ENGINEERING MECHANICS

Rigid-Body Dynamics:
Plane Kinematics:
Introduction & Rotation
Engineering Mechanics (Dynamics)
(EMD610S)
Prof Samuel John

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Review of last lecture
• Kinetics of particles
• Developed and applied the Newton’s equation of motion (F=ma)
• Work and kinetic energy

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Objectives for this lecture
Rigid-body dynamics
By the end of this lecture you should be able to:
• Explain the principles of rigid-body dynamics
• Explain the governing equations and how they relate to
those of particle dynamics.

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Introduction
• A rigid body is a system of particles connected together
and the distances between them remain unchanged.
• Why rigid body dynamics
• For design of machine elements e.g. cams, gears, linkages etc
• For calculations of motions of rigid bodies caused by applied forces
e.g. rocket motion, submarines, road vehicles etc

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Assumption of Rigidity
• Position vectors of each particle with respect to a fixed
reference axis on a rotating rigid-body will remain
unchanged.
• Note that this is an ideal situation

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Plane motion
• There are three plane motions of rigid-body
1. Translation motion
I. Rectilinear translation
II. Curvilinear translation
2. Fixed-axis rotational motion
3. General plane motion: combination of translation and rotational
motion

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Translation
Rectilinear &
Curvilinear

1. Rectilinear
Translation
All points follow parallel
straight-line paths

Curvilinear Translation
2. All points in the body
follow curved paths
that are of the same
shape and are
equidistant from one
another

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Rotation about a fixed axis
All the particles of the
body, except those
which lie on the axis of
rotation move along
circular paths

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General plane motion
The body undergoes a
combination of
translation and rotation

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Crank mechanism showing rigid body
plane motion
Curve paths
Translation + rotation

Fixed axes

Straight-line Circular paths

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Translation
motion
Consider the rigid-body
subjected to translational
motion (rectilinear or
curvilinear)

A & B are fixed on the body

Therefore:

𝑑𝑟⃑"⁄# 𝑑$ 𝑟⃑"⁄#
= =0
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 $

𝑟⃑" = 𝑟⃑# + 𝑟⃑"/#

All points on a translating rigid body move with the same
velocity and acceleration. Therefore, the kinematics of
𝑣⃑" = 𝑣⃑#
particle motion may also be used to specify the kinematics
of points located in a translating rigid body.
𝑎⃑" = 𝑎⃑#

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Rotation Consider two lines 1& 2 fixed on
the rigid-body:

𝜃! = 𝜃" + 𝛽

Since 𝛽 is fixed

𝜃̇! = 𝜃̇"
And

𝜃̈! = 𝜃̈"
Alternatively, during an
infinite displacement:

Δ𝜃! = Δ𝜃"

All lines on a rigid-body in its plane of motion have the

same angular displacement, the same angular velocity
and the same angular acceleration.
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Angular motion relations
When the angular position coordinate
𝜃 is differentiated once wrt time, it
yields the angular velocity 𝜔; and
when it is differentiated twice wrt time,
it yields the angular acceleration 𝛼
𝑑𝜃
𝜔= = 𝜃̇
𝑑𝑡
Note the following analogies between
particle dynamics and rigid body
dynamics:
𝑠, 𝑣, & 𝑎 are analogous to 𝜃, 𝜔 & 𝛼
Therefore, for rotation with constant
angular acceleration we will have:
𝜔 = 𝜔# + 𝛼𝑡

!" ! &$ 𝜔! = 𝜔#! + 2𝛼(𝜃 − 𝜃#)

𝛼= = 𝜔̇ or 𝛼 = = 𝜃̈
!# !# &
1 !
𝜃 = 𝜃# + 𝜔#𝑡 + 𝛼𝑡
̇ 𝜃̇ = 𝜃𝑑𝜃
̈ 2
𝜔𝑑𝜔 = 𝛼𝑑𝜃 or 𝜃𝑑

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Rotation about a fixed axis
Body rotates about fixed axis O
Point A will move in a circle with
radius 𝑟: the following applies:

𝑣 = 𝑟𝜔

𝑎) = 𝑟𝜔* = 𝑣 * ⁄𝑟 = 𝑣𝜔

𝑎+ = 𝑟𝛼

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Vector formation
The previous expressions could be
expressed using the cross-product
relationship of vectors:

𝑣⃑ = 𝑟⃑̇ = 𝜔×𝑟⃑

The order of the vectors should be

retained. The reverse order gives:

𝑟⃑ ×𝜔 = −𝑣⃑

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 Vector formation
The acceleration of point A is obtained by
differentiating the cross-product expression
for 𝑣,
⃑ which gives:

𝑎⃑ = 𝑣⃑̇ = 𝜔×𝑟⃑̇ + 𝜔×
̇ 𝑟⃑

= 𝜔× 𝜔×𝑟⃑ + 𝜔×
̇ 𝑟⃑

= 𝜔×𝑣⃑ + 𝛼×
⃑ 𝑟⃑
Therefore, the vector formation of the
equations will be:
𝑣⃑ = 𝜔×𝑟⃑

𝑎⃑% = 𝜔×(𝜔×𝑟) ⃑
𝑎⃑# = 𝛼×
⃑ 𝑟⃑
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The right-hand rule
From the definition of the cross-
product, using the right-hand rule
coordinate system, we get:

𝒊×𝒋 = 𝒌; 𝒋×𝒌 = 𝒊; 𝒌×𝒊 = 𝒋

𝒋×𝒊 = −𝒌; 𝒌×𝒋 = −𝒊; 𝒊×𝒌 = −𝒋 and

𝒊×𝒊 = 𝒋×𝒋 = 𝒌×𝒌 = 𝟎

These are important in solving 3D

problems.

See Appendix C/7 section 7

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Conversion of units:
36 inc=3 ft= 0.914 m
48 inc= 4 ft=1.22 m
12 inc=0.305 m
3 ft/sec = 0.914 m/s

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