16 Planar Kinematics of a Rigid Body

16.1 Rigid-Body Motion

- The study of kinematics is a mathematical problem

- We assume homogenous bodies made of the same material.
- A body undergoes planer motion when all the particles of a rigid body move
along paths which are equidistant from a fixed plane.
- There are types of rigid body motion:
1. Translation:
If every line segment on the body remains parallel to its original direction
during the motion. → 2 types
- rectilinear translation
- curved translation

2. Rotation about a fixed axis

- When a rigid body rotates about a fixed
axis, all particles of the body, except those
which lie on the axis of rotation, move
along circular paths.
- The rotation axis may be located inside the
body or outside of the body.
- Pure rotation, if the fixed axis goes
through the centroid of the body
- General rotation, if the fixed axis does not
go through the centroid of the body.
 3. General plane motion
- The body undergoes translation and rotation at the same time.
- In fact, general rotation is general plane motion.
- Each general plane motion may be momentarily considered as a general
rotation about a fixed axis.
- The general plane motion is completely specified if
1. The motions of two points in the body are known ( → relative-motion
analysis), or
2. The rotational motion of a line fixed in the body and the translation of
a point located on this line ( → absolute-motion analysis).

Example: Types of planar motion

16.2 Translation

Position:

 
 
/ 1

- The position vectors rB and rA are absolute, they are measured from the x, y axes.
- The position vector rB/A is relative and gives the position of B with respect to A.
rB/A is measured from the translating x', y' axes.
- The magnitude of rB/A is constant since the body is rigid.
- The direction of rB/A is constant since x', y' coordinate system does not rotate.

Velocity:


 
 
/
    2

The time derivative of rB/A is zero since rB/A is constant. We get then:

   3

Acceleration:

   4

Note: Equations (3) and (4) indicates that all points in a rigid body subjected to either
rectilinear or curvilinear translation move with the same velocity and acceleration.
→ A translating rigid body may be considered as a particle.

Summary:

Position:
 
 
/
Velocity:   
Acceleration:   
16.3 Rotation about a Fixed Axis

- When a rigid body is rotating about a fixed axis, all

particles of the body, except those which lie on the
axis of rotation, travels along circular paths.
- only lines or bodies undergo angular motion.

Angular Position:

!  "# 5

- θ is measured between a fixed reference line and r.

- θ is positive counterclockwise.
- Since motion is a bout a fixed axis, the direction of θ is
always along the axis.
- Is measured in degrees, radians, or revolutions. (π
=180°,1rev = 2π)

Angular Displacement:

!  "# 6

Angular Velocity:

The time rate of change in the angular position is called

angular velocity ω and is measured in rad/s.

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& 7


with the magnitude
"
( 8

Angular Acceleration:
&
* 9


With the magnitude

ω . "
,  . 10

 
 - The direction of α is the same as that for ω. However, its sense of direction
depends on whether ω is increasing or decreasing.
- If ω is increasing, then α is called angular acceleration.
- If ω is decreasing, then α is called angular deceleration.

By eliminating dt from Eq. (8) and (10), we get:

,"  (( 11

Example: Constant angular acceleration

Given:
- α = αc = constant
- initial conditions: ω(t = 0) = ω0, θ(t = 0) = θ0.
-
Find: ω(t), θ(t).

We get:
(  (0  ,1 12

1
"  "0  (0  ,1 . 13

2
(.  (0.  2,1 " 2 "0
14

Motion of Point P (Circular Motion):

Point P travels along a circular path.

Position:
- The position of P is defined by a position vector rP,
which extends from an arbitrary point lie on the axis
of rotation to P.
- Usually the vector r which is a special case of rP is
used.

 345 15

Velocity:

  36 45  3"6 47 16

Since r = const, it follows 36  0, so that we get

  3"6 47 17

With "6  ( and 47  # 8 45 we get from (17)

  (# 8 345  & 8
18

By circular motion 47  49 , so that we get from (17)

  3(49  :49 19

→ The direction of v is tangent to the circular path.

Note:
- & 8
;
8 &, however, & 8
 2
8 &.
- vθ is always perpendicular to r and 7  & 8
.
- The relation v = ωr can only be used when the following three conditions are
satisfied:
1. r extends from a fixed point with zero velocity
2. ω and v have the same direction.
3. v is always perpendicular to r.

Acceleration:

  <3= 2 3"6 . >45  <3"=  236 "6 >47 20

Since r = const, it follows 36  3=  0, so that we get

  3"= 47 2 3"6 . 45 21

With
 "6  (, "=  ,,
 345 , *  ,#, 4 7  # 8 45 22

We get:

  * 8
2 (.
23

In circular motion we have:

9  7  * 8
24

@  25  (.
25

Note: All points in a rigid body rotate with the same ω and the same α. However, each
point in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis, has its own different velocity and
acceleration since its position r, from the rotation axis, is different from the positions of
the other points. (:  (3, A9  ,3, A@  : . ⁄3).

Summary:

Rotation about a fixed axis:

" ω . "
( ,  . ,"  ((
  

Constant angular acceleration (α = αc = constant):

1
(  (0  ,1 "  "0  (0  ,1 . (.  (0.  2,1 " 2 "0

Circular Motion of a Particle:

 345 &8
  * 8
2 (.

16.4 Absolute Motion Analysis

- A body subjected to general plane motion undergoes a simultaneous translation

and rotation.
- This motion can be completely specified by knowing both the angular motion of a
line fixed in the body and the rectilinear motion of a point on this line.
- By direct application of the relations:

C : " ω
: A ( , , 26

the motion of the point and the angular motion of the line can then be related.

Procedure for analysis:

- Locate point P using a position coordinate s.
- Measure from a fixed reference line the angular position θ of a line lying in the
body and passing through point P.
- From the dimensions of the body, relate s to θ, s = f(θ), using geometry and/or
trigonometry.
- Take the first time derivative of s = f(θ) to get a relation between v and ω.
- Take the second time derivative of s = f(θ) to get a relation between a and α.
- Use the chain rule when taking the derivatives.
16.5 Relative-Motion Analysis: Velocity

- The general plane motion of a rigid body

can be described as a combination of
translation and rotation.
- To view these “ components” motions
separately we will use a relative motion
analysis involving two sets of coordinate
axes.
- Fixed coordinate system x, y (absolute).
- Translating coordinate system x', y' (relative).
- The x', y' system is pin-connected to the body at the base point A.
- The axes of the x', y' coordinate system translate with respect to the fixed
system but not rotate with the body.
- The base point A has generally a known motion.
- The position vectors rA and rB are absolute and measured from the fixed x, y axes.
- The relative position vector rB/A is measured from the translating x', y' system and
gives the relative position of B with respect to A.
- Since the body is rigid, 3/  D
/ D  EFGC .
- The relative motion analysis with translating axes can only be used to study the
motion of points
- on the same body
- on bodies which are pin-connected, or
- on bodies in contact without slipping between them.

→ For the other cases use translating and rotating axes.

Position:

 
 
/ 27

Displacement:

- During dt, points A and B undergo

displacements drA and drB.
- drA is pure translation
- drB consists of translation and rotation.

- The entire body first translates by an amount

drA, and then rotates about A by an amount
dθ. → point B undergoes a relative
displacement with drB/A = rB/Adθ.
-

  
  
/ 28

drB due to translation and rotation.

drA due to translation of A.
drB/A due to rotation about A.

Velocity:

I
J I
K I
J/K

    29

I9 I9 I9

    / 30

With drB/A = rB/Adθ, we get

3/ "
 3/  (3/  :/ 31

- vB and vA are measured from the fixed x, y axes and represent the absolute
velocityies of A and B, respectively.
- vB/A is the relative velocity of B with respect to A as measured by an observer
fixed to the translating x', y' axes.
- Since the body is rigid, the magnitude rB/A remains constant. Therefore, the
observer fixed to the translating x', y' axes sees point B move along a circular path
with radius rB/A and angular velocity ω.
→ vB/A is perpendicular to rB/A.

L /  & 8
/ 32

→ The relative motion is circular, the magnitude is vB/A = ω rB/A and the
direction is perpendicular to rB/A.
From Equations (30) and (32) we get:

    & 8
/ 33

- When two points have the same path of motion but located at two pin-connected
bodies or in contact (without slipping) with each other, then these points have the
same velocity and the same acceleration.

The choice of the base point A:

Summary:

 
 
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