KINEMATICS:

1. The branch of mechanics concerned with the motion of objects without reference to the
forces which cause the motion.
2. The features or properties of motion in an object.

KINEMATIC REQUIREMENTS IN DESIGN:

Kinematic considerations are part of machine design specifications. Although the two
examples discussed here do not adequately represent the thousands of mechanisms in
applications, they should help to develop a general perception of such requirements.
Figure 2.3 shows an earthmoving machine, which has a front-mounted bucket
and a linkage that loads material into the bucket through forward motion of the
machine and then lifts, transports, and discharges this material. Hydraulic cylinder
5 lifts arm 4, while hydraulic cylinder 6 controls, through links 10 (bell crank) and
7, the position of the bucket. Thus, the final displacement of the bucket is controlled
by two mechanisms: one is the mechanism for lifting the arm, and the other is for
the rotation of the bucket. The first is an inversion of the slider-crank mechanism
(see Figure 1.14b). The second is a four-bar linkage, in which link 10 is a crank,
link 7 is a coupler, and the bucket is a follower link. In designing this machine, if
the positions of the bucket are given, then the designer has to find such dimensions
of the links that allow attaining the given positions of the bucket. Since the hydraulic
cylinders have a limited stroke, the rotations of both the arm and the bucket are
limited to some specific angles. Thus, in order for a bucket to be in a needed position,
the two motions, of arm 4 and of crank 10, must be synchronized.
The process of finding the mechanism parameters given the needed output is
called kinematic synthesis. If, however, the mechanism parameters are known, then
the objective is to find the motion of the output link. This process of finding the
output motion given the mechanism parameters is called kinematic analysis. In the
case of the example in Figure 2.3, if the dimensions of all links were known, then
the objective would be to find the displacements of the hydraulic cylinders such that
the bucket is in proper position. In other words, by performing kinematic analysis
the relationship between the displacements of the pistons in cylinders and the position
of the bucket will be established.
Another example is an application of a slider-crank mechanism in an internal
combustion engine (Figure 2.4). The motion from piston 4 is transferred through
connecting rod 3 to crank 2, which rotates the
crankshaft. This is a diesel engine,
which means that one cycle, combustion–exhaust–
intake–compression, comprises
two complete crank revolutions. If all components of
the cycle are equal in duration,
then each will take 180°. In other words, the stroke of the engine, the piston motion
From its maximum upper position to its lowest position, should correspond to 180°
of the crank rotation. This is a kinematic requirement of the mechanism. Another
kinematic requirement is that the swing of the connecting rod be such that it does
not interfere with the walls of the cylinder. There are other design requirements
affecting kinematic and dynamic analysis: link dimensions and shape.

THE PROCESS OF KINEMATIC ANALYSIS:

Kinematics is the study of motion without consideration of what causes the motion.
In other words, the input motion is assumed to be known and the objective is to find
the transformation of this motion. Kinematic analysis comprises the following steps:
• Make a skeletal representation of the real mechanism.
• Find its mobility.
• Choose a coordinate system.
• Identify all links by numbers.
• Identify all angles characterizing link positions.
• Write a loop-closure equation.
• Identify input and output variables.
• Solve the loop-closure equation.
• Check the results by numerical analysis.
A skeletal representation completely describes the kinematics of the mechanism;
i.e., it allows one to find the trajectories, velocities, and accelerations of any point
on a skeleton. As long as this information is available, the trajectory of any point

Not located on a skeleton is easily found. Thus, the analysis of mechanisms is reduced
to the analysis of their skeletons. The skeleton is represented by a system of connected
links. The position of each link is identified by an angle in the chosen
coordinate system.