Y, and Z axis (three degrees of freedom)

Degrees of Freedom – Number independent

coordinates required to completely specify the
position of the link

Three independent coordinates needed to specify

the location of the link AB, XA, YA and angle θ. An
unconstrained link in the plane has three degrees of
freedom, mechanism with L links has 3L Degrees of
freedom

Types of Joints – kinematic pairs

❀ Lower Pairs - Motion is transmitted through an area contact, pin and slider joints.
❀ Higher Pairs - motion is transmitted through a line or a point contact; gears, rollers, and
spherical joints.

1. Each pin connection removes two degrees

of freedom of relative motion between two
successive links.
2. Two degrees of freedom joints are
sometimes called a half joint (Norton).
3. A slider constrained against moving in the
vertical direction as well as being constrained
from rotating in the plane.
4. A spherical pair is a ball and socket joint 3
DOF.
5. The Helical pair has the sliding and
rotational motion related by the helix angle of
the screw.
6. Planar pair is seldom use
DOF – Higher pairs
Roll-slide contact – 2 DOF Rolling contact (no sliding) – 1 DOF

Gears – sliding and rotation motion between Spring – no effect of mechanism DOF
two teeth – 2 DOF

Belt and pulley (no sliding) or chain and sprocket - 1 DOF

GRUBLER EQUATION
DOF = 3(L-1) – 2J1 – J2

DOF = Degree of freedom or mobility

L = Number of links, including ground link

J1 = Number of 1 DOF joints (full joints)

J2 = Number of 2 DOF joints (half joints)

DOF ≤ 0 → structure

DOF ≥ 0 → mechanism
 DOF = 3(4-1) – 2(4)

DOF = 1

DOF = 3(4-1) – 2(5)

DOF = -1

DOF = 3(3-1) – 2(2) – 1(1)

DOF = 1

FOUR BAR LINKAGE MOTION AND GRASHOF'S LAW

Grashof’s Law states that for a four-bar linkage system, if the sum of length of shortest and longest of
a planar quadrilateral linkage is less than or equal to the sum of the remaining two links, then the
shortest link can rotate freely with respect to neighboring link. In a four-bar chain there are four turning
pairs and no sliding pairs.

Let’s denote the smallest link of four bar linkage with S and the longest link by L and the other two
links by P and Q.

❀ The necessary condition to satisfy Grashof’s Law is

↬ S+L≤P+Q
❀ This condition is divided into two cases:
↬ S+L<P+Q
↬ S+L=P+Q