FOUNDATION of MECHANICS 1

MECHANICS of MACHINES
MECHANISM & MACHINE SCIENCE

The Mechanics of Machines deals with problems associated with the

movement and equilibrium of mechanical systems. The M.o.M. main topics are:

• Composition of the machines: degrees of freedom of a mechanism,

mechanical efficiency
efficiency...;;
• Tribology: contact between the organs of the machines during their relative
motion, power transmission, friction, energy dissipation, wear, rolling
friction, lubrication...;
• Theory of mechanisms: machine behavior from the functional viewpoint;
linkages couplings,
linkages, couplings cams
cams, gears and gearing,
gearing brakes
brakes...
• Dynamics: calculation and balancing of inertia actions, coupling between
p
actuator and operating g machine, functioning g of machines and p
plants in
steady states or for transients…
 MACHINE

• Mechanical system that transmits and transforms force and motion

(i energy)) to
(i.e. t perform
f a specific
ifi task:
t k

– MECHANISM (speed reducers and variators, belt/chain transmissions,

cam mechanisms,
mechanisms coupler
coupler...))
– MOTOR (IC engines, electric motors, hydraulic motors...)
– GENERATOR (pumps and compressors, dynamos, turbines...)
– OPERATING (or WORKING) MACHINE (machine tools, automatic m.,
packaging m., farming m., textile m., lifting and transport m., vehicles,
robots...)
p mp
pump
speed
reducers

IC engine industrial robot

 MODELLING

• Starting point: defining a proper model of the examined

mechanical
h i l system,
t considering
id i allll th
the aspects
t we are
interested in (and only those) and assuming reasonable
hypotheses and approximations.
approximations

REAL PHYSICAL MATHEMATICAL

SYSTEM MODEL MODEL

 SOLUTION:
 analytical
 numerical
 graphical
 MODELLING
crankshaft

Slider-crank mechanism

piston

conrod

accessories
 ANALYSES

• Three kinds of analysis in Mechanics of Machines:

• Kinematic analysis (+ Kinematic synthesis)

• Static analysis
– Kinetostatic
(Inverse dynamic)
• Dynamic analysis
– Dynamic
(Direct dynamic)
 COMPOSITION OF MECHANISMS
basic definitions
Rigid
g body:
y solid bodyy in which the distance between any
y two
given points is constant.

A basic concept in Kinematics is the Degree of Freedom (DOF)

Number of independent kinematic variables

required to completely define the configuration
of a system at any instant of time.
time

• DOFs of a free rigid body in a 2D Space (plane): 3

• DOFs
DOF off a free
f rigid
i id b
body
d iin a 3D S
Space: 6
 COMPOSITION OF MECHANISMS
basic definitions

• Link
• Kinematic element & Kinematic joint (or pair)
• Mechanism: system of bodies designed to convert
motion of
or one or several bodies into
f
forces on

constrained motion of
or other bodies.
forces on
COMPOSITION OF MECHANISMS
 COMPOSITION OF MECHANISMS
basic definitions

• Link
• Kinematic element & Kinematic joint (or pair)
• rigid vs. flexible joints
• contact surface vs. contact point/segment joints
- Lower p
pair: rigid
g AND contact surface
- Higher pair: non rigid OR point/segment contact
• planar
l vs. spherical
h i l vs. generic
i joints
j i t
• linkage: planar mechanism with lower joints only
KINEMATIC JOINTS

REVOLUTE

PRISMATIC

HELICAL
 KINEMATIC JOINTS

CYLINDRICAL Revolute
PLANAR HIGHER PAIR

PLANE on PLANE

SPHERICAL
 KINEMATIC JOINTS

Relative motion 2-1


V M ( 21) t  0
  Rolling
g
V M ( 21) n  0

V M ( 21) t  0
  Sliding
• Projections of the kinematic V M ( 21) n  0 (Rolling possible as well)
elements in the plane:
common tangent line in M 
V M ( 21) t  Impact
V M ( 21) n  0
• Contact kept during the
relative motion or Separation
 CONJUGATE PROFILES
 KINEMATIC JOINTS

DOF Class Conventional name Rotation Translation Helical motion

R (Revolute) 1
1 C1 P (Prismatic) 1
H (Helical) 1
RT 2
C (Cylindrical) 1 1
2 C2
CS (Planar higher pair) 1 1
R 1 1
S (Spherical) 3
SA 2 1
3 C3
SL 2 1
PP (Plane on plane) 1 2
SC 3 1
4 C4 SE 3 1
CC 2 2
5 C5 S5 3 2

Bold: most used joints Red: planar joints Highlighted: lower pair
 COMPOSITION OF MECHANISMS
basic definitions
No link is Kinematic chain vs. Mechanism One link is
fixed a priori chosen as
the frame
Kinematic chains (examples)

STEPHENSON WATT
kinematic chain kinematic chain

Mechanisms (from previous kin. ch.)

 DOFs of MECHANISMS

Calculating
g the DOFs of a mechanism: the Grübler’s formula
(DOF := Number of independent kinematic variables required to
completely define the configuration of a system at any instant of time)

m = number of links [1 link is the frame]

ci = number of joints [(6 – i) DOFs are constrained]
leaving i DOFs free

3D) l  6 (m  1)  5 c1  4 c2  3 c3  2 c4  c5

2D) l  3( m  1)  2 c1  c2
 DOFs of MECHANISMS

Calculating
g the DOFs of a mechanism: the Grübler’s formula
l = mechanism DOFs NJ = number of joints
b off lilinks
m = number k DOF lleft
li = DOFs ft free
f b the
by th i-th
i th joint
j i t
NJ

3D) l  6 ( m  1)   (6  li )
i 1
NJ
2D) l  3(m  1)   (3  li )
i1

l  number of configuration variables to be actuated

b means off motors or other
by h d devices/mechanisms
i / h i
 DOFs of MECHANISMS

Examples
p

l=1 l=1
Crank–slider mechanism Four-bar
Four bar linkage

l=1 l=1

Belt & Pulleys transmission Cam system

CAM SYSTEMS: overview
 DOFs of MECHANISMS

Examples
p

l=3 l=3

l=6 l=6
DOFs of MECHANISMS

Examples
p

l=2
 DOFs of MECHANISMS

Caution in using
g Grubler’s formula!
1
A AM = MB
• 3D vs. 2D Spaces
R R
M
R 2
5
3
R
4 B
R R

• Redundant constraints

• Ineffective/meaningless constraints 2

l  3(m  1)  2 c1  c2
3 1

l  6 ( m  1)  5 c1  4 c2  3 c3  2 c4  c5 4
DOFs of MECHANISMS

Ineffective/meaningless constraints

McPherson Suspension