Synthesis of Planar

Mechanisms
Four bar Linkage
Analytical Synthesis
Freudenstein’s Method
 r3

q3
r2 r4
q2 q4
r1
q2=Input angle
q4=Output angle
r2  r3  r1  r4
r2 cos q 2  r3 cos q 3  r1  r4 cos q 4
r2 sin q 2  r3 sin q 3  r4 sin q 4
r2  r3  r1  r4
r2 cos q 2  r3 cos q 3  r1  r4 cos q 4
r2 sin q 2  r3 sin q 3  r4 sin q 4

r3 cos q 3  r1  r4 cos q 4  r2 cos q 2
r3 sin q 3  r4 sin q 4  r2 sin q 2
squaring and adding
r32  r12  r42  r22  2r1r4 cos q 4  2r2 r1 cos q 2  2r2 r4 cos(q 2  q 4 )
dividing both sides by 2r2 r4 and rearrangin g the equation
K1 cos q 4  K 2 cos q 2  K 3  cos(q 2  q 4 )
r1 r1 r12  r42  r22  r32
K1  , K 2  , K 3 
r2 r4 2r2 r4
Synthesis of Function Generator
Suppose the mechanism is designed to generate a given function or to trace a
given curve. An exact solution is often not available. The design is approximately
accomplished by allowing the mechanism generating an approximate
version of the curve that fits a finite number of pre-defined
points called the precision or accuracy points. Here we consider the
problem selecting the spacing of accuracy points within the specified interval to
minimize the errors between the accuracy points.
 Spacing of Accuracy Points
Let a function f(x) is to be approximated by F(x,qk), where qk,
k=1…n are n design parameters of the mechanism. The
structural error is defined as
R( x)  f ( x)  F ( x; qk )
General nature of the
structural error is shown
in figure aside where the
center of interval is at x=a
and the width of interval,
is 2h. Note that error is
zero at the accuracy
points a1, a2 and a3 and
reaches a series of
maxima and minima in
General nature of structural error between.
 Chebychev Spacing of Accuracy Points
Structural error can be minimized if the accuracy points are chosen in
the following way

where 2h is the interval of generation and a is the center of interval

Not that ak is the root of the Chebyshev polynomial Tk(x)

 Three Position Synthesis of
Function Generator
We want to design a four bar mechanism such that the output link
occupies the positions 1,2 and 3 corresponding to the input link
positions y1,y2 and y3, respectively.
K1 cos 1  K 2 cos 1  K 3  cos (1  φ1 )
K1 cos 2  K 2 cos  2  K 3  cos (2  φ2 )
K1 cos 3  K 2 cos 3  K 3  cos (3  φ3 )
Solving the above equations we get K1,K2 and K3 and obtain the link lengths
from the following relationships, if we conveniently choose on of the links.

r1 r1 r12  r42  r22  r32

K1  , K 2  , K 3 
r2 r4 2r2 r4
 Example
Using three precision positions synthesize a function generator to
generate the following function

1
y
x
over the range
1 x  2
For n accuracy points (Precision positions) over the range
xo  x  xn 1
Chebychev accuracy points are calculated as

x j   xn 1  x0    xn 1  x0  cos
1 1 2 j  1
2 2 2n
j  1,2,....n

j xj yj
n=3 1 1.067 0.9372
x4=2 2 1.5 0.6667

x0=1 3 1.933 0.5173

Now choose starting and swing angles for the input and
output links:
Starting input angle=30o
Swing angle of input link=90o
Starting output angle=45o
Swing angle of output link=90o
position x y y 
1 30 1 45
1 1.067 0.9372
2 1.5 0.6667
3 1.933 0.5173
4 2 120 0.5 135
 position x y y 
1 30 1 45
1 1.067 0.9372
2 1.5 0.6667
3 1.933 0.5173
2 120 0.5 135

Assuming Linear relationship between y and x;  and y

  ax  b Using the data from first

and last row we obtain
  cy  d a=90,b=-60,c=-180,d=225
   90 x  60
  180 y  225
Now we complete the following table
position x y y 
1 30 1 45
1 1.067 36.03 0.9372 56.304
2 1.5 75 0.6667 104.994
3 1.933 113.97 0.5173 131.886
2 120 0.5 135

y1=0.6288 rad,1=0.978 rad

y2=1.3090 rad, 2=1.8325 rad
y3=1.9892 rad, 2= 2.3018 rad
 K1 cos 1  K 2 cos 1  K 3  cos (1  φ1 )
K1 cos 2  K 2 cos  2  K 3  cos (2  φ2 )
K1 cos 3  K 2 cos 3  K 3  cos (3  φ3 )

 0.5587  0.8087 1  K1  0.9396

 0.2587  0.2588 1  K   0.8661
  2   
 0.6676 0.4063 1  K 3  0.9515
K1  0.3009, K 2  0.3135, K 3  1.0251
 K1  0.3009, K 2  0.3135, K3  1.0251

r1 r1 r12  r42  r22  r32

K1  , K 2  , K 3 
r2 r4 2r2 r4

Select r1=1 unit

r2=r1/K1=3.32 unit
r4=r1/K2=3.19 unit
r3=0.697 unit
The Designed Mechanism

Input

output
The Designed Mechanism
 Synthesis of slider-crank Mechanism

Loop closure equation is

a1  a 2  a 3  a 4
a2 cos q  a1 cos   s
a2 sin q  a1 sin   a3
Squaring and adding the above two
equations one obtains
K1s cos   K 2 sin   K 3  s 2
where

K1  2a1 , K 2  2a1a3 , K 3  a12  a22  a32

 Synthesis of slider-crank Mechanism

Let i , si  for i  1,2,3 are the three accuracy points. Then one obtains
 Example
Design a slider crank mechanism such that the slider
displacement is proportional to the square of the crank
rotation:
2
s  ss    s 

s f  ss   f  s 
f  finish
s  starting
Take
s  45o ,  f  750
ss  8 cm., s f  12 cm.
Chebychev spacing:
1  490 , 2  750 , 3  1010
2
 1  s 
s1  ss  ( s f  ss )   8.02 cm.
  
 f s 

s 2  9.00 cm.
s 3  11.48 cm.
 K1  11.7, K 2  84, K 3  189.1

a1=-5.85 cm., a2=16.55 cm., a3=7.18 cm.

7.18 cm.