TERMINOLOGIES

MECHANISM is a component of a machine consisting of two or more bodies so

arranged that the motion of one compels the motion of the others
MACHINE is a combination of resistant bodies so arranged that by their means the
mechanical forces of nature can be compelled to produce some effect work
accompanied with certain determinate motions
KINEMATICS is the study of motion in mechanisms without reference to the forces
that act on the system
KINEMATIC DIAGRAM a scale drawing representing the machine so that the only
the dimensions which affect its motions are recorded
LINK is one of the rigid bodies or members joined together to form a kinematic
chain; a rigid piece or a non-elastic substance which serves to transmit force from
one piece to another or to cause or control motion
RIGID LINK is the idealization used in the study of the mechanisms that does not
consider small deflections due to strains in machine members
FRAME the fixed or stationary link in a mechanism wherein the motion of the other
links is relative to it; supports the moving parts and regulates the path, or kind of
motion, of many of the parts
JOINT the connection between links that permit constrained relative motion
LOWER PAIR two elements have theoretical surface contact with one another
HIGHER PAIR two elements have theoretical point or line contact
INVERSION OF PAIRS exchange of the fixedness of an element with its partner
LINKAGE term commonly used to identify any assemblage of rigid bodies
connected by kinematic joints;
KINEMATIC CHAIN when the combination is such that relative motion of the links is
possible, and the motion of each piece relative to the others is definite
CONSTRAINED KINEMATIC CHAIN if one of the links is fixed and the movement of
any other link to a new position will cause each of the other links to move to definite
predictable positions
UNCONSTRAINED KINEMATIC CHAIN if one of the links is held fixed and the
movement of any other link to a new position will not cause each of the other links
to move to definite predictable positions

MOBILITY is the number of independent parameters required to specify the

position of every link relative to the frame or fixed link

Unconstrained rigid body in space has six degrees of freedom

Unconstrained rigid body in a plane has three degrees of freedom

FOUR BAR LINKAGE closed planar linkages consisting of four pin-connected rigid
links

CRANK a rigid body turning about a fixed axis,

CONNECTING ROD (coupler) the link joining the cranks of the linkage;
imparts the motion of the driven crank to the driven crank

DEAD POINTS a position in the cycle of motion of the driven crank of a linkage in
which it is in line with the connecting rod, and therefore cannot be moved by the
connecting rod alone
GRASHOF MECHANISM if one of the links can perform a full rotation relative to the
other three links

CRANK ROCKER MECHANISM a linkage with a drive crank (shortest link in

the mechanism) that rotates continuously, causing the driven crank (rocker)
to oscillate through a limited range
DRAG LINK MECHANISM (double crank mechanism) if the fixed link is the
shortest, the other links can rotate about it
DOUBLE ROCKER MECHANISM if the coupler is the shortest, and it can
rotate continuously while the adjacent links oscillate through a limited range
CHANGE POINT MECHANISM (cross over position mechanism) the relative
motion of the mechanism may depend on the inertia, spring forces or other
forces when the links become collinear
TRIPLE ROCKER MECHANISM four bar linkages that do not satisfy the
Grashof criterion; also known as double rocker mechanism of the second kind
SLIDER CRANK MECHANISM a special case of the four-bar linkage where the
driven crank were made of infinite length
o IN LINE SLIDER CRANK MECHANISM when the stroke or the piston
travel is twice the length of the crank, and the time it takes to make
the working and return stroke is the same
o OFFSET SLIDER CRANKK MECHANISM when the fixed point of the
mechanism is not aligned with the slider level, and the working
time is longer than the return time

TRANSMISSION ANGLE is the angle between the coupler centerline and the driven
crank centerline

The optimal transmission angle for a planar linkage is 90

Transmission angle no less than 40 or 45 and no greater than 135 or 140

LIMITING POSITION the instantaneous configuration if the mechanism when the

follower reaches one of its extreme position
QUICK RETURN MECHANISM if there is an intentional difference between the time
required for the forward and return strokes; the forward and return directions are
arbitrarily assigned to move slowly and quickly, to correspond with machine tool
usage where a working stroke would have high force capability at low speed and the
return stroke could be rapid with no load
MOTION refers to the change of position of a body due to external considerations
ABSOLUTE MOTION is the motion of a body in relation to some other body which is
at rest
RELATIVE MOTION is the motion of a body in relation to some other body which is
also in motion
PLANAR MOTION if all the points in a linkage or mechanism moves in parallel
planes
SPATIAL MOTION if all the points in a linkage or mechanism moves in several
planes; may also be called three-dimensional linkage
PATH a point moving in space describes a line; is the locus of its successive
positions
ROTATION all points in a body remain at fixed distances from a point and describes
a circle
REVOLUTION when the movement of the points of a body describes a circle and
remain at fixed distances from the axis
TRANSLATION when all its component particles have the same velocity, as regards
both speed and direction
RECTILINEAR is a motion wherein all points of the body move in straight-line paths
CURVILINEAR is a motion which points in the body move along curved paths
RECIPROCATING MOTION when a point traverses the same path and reverses its
motion at the ends of such path
OSCILLATION a term applied to reciprocating circular motion
VELOCITY is the time rate of motion of a point along its path, or the rate at which a
point is approaching or receding from another point of its path
DISPLACEMENT is the length of path of its motion and the its direction

ANGULAR SPEED is the time rate of turning a body about an axis; the rate at which
a line on a revolving body is changing direction
ACCELERATION the time rate of change of linear velocity
RETARDATION/ DECELERATION negative acceleration, or when the speed is
decreasing
UNIFORM MOTION when the distance speed by the same amount during all equal
time intervals
UNIFORM VARYING MOTION when the speed changes by different amounts during
equal intervals of time
PERIPHERY SPEED the linear speed of a point on the circumference of a revolving
wheel
HARMONIC MOTION a type of motion in which the acceleration varies directly as
the displacement