Part VI: Linkage Synthesis

This section will review some of the most common and techniques for synthesizing linkages.
These section will cover all of the basic graphical techniques, and will review a few of the
analytical synthesis techniques. This section will be divided among the following topics:
1)
2)
3)
4)

1)

Overview of linkage synthesis

Graphical synthesis techniques: two-position problem
Graphical synthesis techniques: three-position problem
Analytical synthesis techniques: Synthesis of dyads, Standard form equation, Threeposition synthesis with ground pivots specified.

Overview of linkage synthesis

1. Definitions:
a. Synthesis: To create a mechanism given desired task
b. Analysis: To determine the motion characteristics (task) given a mechanism.
c. Grashof mechanism
d. Toggle position
e. Types of sixbars
2. Forms of synthesis:
a. Type synthesis:
Choosing the type of mechanism best suited to the task
a.
Ex: Gear trains, linkages, cams, actuation methods, and # of
links/joints the mechanism should have.
b.
Degrees of freedom.

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Part VI -1

b. Dimensional synthesis:
Determine the significant dimensions of the mechanism

c. Classical Synthesis problems:

Motion generation

Path generation

Function generation

d. Defects that may occur:

Branch defect

Grashof defect

Order defect

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Part VI -2

2. Graphical Synthesis Techniques: 2 positions

Toggle positions
Equal forward/reverse drive times:
Locate the driving dyad ground pivot along the chord line
Quick return-type mechanisms
Driving dyad ground pivot not located along the chord line

3. Graphical Synthesis Techniques: 3 positions

a. Introduction:
b. why three positions?

c. How many positions total could be solved?

d. What are Precision Positions

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Part VI -3

e. How are Precision Positions selected?

One formal method for choosing precision points is Chebyshev spacing

Four different three-position techniques will be discussed: motion generation, path generation,
function generation, and motion generation with prescribed ground pivots.

B.1. Motion Generation:

Motion generation is the workhorse of the linkage synthesis problems. In motion generation, the
position and orientation of a body are to be guided (hence the other name, body guidance).
The procedure proceeds as follows:
1)
2)
3)
1.
2. Draw perpendicular bisectors
3. Find the intersection of these bisectors to give OA and OB.
4)
5) iterate as necessary, choosing new coupler points

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Part VI -4

Notes:
1.
2.
3.
4.

there are 4 infinities of solutions corresponding to choosing the circle points, A & B.
Choosing the 3 body positions to represent the task presents an iteration
A & B do not need to be on the body.
Once OA and OB are chosen, check for defects.

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Part VI -5

B.2. Path Generation:

Path generation is a subset of motion generation (only body positions, not orientations are
specific). Two approaches are used to solve a path generation problem.
One approach would define an additional set of angles as prescribed input timing and
then proceed in a manner somewhat like motion generation.
A second approach is to look at coupler curves: Curves defined by points on a coupler
link (non-grounded link in a four-bar). An infinite number of coupler curves exist for one
four-bar, and there are infinite possibilities of fourbars (the coupler curve in general is a
6th order curve).
The Hrones and Nelson Atlas of fourbar coupler curves can be used to choose curves, or
select a suitable software program.

B.3. Function Generation:

The function generation problem relates creates a functional relationship between the rotations of
the input and output links of a fourbar.

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Part VI -6

B. 4. Motion Generation with Specified Ground Pivots:

Given a motion generation task and two ground pivots specified, create a 4-bar linkage
Process uses inversion: to consider the motion of a device with different links considered
as the reference or ground

Procedure:
1. Specify 3 precision positions of the body
2. Choose 2 ground pivots, OA and OB. Now, using inversion, locate OA2, OA3 and OB2,
OB3. i.e., consider the body fixed and the pivots moving around the body.
2.1 First, measure the position of OA relative to the body in the second position, and
then draw OA (call it OA2) relative to the body in the first position using these
measurement. Do the same to locate OA3 (measure relative to the body in the third
position, draw it relative to the body in the first position).
2.2 Repeat for OB
3. Find the center of points OA and OB in the usual manner.
4. Draw the linkage in the first position

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Part VI -7

Locate three precision positions and grd pivots

Locate OA3

ME 3610 Course Notes - Outline

Locate OA2

Locate Coupler point A

Part VI -8

Repeat for coupler points B

ME 3610 Course Notes - Outline

Draw in the linkage

Part VI -9

4. Analytical Synthesis Techniques:

Analytical synthesis techniques lend themselves to computer solution can automate the synthesis
process and present much better tools for linkage synthesis. (The trade-off is that the techniques
are somewhat less-intuitive initially to a beininning mechanism designer).
The analytical techniques began with Freudenstien, who essentially solved the geometric
synthesis equations in an analytical fashion.
The techniques we will use are called dyadic synthesis and developed out of Sandors
work (extended by Erdman).
Analytical Dyadic Synthesis of Linkage or Dyadic Linkage Synthesis:
The key idea behind dyadic linkage synthesis is to consider a linkage as composed of a set of
dyads. Each dyad must perform the motion desired of the linkage. Therefore, the synthesis
process can be reduced to synthesizing the motion of a set of dyads independently and then
combining them to create entire linkage.
Dyad: Two-link pair
Consider for example a four-bar:

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Part VI -10

Notation
1.
Point P on the coupler traces the output position while gives the orientation of
coupler (and body)
2.
W and Z are vectors representing the dyad in position 1.
3.
W rotated by angle j is given by We^(i*j)
4.
Zl and Zr must have the same rotation ()
5.
j gives left-hand input timing
6.
j gives right-hand input timing

Procedure: (From here on, we will consider the body-guidance problem, with body position and
orientation given)
1. Represent the four-bar as 2 coupled dyads
2. Synthesize one dyad at a time
3. Move one dyad from the first precision position to the next
4. Write a vector loop equation to represent the unknown dyad vector at known positions (In
the standard form solution, each loop equation will include the dyad in the first and jth
position)
5. For each single loop equation, there are 5 u.k. parameters (Wl, Zl, j)
6. Make appropriate free choices
7. Solve the system equations for the unknowns
8. This results in 1 dyad that satisfies the precisions points. Solve for second to complete
the four bar (with the requirement that the coupler rotation is consistent)

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Part VI -11

1. Write a vector-loop equation:

Or:
This is called the Standard-form equation
2. For three positions (n=3), there are 2 vector equations for the left dyad:

Note the number of unknowns in the above equations:

Knowns:
Unknowns:
Number of equations:
3. For four positions (n=4), there are 3 vector equations for the left dyad:
(above 2 plus):

Note the number of unknowns in the above equations:

Knowns:
Unknowns:
Number of equations:
4. This process can be repeated. Look at all possibilities in the following table:

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Part VI -12

Table I: Number of positions Vs. number of solutions for the Std Form Equation on a Body
Guidance Problem
# of
# of scalar # of Scalar # of Free
# of
Solution
positions equations unknowns Choices Solutions Technique
(j)
2
3

4
5
6

Consider the implications of the number of equations Vs. the number of unknowns (read design
variables) in a synthesis problem:
Use the following analogy: Consider Equations as things to do, and design variables (unknowns)
as money:
Example 1: You are in Buck snort TN on a Friday evening with a significant other and $105.
Example 2: You plan a date in downtown Nashville and take $3.00.

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Part VI -13

Free Choices, a few more comments:

1. Proper selection of free choices leads to a set of linear equations in the unknowns.
2. Consider other sets of free choices, discuss their merits and disadvantages.

Solving the Standard Form Equation for 3 positions:

1. Recall the two loop closure equations for 1 dyad:
Wl e i 2 1 Z l e i 2 1 P2 P1

W e
l

i 3

1 Z e
l

i 3

1 P

P1

Eq. 2a
Eq. 2b

2. Make free choices such that only W and Z are unknown. The equations are known linear and
can be solved as:
aWl bZ l P3 P1
cWl dZ l P2 P1

Eq. 3

where:

3. Cast in matrix form:

Wl
rhs
Zl

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Eq. 4

Part VI -14

where

P2 P1
a b
, rhs

c d
P3 P1

Note that matrix A and vector b are complex. How would you expand (Eq. 4) such that A and b
are not complex?
4. Now solve for the unknown dyad vectors, Wl and Zl
Wl
1

A rhs
Zl
Eq. 5
5. Methods to do this (matrix inverse)
Cramers Rule
Gauss-Jordan Elimination
Matlab

Using Matlab to solve the Std. Form Equation:

Assigning complex vectors:
>>a=exp(beta2*i)-1
>>b=exp(alpha2*i)-1
Creating matrix and vector
>>A=[a,b;c,d]
>>rhs=[(P2x-P1x)+i*(P2y-P1y); (P3x-P1x)+i*(P3y-P1y)];
Invert and multiply
>>x=inv(A)*b
Extract results
>>W=x(1)
>>Wx=real(W);Wy=imag(W)

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Part VI -15

Complete the Fourbar:

Now solve for the right hand dyad
For a body-guidance problem, s are the same, the s are the free choices
What are free choices for a path-generation problem?
Reconstruct the four-bar using the two dyads
Check for defects, performance, etc.

Analytical Dyadic Synthesis: Thought-Provoking Questions

1) Generate the standard form equation,
W(eibj - 1) + Z(eiaj - 1) = dj
for a body guidance problem (draw a figure). List the knowns and unknowns. Given three
positions, describe a closed-form solution technique.
2) Create a table for the body guidance problem that demonstrates the maximum number of
positions that can be solved with a four-bar, and list the unknowns, free-choices, and
solutions for all smaller positions.
3) Given a path generation problem w/o prescribed input timing (the only givens are the Pj's,
determine the maximum number of positions that can be synthesized with a four-bar linkage.
Support/prove your result.
4) Derive the standard form equation for a function generation problem. List the knowns and
unknowns. Also, list the number of free-choices to solve for three positions.
5) Create a table for the function generation problem that demonstrates the number of
positions possible along with knowns, unknowns, free choices, and number of solutions.
6) For a body guidance problem, given the three positions and thus two free-choices, list all
possible combinations of two free choices. Discuss the merits of these various choices.
7) Show how to set up the equations to solve three position body-guidance problem if the
ground pivots are to be made as free-choices.
8) Given a function generation problem, determine the maximum number of precision pairs
that can be synthesized with a four-bar linkage.

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Part VI -16

Burmester Synthesis:
Burmester synthesis provides a technique to solve for 4 precision positions
Advantages:
Increased number of precision positions
Returns 1 infinity of solutions
Solutions presented conveniently in graphical form
This is found in most commercial computer packages

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Part VI -17

Body Guidance with Ground Pivots Specified:

Considering Table I above, it appears that the cases of three or four specified positions are the
most likely candidates to consider in synthesizing linkages. For the three position case however,
it would make a lot more sense if ground pivots could be specified as our free choices (rather
than base link rotations). So, this section will rederive the dyadic synthesis equations for the
case where ground pivots are specified for a body-guidance problem.
To start, we will consider our original figure of a single dyad moving through the desired
positions. To facilitate this formulation, we will use a new set of notation. This notation is
shown in the following figure:

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Part VI -18

Procedure:
1. Write a vector loop equation that includes the ground pivot
Wl e

i j

Zl e

i j

P j G l 0, j 1 n

Eq. 6

2. Write this vector loop for positions 1-3:

Wl e i3 Z l e i 3 P3 G l R3 e i3

Wl e i 2 Z l ei 2 P2 G l R2 e i 2
i1

Wl e Z l e

i 1

P1 G l R1e

Eq. 7a-c

i1

Discuss Eq. 7 here (page)

3. Expand the loop equation into 2 scalar equations:

Wl cos j R cos j Z l cos j

Wl sin j R sin j Z l sin j

Eq. 8

4. Eliminate unknown j using the square and add technique:

Z l2 W l 2 R 2 2 Z l cos j R cos j 2 Z l sin j R sin j 0

Eq. 9

5. Isolate angle z, first expand trig functions:

Z l2 Wl 2 R 2 2 Z l R c j cc j s j sc j s j cs j c j ss j 0

Eq. 10

6. Then simplify:

Z l2 W l 2 R 2 2Z l cos R cos j j 2 Z l sin R sin j j 0

Eq. 11

7. This equation is non-linear in the unknowns (recall again the unknowns). Linearize using
the following change-of-variables.

k1 Z l2 W l 2 , k 2 Z l cos , k3 Z l sin

ME 3610 Course Notes - Outline

Eq. 12

Part VI -19

8. Rewrite the new linear equation:

k1 2k 2 R cos j j 2k3 R sin j j R 2

Eq. 13

9. Construct the set of equations for three positions:

k1 2k 2 R1 cos 1 1 2k3 R1 sin 1 1 R12

k1 2k 2 R2 cos 2 2 2k3 R2 sin 2 2 R22

k1 2k 2 R3 cos 3 3 2k3 R3 sin 3 3 R32

Eq. 14

10. Cast in matrix form:

1 2 R1 cos 1 1
1 2 R cos
2
2
2

1 2 R3 cos 3 3

2 R1 sin 1 1 k1 R12

2 R2 sin 2 2 k 2 R22
2 R3 sin 3 3 k3 R32

Eq. 15

11. And solve:

Ak R

k A 1 R

Eq. 16

12. Now solve for dyad unknowns:

Zl

2
2

k k
k32 , Wl Z l2 k1 , atan 2 3 , 2
Zl Zl

Eq. 17

13. Repeat for right-hand dyad, assemble linkage, check for defects, etc

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Part VI -20

Discuss Eq. 7:
1. What are the unknowns? How many?
2. For this problem, create a table similar to table II that lists number of positions,
uks, free choices and solutions
3. Suggest possible solutions for Eq. 14.
Discuss the solution procedure for Eq. 14
4. Nonlinear in unknowns, and, no free-choice will make this linear directly.
5. The angles qj can be eliminated from each vector equation using the square and
add procedure
6. This results in 3 equations and 3 unknowns for the 3 precision position problem
(explain)
7. Since these equations are nonlinear in the unknowns, use a variable substitution to
linearize in a new set of variables.
8. Solve linear set of equations, solve unknowns

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Part VI -21