Kinematics Fundamentals 1

Learning Objectives

Articulate what attributes of 2-D motion, clearly distinguish pure rotation, pure translation, and complex motion. Correctly apply terminology of joints and identify various types, in particular lower pair vs. higher pair, full joint vs. half joint, form-closed vs. force-closed, and joint order. Identify the six lower pairs and describe their motion. Correctly apply kinematic chain terminology including mechanisms, cranks, rockers, couplers, and ground. Describe the characteristics of open vs. closed kinematic chains and define a dyad in particular. Determine the number of degrees of freedom of a linkage using the Kutzbach Equation. Explain and apply distinctions for discussing mechanisms vs. structures vs. preloaded structures.
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Types of Rigid Body Motion

In pure rotation, the body has a center point of rotation, that has no motion with respect to a stationary reference frame. All other points on the body describe arcs about that center. A reference line drawn on the body through the center changes only its angular orientation. In pure translation, all points on the body describe parallel paths with respect to each other. The motion may be either rectilinear or curvilinear. A reference line drawn on the body changes its linear position but not its angular orientation. Complex motion involves a simultaneous combination of rotation and translation. Points on the body with travel non-parallel paths and the center of rotation will continuously change location. Any reference line drawn on the body will change both its linear position and its angular orientation. Motion may be also be described as 1-D (rectilinear), 2-D (planar), or 3-D (spatial)how do these relate to rotation and translation?
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Types of Links

A link is a (sufficiently) rigid body that has at least two nodes for attachment to other links. One of the most fundamental characteristics of a link is the number of nodes it has, so the order of a link is discussed as binary, ternary, quaternary, pentagonal, hexagonal, ... In kinematics, the relative positions of the nodes are more significant that the shape or appearance of the link itself.

Reference: Design of Machinery, 5th ed. by R. L. Norton, 2012, McGraw-Hill

Terminology of Joints

A joint (also called kinematic pair) is a connection between two or more links at their nodes, which may allow motion between the links. A lower pair is a joint with surface contact; a higher pair is a joint with point or line contact. A full joint has one degree of freedom; a half joint has two degrees of freedom. Full joints are lower pairs; half-joints are higher pairs and allow both rotation and translation (roll-slide). A form-closed joint is one in which the links are kept together by its geometry; a force-closed joint requires some external force to keep the links together. Joint order is the number of links joined minus one (e.g. 1st order means two links).
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The Six Lower Pairs (surface contact)

The revolute (R) joint and the prismatic (P) joint are the building blocks of all planar mechanisms. The revolute (R) joint and the prismatic (P) joint happen to be 1-DOF joints, but lower pairs (not necessarily full joints) as seen here may have 1, 2, or 3 DOF.

Reference: Design of Machinery, 5th ed. by R. L. Norton, 2012, McGraw-Hill

Examples of Joints

Lower pair or higher pair? Revolute, prismatic, helical, cylindrical, spherical, or planar? Full joint or half joint? How many degrees of freedom? Form-closed joint or force-closed? Order of the joint?
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A joint does not always behave the same

Kinematic Chains and Link Terminology

A kinematic chain is an assemblage of links and joints, interconnected in a way to provide a controlled output motion in response to a supplied input motion. A mechanism is a kinematic chain in which at least one link has been grounded by attachment to the frame of reference. Ground is any link or links that are fixed with respect to the reference frame. The reference frame itself may or may not be moving. A crank is a link that makes a complete revolution and is pivoted to ground. A rocker is a link that has oscillatory rotation and is pivoted to ground. A coupler is a link that has complex motion and is not pivoted to ground.
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The Ground Link

Multiple grounded nodes Fourbar Mechanism

When studying mechanisms it is very helpful to establish a fixed reference frame by assigning one of the links as ground. The motion of all other links are described with respect to the ground link. For example, a fourbar mechanism often looks like a 3-bar mechanism, where the first bar is simply the ground link. When there are multiple grounded nodes in a mechanism, all can be viewed as one link (which may be binary, ternary, quaternary, etc.).
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Reference: Design of Machinery, 5th ed. by R. L. Norton, 2012, McGraw-Hill

Open and Closed Kinematic Chains

An open kinematic chain will always have more than one degree of freedom. A closed kinematic chain will have no open nodes and may have one or more degrees of freedom. A dyad is an open kinematic chain of just two binary links and one joint.
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Degree of Freedom (Review)

The degree of freedom (DOF) of a system is The number of independent coordinates required to define its position. The number of inputs that need to be provided in order to create a predictable output.

Also known as mobility (M). Rigid bodies in 3-D space have 6 DOF and those constrained to a plane have 3 DOF.
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Reference: Design of Machinery, 5th ed. by R. L. Norton, 2012, McGraw-Hill

Joints Remove Degrees of Freedom

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Determining Mobility in Planar Mechanisms

M = 3( L 1) 2 J1 J 2

Kutzbachs Equation

M = degree of freedom (mobility) L = number of links J1 = number of 1 DOF (full) joints J2 = number of 2 DOF (half) joints

Multiple joints having more than two links count as one less than the number of links joined at that joint, and are then added as full joints (J1). This is known as Kutzbachs Equation, which is a modification of Grueblers Equation that explicitly distinguishes full joints and half joints.
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Example 1

Simple fourbar mechanism

Crank-slider mechanism

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Degree of Freedom Example 2

M = 3( L 1) 2 J1 J 2 = 3(8 - 1) 2(10) 0 = 1
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Degree of Freedom Example 3

M = 3( L 1) 2 J1 J 2 = 3(6 - 1) 2(7) 1 = 0
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Mechanisms, Structures, and Preloading

If DOF > 0, the assembly of links is a mechanism and will exhibit relative motion. If DOF = 0, the assembly of links is a structure and no motion is possible. If DOF < 0,then the assembly is a preloaded structure, no motion is possible, and in general stresses are present.

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