1

Acceleration analysis (Chapter 4)

Objective: Compute accelerations (linear
and angular) of all components of a
mechanism


2
Outline
Definition of acceleration (4.1, 4.2)
Acceleration analysis using relative acceleration
equations for points on same link (4.3)
Acceleration on points on same link
Graphical acceleration analysis
Algebraic acceleration analysis
General approach for acceleration analysis (4.5)
Coriolis acceleration
Application
Rolling acceleration

3
Definition of acceleration (4.1, 4.2)
Angular = o= rate of change in angular velocity
Linear = A = rate of change in linear velocity
(Note: a vector will be denoted by either a bold
character or using an arrow above the
character)

4
Acceleration of link in pure rotation (4.3)
A
P
A
t
PA
A
n
PA
A
PA
e, o
u
Magnitude of tangential component = po,
magnitude of normal component = p e
2
Length of link: p
5
Acceleration of link, general case
A
P
A
t
PA
A
n
PA
A
PA
e, o
u
Length of link: p
A
A
A
A
A
PA
A
P
A
P
=A
A
+A
PA
A
n
PA
A
t
PA
6
Graphical acceleration analysis
2
3
4
1
A
t
A
B
A
A
t
BA
A
t
B
Clockwise
acceleration of
crank
Four-bar linkage example (example 4.1)
7
Problem definition: given the positions of the links, their
angular velocities and the acceleration of the input link
(link 2), find the linear accelerations of A and B and the
angular accelerations of links 2 and 3.
Solution:
Find velocity of A
Solve graphically equation:




Find the angular accelerations of links 3 and 4


n
BA
t
BA A
n
B
t
B
BA A B
A A A A A
A A A


+ + = +
+ =
8
Graphical solution of equation
A
B
=A
A
+A
BA
2
3
4
1
A
t
A
B
A
A
t
B
A
A

A
n
BA -A
n
B

A
t
BA
A
t
BA
A
t
B

Steps:
Draw A
A
, A
n
BA
, -A
t
BA
Draw line normal to link 3 starting from
tip of A
n
B
Draw line normal to link 4 starting from origin
of A
A
Find intersection and draw A
t
B
and A
t
BA
.
9

Guidelines
Start from the link for which you have most
information
Find the accelerations of its points
Continue with the next link, formulate and solve
equation: acceleration of one end = acceleration of
other end + acceleration difference
We always know the normal components of the
acceleration of a point if we know the angular velocity
of the link on which it lies
We always know the direction of the tangential
components of the acceleration
10
Algebraic acceleration analysis
(4.10)
2
3
4
1
B
A
a
b
c
Given: dimensions, positions, and velocities of links and angular
acceleration of crank, find angular accelerations of coupler
and rocker and linear accelerations of nodes A and B
1
R
2

R
3

R
4

R
1

11
0 = + + +
n
B
t
B
t
BA
n
BA
t
A
n
A
A A A A A A
0 ) (
4
2
3
2
2
2
4 4
4
3 3
3
2 2
2
= + + + o e o e o e
u u u u u u
j ce ce j be be j ae ae
j j j j j j
0 = +
1 4 3 2
R R R R
Loop equation
Differentiate twice:
This equation means:
12
Solution
4
2
4
2
2
2
4
2
4
3
2
3
2
2
2
2 2
3
4
4
2
4
3
2
3
2
2
2
2 2
3
4
4
3
4 4
2 2
sin sin sin cos
cos
cos
cos cos cos sin
sin
sin
: where
o e
o e
u e u e u e u o
u
u
u e u e u e u o
u
u
o
o
u u
u u
j ce ce
j ae ae
c b a a F
b E
c D
c b a a C
b B
c A
BD AE
BF CE
BD AE
AF CD
j j
B
j j
+ =
+ =
+ =
=
=
+ + =
=
=

=
A
A
A
13
General approach for acceleration
analysis (4.5)

Acceleration of P = Acceleration of P +
Acceleration of P seen from observer moving with
rod+Coriolis acceleration of P
P, P (colocated points at
some instant), P on
slider, P on bar

14
Coriolis acceleration
Whenever a point is moving on a path and the
path is rotating, there is an extra component
of the acceleration due to coupling between
the motion of the point on the path and the
rotation of the path. This component is
called Coriolis acceleration.
15
Coriolis acceleration
V
Pslip
P
O
A
P
t
A
P
coriolis
A
P
n
A
P
slip
A
P
A
P
slip
: acceleration of P as seen by observer moving with rod

16
Coriolis acceleration
Coriolis acceleration=2eV
slip
Coriolis acceleration is normal

to the radius, OP, and it
points towards the left of an observer moving with the
slider if rotation is counterclockise. If the rotation is
clockwise it points to the right.
To find the acceleration of a point, P, moving on a rotating
path: Consider a point, P, that is fixed on the path and
coincides with P at a particular instant. Find the
acceleration of P
,
and add the slip acceleration of P and
the Coriolis acceleration of P.
A
P
=acceleration of P+acceleration of P seen from
observer moving with rod+Coriolis
acceleration=A
P
+A
P
slip
+A
P
Coriolis


17
Application: crank-slider mechanism
B
2
, B
3
O
2
Link 3, b
u
2
Link 2, a
e
2
, o
2
B
2
on link 2
B
3
on link 3
These points
coincide at the instant
when the mechanism
is shown.
When u
2
=0, a=d-b
d
u
3
, e
3
, o
3

Unknown quantities marked in blue
.
normal to crank
18
General approach for kinematic
analysis
Represent links with vectors. Use complex
numbers. Write loop equation.
Solve equation for position analysis
Differentiate loop equation once and solve
it for velocity analysis
Differentiate loop equation again and solve
it for acceleration analysis

19
Position analysis
2
2 2 2
2
sin cos u u d b d a =
) sin ( sin
2
1
3
u u
b
a

=
Make sure you consider the correct quadrant for u
3
20
Velocity analysis
B
2
on crank,
B
3,
on slider
O
2
rocker
crank
V
B2
crank
V
B3B2
// crank
V
B3

rocker
.
V
B3
= V
B2
+ V
B3B2
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Velocity analysis
) cos(
1
3 2
2
3
u u
e
e

=
b
a
) cos(
) sin(
2 3
2 3
2
u u
u u
e

= a a
a
is the relative velocity of B
3
w.r.t. B
2

22
Acceleration analysis
) cos(
sin cos
3 2
3 3
u u
u u

+
=
C B
a
) cos(
sin cos
3 2
2 2
3
u u
u u
o


=
b
B C
3
2
3
2
2
2
2 2 2 2
cos cos sin sin 2 u e u e u o u e b a a a B + + =
Where:
3
2
3
2
2
2
2 2 2 2
sin sin cos cos 2 u e u e u o u e b a a a C + =
23
Relation between accelerations of B
2
(on
crank) and B
3
(on slider)

B
2
, B
3
A
B3
slip
// crank

Slip
B
Coriolis
B
B B
3 3
2 3
A A A A + + =
.
Crank
Rocker
24
Rolling acceleration (4.7)
R
r
e (absolute)
P
C
O
C
O
e (absolute)
O
First assume that angular acceleration, o, is zero
No slip condition: V
P
=0
O
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Find accelerations of C and P
e=-O(R-r)/r (Negative sign means that CCW
rotation around center of big circle, O, results in
CW rotation of disk around its own center)
V
C
= O(R-r) (Normal to radius OC)
A
n
C
=V
C
2
/(R-r) (directed toward the center O)
A
n
P
=V
C
2
/(R-r)+ V
C
2
/r (also directed toward the
center O)
Tangential components of acceleration of C and P
are zero
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Summary of results
A
C
, length V
C
2
/(R-r)
P
C V
C,
length O(R-r)
r
V
P
=0
R
A
P
, length V
C
2
/(R-r)+ V
C
2
/r
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Inverse curvature
e=O (R+r)/r
V
C
=O(R+r) (normal to OC)
A
n
C
=V
C
2
/(R+r) (directed toward the center O)
A
n
P
=V
C
2
/r - V
C
2
/(R+r) (directed away from the
center O)
Tangential components of acceleration are zero


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Inverse curvature: Summary of results
A
C
, length V
C
2
/(R+r)
P
A
P
, length V
C
2
/r -V
C
2
/(R+r)
C
V
C,
length O(R+r)
r
V
P
=0
R
29
Now consider nonzero angular
acceleration, o=0
The results for zero angular acceleration are
still correct, but
A
C
t
=or (normal to OC)
A
P
t
is still zero
These results are valid for both types of
curvature