MACHINE ELEMENTS

CHAPTER 2: MOTION
2-2. PATH

A point moving in space describes a line called its path, which

may be rectilinear or curvilinear. If the motion is in a plane,
two points suffice, and if rectilinear, one point suffices, to
determine the motion.
2-3. DIRECTION AND SENSE

If a point is moving along a straight path, the direction of

its motion is along the line which constitutes its path;
motion toward one end of the line being assumed as
having positive direction and indicated by a positive (+)
sign, the motion toward the other end would be negative
and indicated by a negative (-) sign. This is referred to as
the sense of motion.
2-4. CONTINUOUS MOTION

When a point continues to move indefinitely in a given

path in the same sense, its motion is said to be continuous.
In this case the path must return on itself, as a circle or
other closed curve.
2-5. RECIPROCATING MOTION

When a point traverses the same path and reverses its

motion at the ends of such path, the motion is said to be
reciprocating.
2-6. OSCILLATION

Is a term applied to reciprocating circular motion, as that

of a pendulum.
2-7. INTERMITTENT MOTION

When the motion of a point is interrupted

by periods of rest, its motion is said to be
intermittent.
2-8. REVOLUTION AND ROTATION

A point is said to revolve about an axis when it

describes a circle of which the center is in the axis and
of which the plane is perpendicular to the axis. When
all the points of a body thus move, the body is said to
revolve about the axis.
 Ifthis axis passes through the body, as in a wheel, the
word rotation is used synonymously with revolution. The
word turn is often used synonymously with revolution
and rotation. It frequently occurs that a body not only
rotates about an axis passing through itself, but also
moves in an orbit about another axis.
2-9. AN AXIS OF ROTATION OR
REVOLUTION

A line whose direction is not changed by the rotation; a

fixed axis is one whose position as well as direction
remains unchanged.
2-10. A PLANE OF ROTATION OR
REVOLUTION

-is a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation and

revolution
2-11. DIRECTION OF ROTATION AND
REVOLUTION

-is defined by giving the direction of the axis, and the

sense is given by stating whether the turning is right-
handed (clockwise) or left handed (counter-
clockwise), when viewed from a specified side of the
plane of motion.
2-12. COPLANAR MOTION

A body, or a series of bodies, may said to have

coplanar motion when all their component particles
are moving in the same plane or in parallel planes.
 2-13. CYCLE OF MOTIONS

When a mechanism is set in motion and its parts go through a

series of movements that are repeated over and over, the
relations between and order of the different divisions of the
series being the same for each repetition, one of these series
is called a cycle of motions or kinematic cycle.
2-14. PERIOD OF MOTION

- Is the time occupied in completing one cycle.

 2-15. LINEAR SPEED

 isthe time rate of motion of a point along its path, or the

rate at which a point is approaching or receding from
another point in its path.
 Ifthe point to which the motion of the moving point is
referred is fixed, the speed is the absolute speed of the
point. If the reference point is itself in motion the speed
of the point in question is relative.
 Linear speeds are expressed in linear units per unit of
time.
2-16. ANGULAR SPEED

 isthe time rate of turning of a body about an axis, or the

rate at which a line or a revolving body is changing
direction, and is expressed in angular units per unit of
time.
 Ifa body is revolving about an axis, any point in the body
has only linear speed; but a line, real or imaginary, joining
the point to the axis of revolution has angular speed; also
a line joining any two points on the body has angular
speed.
2-17.UNIFORM AND VARIABLE SPEED

 Speed is uniform when equal spaces are passed over

in equal times, however small the intervals into which
the time is divided. Speed is variable when unequal
spaces are passed over in equal intervals of time.
 2-18. VELOCITY

 Includes direction and sense as well as speed.

 The linear velocity of a point is not fully defined unless the
direction and sense in which it is moving and the rate at
which its is moving are known. The angular velocity of a line
would be defined by stating its angular speed, the
direction of the perpendicular to the plane in which the
line is turning, and the sense of the motion.
2-19. LINEAR ACCELERATION
 isthe time rate of change of linear velocity. Linear acceleration
may involve a change in speed or direction, or both.
 Tangential Acceleration- any change in the speed takes place in a
direction tangent to the path of the point.
 Normal Acceleration- A change in direction takes place normal to
the path.
 Acceleration may be positive or negative. If the speed is increasing,
the acceleration is positive; if the speed is decreasing the
acceleration is negative and is called retardation or decelerartion.
 Uniform Acceleration- the speed changes by the same amount
during all equal time intervals.
 Variable Acceleration- the speed changes by different amounts
during equal intervals of time.
 2-20. ANGULAR ACCELERATION
 Isthe time rate of change of angular velocity. As in linear
acceleration, a change in either speed or direction of rotation,
or both, may be involved. For example, if a line is turning in a
plane with a varying angular speed it has angular acceleration
which may be positive or negative; or, if the direction of the
plane of rotation is changing, the line also has angular
acceleration. Unless otherwise stated, angular acceleration in
this book will be understood to refer to change in angular speed.
Angular acceleration is expressed in angular units change of
speed per unit time (such as radians, degrees, or revolutions per
minute each minute).
2-21. TRANSLATION

A body is said to have a motion of translation when all its

component particles have the same velocity, as regards both
speed and direction; that is, all points on the body are, for the
instant at least, moving in the same direction with equal
speeds. If all the particles move in straight lines, as in the piston
of an engine, the body has rectilinear translation, and if they
move in curved paths, as in the motion of the parallel rod of a
locomotive, the body has curvilinear translation.
2-22. TURNING BODIES

 Allmotion consists of translation, turning about an axis, or

a combination of the two. It is customary to refer to
motion of turning as revolving or rotating. These terms are
used more or less interchangeably although sometimes a
distinction is made (see Art. 2-8).
 2-23. ANGULAR SPEED

A circular cylinder or wheel, supported on a shaft which in

turn is supported in fixed bearings, may be made fast to the
shaft and the two turn as a unit as in Fig. 2-1, or the shaft
may be held stationary and the wheel turn on it as in Fig.2-2.
The speed at which the wheel turns is the rate at which any
line on it (radial or otherwise) changes direction. If the wheel
makes N complete turns in 1 minute its angular speed is N
revolution per minute (written N rpm).
 In many computations it is necessary to use as a unit of
angular motion the radian, which is the angle subtended by
the arc of a circle equal in length to its radius. Since the
radius is contained in the circumference 2𝜋 times there must
be 2𝜋 radians in 360𝑜 , or 1 radian is equal to 57.296𝑜 .
1 revolution = 2𝜋 radians
 If N represents the angular speed in revolutions per unit of
time and 𝜔 the angular speed in radians per same unit of
time then
𝜔 = 2𝜋𝑁
 2-24. LINEAR SPEED OF A POINT ON A
REVOLVING BODY

The linear speed of a point on the circumference of

a revolving body is often referred to as the periphery
speed or surface speed.
 2-25. MOTION CLASSIFIED
 Since the motion of a body is determined by the motion of not more than
three of its component particles, not lying in a straight line, it is essential before
beginning the analysis of the motion of rigid bodies that laws governing the
motion of a particle be fully understood. For this purpose it is convenient to
classify motion as applied to a particle or point according to the kind of
acceleration which the moving particle has:
1. Acceleration zero.
2. Acceleration constant.
3. Acceleration variable.
(a) According to some simple law which may be expressed in terms of s, v, or
t.
(b) In a manner which can be expressed only by a graph or similar means.
 2-26. UNIFORM MOTION
 When the acceleration is zero the velocity is constant and the moving
particle continues to move in a straight line over equal distances in
equal intervals of time. The velocity (or speed) therefore is equal
distances in equal to the length of the path s, in linear units, divided
by the time t, in time units, required to traverse the path, or

V= 𝑠/𝑡

Where V is is expressed in linear units per unit time. The linear units of V
and s must be the same and the time unit of V must be the same as t.
2-27. UNIFORMLY VARYING MOTION

 Inthis case the acceleration is constant; that is the

speed changes by equal amounts in equal intervals
of time, like that of a body falling under the action of
gravity.
 2-28. VARIABLE ACCELERATION

 Theacceleration of a moving particle may vary as some

function of distance moved, velocity, or time. When this
condition exists, definite equations may be written
expressing the relations between A, s, V, and t.
2-29. SEMIGRAPHICAL METHODS

 Oftenno direct relation exists between acceleration, velocity,

distance moved, and time that can conveniently be
expressed in the form of equations. The data may be obtained
by observations or computations at certain frequent intervals
during the cycle of motion and the relations worked out on
graphs.
2-30. HARMONIC MOTION

A type of motion in which the acceleration varies

directly as the displacement is known as simple
harmonic motion.
2-31. VARIABLE AND CONSTANT SPEED.
 Instead of causing a moving piece or particle to travel its
entire path with variable motion, it is sometimes desirable
to have it travel the major portion of its path with uniform
motion, accelerating for a short interval at the beginning,
until it has acquired sufficient speed to travel the uniform
part in the time allowed, and retarding for a similar interval
after the uniform motion is completed, so that it will have
lost all speed when it reaches the end of its path. The
acceleration and retardation may be uniform or harmonic,
or of any other character.