Introduction to Simple Mechanisms

Objectives:
To have a look of ‘joints and their types’, ‘links and their types’, ‘degrees of freedom’ and
‘motion transmission’ of simple mechanisms.

Theory:

Mechanism:
Mechanism may refer to rigid bodies connected by joints in order to accomplish a desired
force and/or motion transmission. Mechanics is the branch of Physics that deals with the
study of force and motion of particle, rigid body mechanism, machine independently or
relative to each other. Mechanisms can be divided into planar mechanisms and spatial
mechanisms, according to the relative motion of the rigid bodies.
Machine:
A machine is a mechanism or collection of mechanisms which transmit force from the source
of power to the resistance to be overcome. An apparatus using mechanical power and having
several parts, each with a definite function and together performing a particular task.
Anything which reduces human effort is known as Machine. A Machine is a combination of
rigid and resistant bodies formed or connected so that they move with relative motion and
transmit force from the source of power. A machine has two functions;

1. Transmitting definite relative motion.

2. Transmitting force.

Joints:
A joint is a connection between two or more links (at their nodes), which allows some
motion, or potential motion, between the connected links. It provides relative motion between
two links.
Joints has two points on basis of contact between links:
There are two types of joints.
1. Lower Pair (surface contact between links)
2. Higher Pair (point or line contact between links)
There is more stress in higher pair than in lower pair.
Lower pair:
The links in the pair have surface or area contact between them.

Higher pair:
A higher pair is a constraint that requires a curve or surface in the moving body to maintain
contact with a curve or surface in the fixed body. The links have point or line contact.
Joint Types based on degree of freedom:
1. Revolute Joint (1 DOF)
2. Prismatic Joint (1 DOF)
3. Helical Joint (2 DOF)
4. Spherical Joint (3 DOF)

Types of joints:
 Revolute joint:
A pin joint, also called a revolute joint, is a one-degree-of-freedom kinematic pair. It
constrains the motion of two bodies to pure rotation along a common axis. The joint doesn't
allow translation, or sliding linear motion.
A revolute pair, or hinged joint, requires a line in the moving body to remain co-linear with a
line in the fixed body, and a plane perpendicular to this line in the moving body maintain
contact with a similar perpendicular plane in the fixed body. This imposes five constraints on
the relative movement of the links, which therefore has one degree of freedom

Figure 1: Revolute joint

 Prismatic joint:
A prismatic joint, or slider, requires that a line in the moving body remain co-linear with a
line in the fixed body, and a plane parallel to this line in the moving body maintain contact
with a similar parallel plane in the fixed body. This imposes five constraints on the relative
movement of the links, which therefore has one degree of freedom.
A prismatic joint provides a linear sliding movement between two bodies, and is often called
a slider, as in the slider-crank linkage. A prismatic pair is also called as sliding pair.

Figure 2: Prismatic joint

 Binary joint:
If two links are joined at the same connection; it is called a binary joint. In Fig. Binary joints
are mentioned as B.

Figure 3: Binary joint

 Ternary joint:
If three links are joined at a connection, it is known as a ternary joint. It is considered
equivalent to two binary joints since fixing of any one link constitutes two binary joints with
each of the other two links. In Fig. ternary joints are mentioned as T.

Figure 4: Ternary joint

 Quaternary joint:
If four links are joined at a connection, it is known as a quaternary joint. It is considered
equivalent to three binary joints since fixing of any one link constitutes three binary joints. Figure
shows one quaternary joint. One Quaternary joint is equivalent to 3 binary joints.
In general, if ‘n’ number of links are connected at a joint, it is equivalent to (n-1) binary joints. In
Fig. Quaternary joint is mentioned as Q.

Figure 5: Quaternary joint

Kinematic Link or link:
A kinematic link or element is a resistant body that constitutes part of the machine,
connecting other parts which have motion relative to it. Kinematic Link is a (assumed) rigid
body that possesses at least two nodes or Each part of a machine, that undergoes relative
motion with respect to some other part, is called kinematic link (or kinematic
element). Kinematic links help in the transmission of motion, from one machine part to
another. A link or an element needs not to be rigid.

Types of links:

1. Rigid Links:
Rigid Links do not undergo any change of shape when transmitting motion (or when
subjected to external forces). There are three rigid links:
i. Binary link: When two link attach together then this link is called binary link.
ii. Ternary link: When three link attach together then this link is called ternary link.
iii. Quaternary link: When four link attach together then this link is called quaternary
link.

Figure 6: Types of rigid link

2. Flexible Link:
A resistant link that undergoes partial deformation when transmitting motion.

3. Fluid Link:
A fluid link makes use of a fluid (liquid or gas) to transmit motion, by means of pressure.
Fluid links always undergo deformation when transmitting motion.

Motion:
When a body does not change its position with time, we can say that the body is at rest, while
if a body changes its position with time, it is said to be in motion.

Types of motion:

Constrained motion:
Whenever links are assembled to synthesize a mechanism, certain restrictions on free
movement get associated with each link. These restrictions are referred to as constraints and
any relative motion arising thereof is known as a constrained motion.
Types of Constrained motion:
• Completely constrained motion: The relative motion between the links of a kinematic
pair occurs in a definite direction by itself, irrespective of the external forces.
• Incompletely constrained motion: The relative motion between the links depend on the
direction of external forces acting on them.
• Partially (or successfully) constrained motion: If the relative motion between two
links occurs in a definite direction, not by itself, but by some other means.

Figure 7: Types of Constrained motion

Planar Motion:
Planar motion allows for simultaneous rotational and translational motion in a 2-D plane.
The motion of the rigid body may be described as a simple superposition of the body's
translation and rotation.

Figure 8: Planer motion

Translatory Motion:
Translational motion is the motion of body where body moves in the linear path. It is the
motion in which all points of a moving body move uniformly in the same line or direction.
There are two types of translation motion; rectilinear motion and curvilinear motion
i. Rectilinear motion: If an object moves in a straight line is called the rectilinear
motion.
 ii. Curvilinear motion: If an object moves through a curved path, then it’s called
curvilinear motion.
Rotation:
All points on the body describe arcs about the center of the body. The center of rotation has
no translation w.r.t the stationary frame of reference. When an object moves about an axis
and different parts of it move by different distances in a given interval of time, it is said to be
in rotational motion.
Spatial Motion:
A relative motion that is not in the same plane.

Figure 9: Spatial motion

Helical Motion:
The component of the velocity parallel to the field is unaffected, since the magnetic force is
zero for motion parallel to the field. This produces helical motion (i.e., spiral motion) rather
than a circular motion. In fact, it is a combination of rotational motion plus a translational
motion in a specific axis.

Figure 10: Helical motion.

Degree of Freedom (Mobility):

Mobility is minimum number of independent parameters required to define location of each
link in the mechanism. The number of degrees of freedom of a mechanism is also called
the mobility of the device. In order to control a mechanism, the number of independent input
motions must equal the number of degrees of freedom of the mechanism.
M = 3(n-1)-2f1-f2 (In Plane) (Grubler’s Equation)
M = 6(n-1)-5f1-4f2-3f3-2f2-f1 (In Space) (Kutzback criterion)
Where, M is mobility, n is number of links, f1 is number of joints having one
DOF, f2 is number of joints having two DOF.
Cases:
M > 0: It is a mechanism.
M = 0: Statistically determinant structure.
M < 0: Statistically in-determinant structure.

Procedure:

(1) – Read all lab safety rules and abide by all of them throughout your lab.
(2) – Fulfill all indicated objectives in a sequential manner starting from the
first demonstration board till the last one.
(3) – Fill in the observation table completely.
(4) – Complete the rest of the observations and calculation identities while
sitting on the stools.

Cautions:

(1) – Don’t tie or loose clothes while working in the lab.

(2) – Try to keep Lab Clean.
(3) – Shouting, quarrel with each other, joking, loud laughing etc. are all
strictly prohibited.
(4) – Don’t mark anything on the equipment by permanent marker.

Comments:
From this experiment we have learned the working of different mechanisms and calculated
their degrees of freedom to see in how many ways the mechanism has the freedom to move
either linearly or angularly.