JOINTS and LINKAGES

A. Vania
Politecnico di Milano, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Milan, Italy
 JOINTS 2

prismatic joint

spherical 3D

helical joint
spherical 2D

plane on plane

hinge (or pin joint)

APPLIED MECHANICS – Prof. Andrea VANIA

 JOINTS 3

translations
degree of
freedom

rotations
free
free
name

sphere between
parallel planes

sphere in a
cylinder

cylinder between
parallel planes

hinge (or pin joint)

spherical

sphere in a
cylinder with
groove

planar

spherical with
groove

toric

cylindrical

cylindrical with
groove

rotoidal

prismatic

pin joint in a bridge pillar joint rigid joint

APPLIED MECHANICS – Prof. Andrea VANIA
 FOUR-BAR LINKAGE 4

s l

Four-bar linkage: shortest link s,

longest link l, intermediate length links p and q
p

driver

driver
s

s+l < p+q

(a) Crank - rocker s+l < p+q
(b) Double - crank

APPLIED MECHANICS – Prof. Andrea VANIA

 FOUR-BAR LINKAGE 5

driver
driver

s
(full rotation of
s the coupler link
is possible)
s+l < p+q s+l < p+q
(c) Rocker - crank (d) Grashof Rocker-rocker

s+l = p+q

s+l < p+q

(f) Change-Point Mechanism
in Toggle Configuration
(e) Non-Grashof Rocker-rocker
(triple rocker)

APPLIED MECHANICS – Prof. Andrea VANIA

 LINKAGES 6

APPLIED MECHANICS – Prof. Andrea VANIA

 CRANK AND SLOTTED LINK 7

Configuration “a” Configuration “b”

APPLIED MECHANICS – Prof. Andrea VANIA

 LINKAGE DOFs 8

N = 3 ( m − 1 ) − 2 C1 − C2

Front loader

shovel

APPLIED MECHANICS – Prof. Andrea VANIA

 “SCARA” ROBOTS 9

Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm

end effector
end effector
(tongs)
(e.g. screwdriver)

N = 6 ( m − 1 ) − 5 C1 − 4 C2 − 3 C3 − 2 C4 − C5
SCARA robots
APPLIED MECHANICS – Prof. Andrea VANIA
 10

APPLIED MECHANICS – Prof. Andrea VANIA