CHAPTER 10

ADVANCED KINEMATICS OF THE PLANE MOTION

This chapter deals with a number of concepts of kinematics which,

though quite fundamental and of considerable usefulness in mechanism
design, are usually omitted from undergraduate curricula.

10-1. The Inflection Circle; Euler-Savary Equation

As shown in Chaps. 4 and 6, radii of curvature of the paths of moving
points are of great importance in kinematic analysis of mechanisms.
They are of equal significance in synthesis. The only method discussed
thus far of determining the path curvature is based on the knowledge of
the velocity and acceleration of the point concerned: p = v2/an or
P = v*/(vjiy Clearly, as far as mechanisms are concerned, this
—
vyax).
is a roundabout procedure, because here, as in any constrained motion,
the points describe paths which are a geometrical property of the system,
and thus independent of the actual velocities and accelerations. The
inflection circle, dealt with in this section, offers a direct, purely geo
metrical solution of the problem.
Figure 10-1 shows the fixed and moving polodes, uy and irm, which
characterize the displacement of the plane m; Of and Om are the centers of
curvature of the polodes at their point of contact — the instant velocity
pole Pfm— denoted here by P; pn is the pole normal, which originates at
P and points away from irf (see also Fig. 3-22) ; pt is the pole tangent, the
positive sense of which is obtained by turning p„ through 90° in the posi
tive, i.e., counterclockwise, sense.
S is an arbitrary point on m, defined by the ray angle 0„ measured
counterclockwise from p„, and the distance PS. In the following, dis
tances on a ray will be treated as directed line elements, i.e., taken as
positive or negative, the positive sense being from P to the moving point.
Hence fs = P-+S is always positive. (The overbar will be used to
indicate that the particular quantity is directed.) The positive sense
along a line perpendicular to a given ray is obtained by turning the posi
tive ray through 90° counterclockwise. Os is the instantaneous center
of curvature of the path of S.
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