INRODUCTION TO

SCREW THEORY

- MANAN KALASRIYA
 Screw theory is a powerful mathematical tool for the analysis of
spatial mechanisms.

 Plucker Coordinates of a line:

 Line determined by : Direction and point on it.

 Vector equation of line:
(r – r1) x S = 0
Can be expressed as :
r x S = S0
Where, S0 = r1 x S (moment of the line about the origin O)

The vectors (S;S0) are called the Plucker coordinates of the line and
satisfy the orthogonalaty condition
S.S0 = 0
 Distance
 Distance between the line and origin
Between line  Determined by the length of a vector P from O and perpendicular to
the line.
P x S = S0 form fig.

S x (P x S)= S x S0
Expanding LHS
(S.S)P – (S.P)S= (S.S)P

So,
𝑆 𝑋 𝑆0
P=
𝑆.𝑆
Mutual moment
 The vector equations of two skew lines separated by a perpendicular
distance of a12 and a twist angle of α12

Mm = (r2 – r1 ) . S2 x S1 = -a12sinα12
It is clear that the mutual moment of two lines is independent of the
co-ordinate-frame.
 If lines are parallel α = 0 and mutual moment is zero.
 If lines intersects a = 0 (lines are coplanar) mutual moment of lines
are always zero.
  To define the position of the point P with reference to a standard
point A , there can be no more natural method than to indicate the
straight line along which it would be necessary for a particle to
travel from A in order to arrive at P, as well as the length of the
journey.
 A certain axis can be found, such that if the body be rotated around
this axis through a certain angle, and translated parallel to the axis
for a certain distance, the desired movement will be effected.
Screw  In order to express, in a scientific manner, the relation between the
rotation and the translation in the movement of a nut upon a screw,
we give to the word pitch a special meaning.
 We define the pitch to be the rectilinear distance which the nut
moves along the screw when the nut is rotated through the angular
unit of circular measure.
 Defining a screw to be a straight line in space with which a
definite linear magnitude, termed the pitch, is associated.
  When the two vectors of a dual vector do not satisfy the
orthogonality condition S.S0 ≠ 0, which is the more general case, the
dual vector is called a screw
 It is denoted by
$ = (S;S0), S.S0 ≠ 0
When |S| = 1 ,$ is a unit vector
 S is not origin dependent, S0 is origin dependent.
Screw  If the origin is shifted from point O to point A, the moment of S
about A can be obtained as
SA= S0 + AO x S
If S ≠ 0, we can obtain the origin-independent variable
𝑆. 𝑆 0
ℎ=
𝑆. 𝑆
Which is called the pitch of screw
 The line vector is a special screw with a zero pitch.
 A screw with an infinite pitch is called a couple.
 A line vector corresponds to a straight line in space, and a screw also has its
axis line. To determine the axis line that the screw lies on, S0 is decomposed
into two parts, which are parallel and perpendicular to S.
 S0-hS is normal to S and S0 - hS=S0
 The equation of axis of screw is given by

 A screw can be expressed as

OR

 This indicates that a line vector and a couple can combine to form a screw,
or that any screw with non-zero finite pitch can be considered the summation
of a line vector and a couple.
  A body is said to receive a twist about a screw when it is rotated
about the screw, while it is at the same time translated parallel to the
screw, through a distance equal to the product of the pitch and the
Twist circular measure of the angle of rotation.
 If a body receive several twists in succession, then the position
finally attained could have been reached in a single twist, which is
called the resultant twist.
  We now introduce the word wrench, to denote a force and a
couple in a plane perpendicular to the force.
 Remembering the definition of a screw, we may use the phrase,
wrench on a screw, meaning thereby, a force directed along the
screw and a couple in a plane perpendicular to the screw, the
Wrench moment of the couple being equal to the product of the force and
the pitch of the screw.
 If a rigid body be acted upon by several wrenches, then these
wrenches could be replaced by one wrench which is called the
resultant wrench.
Screw
vs
Wrench
Screw
vs
Wrench
 • The reciprocal product of two screws, say $1 = (S1;S01), $1 = (S1;S02) is defined
by

• When the origin of the coordinate system shifts from point O to point A, the
two screws $1 and $2 become

Reciprocal
Product • The reciprocal product of the two new screws is

• This result indicates that the reciprocal product of two screws is not origin
dependent.
  The axis of rotation is S. Such a rotation can be described by the
Instantaneous angular velocity line vector

Rotation  Where ω is the amplitude of the rotation and S is the unit vector in
the direction of the line.

Which is the velocity of a point coincident with the origin, or the

tangent velocity of the point coincident with the origin.
 Therefore, the dual vectors denoting the rotation of a rigid body
include the angular velocity, and the linear velocity, v0, of the point
coincident with the origin.
 When the rotational axis passes through the origin, the Plucker
coordinates of the rotational axis are
  An instantaneous translation of one rigid body relative to another
one can be conveniently modelled by connecting the two bodies by
a prismatic or sliding pair .
 The translational velocity can be expressed as a scalar multiple of
Instantaneous the instantaneous linear displacement and a unit vector S parallel to
the direction of motion.
Translation  The Plucker coordinates of this axis are (0;S), and the
instantaneous rotation about this axis can be expressed as the scalar
multiple v(0;S).
  When the motion of one body 2 relative to another includes rotation
about the axis S1 and translation in the direction S1.
Instantaneous
 The body rotates about the axis S1, with the instantaneous wrench
Screw Motion ω(S1;S01),.
 The body also translates with screw v2(0;S1) along the axis S1 at the
same time.
 The absolute motion of the body is the sum of the two parts:

OR

 where ω1 is the angular velocity of the body and v0 is the velocity of

a point in the body coincident with the origin.
  Unit line vectors can be used to express the action of a force on a
A Force Acting body.
on a Body  A force f can be expressed as a scalar multiple f S of the unit vector
S bound to the line.
 The action of the force upon the body can thus be elegantly
expressed as a scalar multiple f $ of the unit line vector.

 The Plucker coordinates of the force line vector are

 where C0 is the moment of force f about the origin.

 When the force f passes through the origin, the moment vanishes
(C0 =0).
Couple Acting on  A rigid body subjected to two equal and opposite forces f 1 and f2.
a Body  These two forces constitute a couple, the moment of which is given
by

 The vector C is clearly normal to the plane containing the forces,

and C can thus be expressed as a scalar multiple CS of any unit
vector normal to the plane.
 The couple C can thus be expressed as a scalar multiple C(0; S) of
the free vector (0; S).
  A general system of forces and couples acting upon a rigid body can
be reduced to a single force f1 (Si; Si0) and a single couple C(0; S).
This force couple combination was called a dyname by Plucker and
Hunt.
 The above mention force can be expressed as the sum of a force and
a couple with the same direction as the force.

Twist Acting  When the origin is located on the axis S1, this force screw can be
expressed as
on a Body
 When the origin does not lie on the axis S1, the force screw is

where C0 is the moment about the origin.

Screw
vs
Wrench
vs
Twist
 Statics Kinematics
Forces in parallel Joints in series

Can they be reduced Can they be reduced

to a single force to a single joint
(Poinsot’s theorem) (Chasles’ theorem)