1

4. Acceleration Analysis of
Linkages
4.1. Acceleration Analysis by Vector
Mathematics
The acceleration of a point P moving in the x-y-z system
relative to the X-Y-Z system, is obtained by differentiating
the velocity equation



Differentiating equation (1) yields
the acceleration Equation is



) 2 ( R R V V V
o p

+ + + = e e
) 1 ( R V V V
o p

+ + = e
2
Each term on the right hand side of the acceleration
equation is evaluated as follows:






Substituting for




Note that


( )
( ) ) 4 (
) 3 (
|
.
|

\
|
+ + + + + =
+ + =
=
k z j y i x k z j y i x
k z j y i x
dt
d
V
a V
o o

k j i

, ,
( )
( ) ) 6 (
) 5 ( ) ( ) ( ) (
a k z j y i x
let
k z j y i x k z j y i x V

= + +
+ + + + + = e e e
( )
) 7 (
) ( ) ( ) (
V
k z j y i x k z j y i x

=
+ + = + +
e
e e e e
3
The acceleration component can be written as:


The last term on the right hand side of the acceleration equation is



Substituting the corresponding values in the acceleration equation


The different acceleration components are:
is Coriolis component of acceleration, sense normal to ;

is acceleration of the origin of x-y-z system relative to X-Y-Z
system;
is acceleration of P relative to x-y-z system;

V

) 8 ( V a V

+ = e
) 9 ( ) (
) (
R V
R V R

+ =
+ =
e e e
e e e
) 10 ( ) ( 2 R V R a a a
o p

+ + + + = e e e e
a
a
o

e 2
4
: is the tangential acceleration of a point fixed on the
x-y-z system coincident with P as the system rotates
about O;
: is the normal component of acceleration of the
point coincident with P

Where:
: is angular velocity of x-y-z system related to X-Y-Z
system
: is velocity of P relative to x-y-z system; and
: is position vector of P.


R
V

e
R

e
R

e e
5
4.2. Acceleration Analysis Using Equations of Relative Motion
4.2.1 Acceleration of points on a common link
Consider a link AB rotating with an angular velocity e and angular
acceleration as shown.
The relative acceleration equation is:


Where acceleration of point A
acceleration of point B

Where the acceleration term
has two components:

along the link from A to B


in the direction perpendicular to AB
) 11 (
/ B A B A
a a a

+ =
=
=
B
A
a
a

B A
a
/

( )
( )
AB
t
B A
AB
n
B A
R a
R a

=
=
o
e e
/
/
6
4.2.2 Acceleration analysis of a block sliding on a rotating
link
Block A slides on the rotating link O
2
B as shown.
At time t angular position of link 2 is u and at t+dt, u+du.
The acceleration of the block is found by considering the radial and
tangential components of the change in velocity of the block.










The rotating coordinate system r - u is attached to link O
2
B.
The radial component of the velocity is V at time t, and V+dV at time
t+dt.
7
The components of dV in the radial and tangential directions are:
(dV)
r
in the radial direction,
Vd u in the tangential (transverse) direction.
Similarly the change in the transverse component of the velocity in
time dt is dV
u
as shown.
The components of dV
u
are:
-erdu in the radial direction, and
edr + rde in the transverse direction, neglecting higher
order differentials
Thus the total change of velocity is
dV - erdu in the radial direction, and
Vdu + edr + rde in the tangential direction.
the radial component of acceleration of block A is




( )
) 12 (
1
2
e
u e
r a
rd dV
dt
a
r
=
=
8
or, in vector notation,


The tangential component of the acceleration is



Vectorially, the tangential acceleration is written as


the acceleration of the block sliding on the rotating link is given by:


is the sliding velocity of the block along link O
2
B, and

is the sliding acceleration of the block along the link O
2
B.
( ) 13 r a a
r

+ = e e
( )
) 14 ( 2
1
o e
e e u
u
r V
rd dr Vd
dt
a
+ =
+ + =
( ) 15 2 r V a

+ = o e
u
( ) ( ) 16 2 a V r r a
A

+ + + = e o e e
a
V where

9
If a point A
2
fixed on link O
2
B is coincident with A for the position
shown, the acceleration equation can be written as:


The term is the relative acceleration b/n two moving points,


If the link were a curved link:


In general the relative velocity equation is





) 17 (
2 / 2 A A A A
a a a

+ =
2 / A A
a

) 18 ( 2
2 /
a V a
A A

+ = e
) 19 ( 2
2 / t n A A
a a V a

+ + = e
( ) ( )
( )
on accelerati of component coriolis the is 2 ,
2
2
V and
r a
r a where
t
A
n
A

=
=
e
o
e e
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ) 20 ( 2
2 2
t n
t
A
n
A A
a a V a a a

+ + + + = e
10
4.3. Relative Acceleration of Coincident Points at the
Point of Contact of Rolling Elements.
Link 2 and 3 roll on each other at the point of contact P.
Considering P
2
on link 2 and P
3
on link 3, for pure rolling contact,
V
P2
=V
P3
The relative acceleration a
P2/P3
or a
P3/P2
has two components
Normal :- toward center of rotation
Tangential:- along the tangent.




11
For no sliding




From which it can be deduced that


and


( ) ( )
( ) ( ) ) 22 (
. .
) 21 ( 0
3 2
2 / 3 3 / 2
t
P t P
t
P P
t
P P
a a
e i
a a
=
= =
) 23 (
3
2
2
3
r
r
=
o
o
( ) ( ) ( ) ) 24 (
3 2 3 / 2 n P n P n P P
a a a =
12
4.4. Acceleration Analysis by Complex Numbers
Consider the mechanism shown below.
Replace the elements of the mechanism by position vector such that
their sum is zero yields the acceleration equation on two successive
differentiations with respect to time.









Differentiating the vector sum with respect to time, and introducing
the complex notation yield the equation


) 25 ( 0 R R R
4 2 1
= +
) 26 ( 0
4 4 2
4 4 4 2 2
=
u u u
e e
i i i
e r e ir e ir
13
Again differentiating equation (26) yield the acceleration equation


Separating the real and imaginary parts of the equation (27) yield




Solving equations (28) simultaneously, the required accelerations are
obtained to be:



) 27 ( 0 2
4 4 4 4 2
2
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
2
2 2
= + + +
u u u u u
e e e e
i i i i i
e r e ir e r i e r e r

) 28 ( 0 sin cos cos 2 sin sin
0 cos sin sin 2 cos cos
4
2
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2
2
2 2
4
2
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2
2
2 2
= +
= +
u e u e u e u u e
u e u e u e u u e
r r r r r
r r r r r


| |
) 30 (
sin 2
cos ) cos(
) 29 ( ) cos(
4 4
2 2 4
2
2 2
4
2 4
2
2 2
2
4 4 4
u
u u u e
o
u u e e
r
r
r r r

=
=