ME 352 - Machine Design I Name of Student:_____________________________

Fall Semester 2019 Lab Section Number:__________________________

Homework 2 (40 points). Upload to Gradescope before 8:00 am on Friday, August 30th.

Recall that the important notes for this homework assignment are as printed on Homework 1.

Consider a four-bar linkage with the following link dimensions:

Ground Link 1: 200 mm
Input Link 2: 90 mm
Coupler Link 3: 150 mm
Output Link 4: 170 mm

The fixed X and Y-axes of a right-hand reference frame are specified as horizontal and vertical,
respectively, and the origin is coincident with O 2 , that is, the ground pivot of the input link 2. The
orientation of the ground link O 2O 4 relative to the X-axis is θ1 = 15° counterclockwise; that is, oriented
above the X-axis.

For the posture where the input angle θ2 = 30 counterclockwise from the X-axis, determine the
postures of the coupler link 3 and the output link 4 for the open and crossed postures of the four-bar
linkage using the following three methods: (i) graphical (make a scale drawing and measure the angles);
(ii) trigonometry (the sine rule and cosine rule); and (iii) the Newton-Raphson numerical technique.
Compare the answers that you obtain from the three methods.

Note that this problem is similar to Problem 2.33, see page 112 of the custom edition, Theory of
Machines and Mechanisms, Fifth Edition, J.J. Uicker, Jr., G.R. Pennock, and J.E. Shigley, Oxford
University Press, New York, 2017.
Solution to Homework 2.
(i) Graphical (10 Points). The link dimensions and joint angles specified in the problem statement are:
Ground Link: R1 = 200 mm θ1 = 15˚
Input Link: R2 = 90 mm θ2 = 30˚
Coupler Link: R3 = 150 mm θ3 = ?˚
Output Link: R4 = 170 mm θ4 = ?˚

For the specified input angle θ2 = 30 (measured from the X-axis), the two possible configurations of
the four-bar linkage are as shown in Figure 1. The loop O2 A B1 O4 is the open configuration and the
loop O2 A B2 O4 is the closed (or crossed-over) configuration of the four-bar linkage.

Radius 150 mm Radius 170 mm

Figure 1. The graphical solution for the four-bar linkage.

Scale: 1 mm = 4 mm.
Measuring the scaled drawing, the coupler angle and the output angle are:

For the Open Posture: θ3 = 81o and θ4 = 123o

For the Crossed Posture: θ3 = − 75o and θ4 = − 117o

(ii) Trigonometry (10 Points). The notation for the open and closed (or crossed-over) configurations of
the four-bar linkage are shown in Figure 2. The law of cosines, for the triangle O2AO4, can be written as

AO42 = R12 + R 22 − 2R1R 2 cos(θ2 − θ1) (1a)

or as
AO4 = R12 + R 22 − 2R1R 2 cos(θ2 − θ1) (1b)

2
Substituting the given values into this equation gives

AO4 = 202 + 92 − 2(20)(9)cos15 (1c)

Therefore, the distance between point A and point O4 is

AO4 = ± 11.544 cm (2)

Obviously, this distance cannot be a negative value, therefore, the length AO4 = 11.544 cm . The
notation for the angles for the open and closed (or crossed-over) configurations are shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. The notation for the angles for the open and closed (or crossed-over) configurations.

The angle ∠O4 AO2 = α can be determined from the law of sines; i.e.,

R1 AO4
= (3)
sin α sin (θ2 − θ1)
which gives
 20 sin15 
α = sin −1   = 153.36

(4)
 11.544 

Therefore, the angle β = ∠O2O4 A can be determined from the sum of the angles of triangle O4O2 A ;
i.e.,

β = 180 − α − (θ 2 − θ1 ) = 11.64° (5)

3
The triangle O4 AB has the same lengths and angles in both configurations, however, the influence of
these angles on the joint angles θ3 and θ 4 are different.
For the open configuration. The angles are

R32 + R42 − AO42

φ = cos (−1
) = 41.71° (6)
2 R3 R4
and
R4 sin φ
γ = sin −1 ( ) = ± 78.47° (7)
AO4
Therefore, the angle
θ = 180° − γ − φ = 59.82° (8)

The joint angle for link 3 is

θ3 = θ 2 − 180° + α + γ (9a)
which can be written as
θ3 = 30° − 180° + 153.36° + 78.47° = 81.83° (9b)
The joint angle for link 4 is
θ 4 = θ1 + 180 − β − θ (10a)
which can be written as
θ 4 = 15° + 180° − 11.64° − 59.82° = 123.54° (10b)

For the closed configuration. The joint angle for link 3 is

θ3 = θ 2 − 180° + α − γ (11a)
which can be written as
θ3 = 30° − 180° + 153.36° − 78.47° = −75.11° (11b)
The joint angle for link 4 is
θ 4 = θ1 + 180 − β + θ (12a)
which can be written as
θ 4 = 15° + 180° − 11.64° + 59.82° = 243.18° = −116.82° (12b)

(iii) The Newton-Raphson Iterative Technique (20 Points).

From the vector loop equation, see Eqs. (2a) and (2b), the error equations can be written as

R2 cos θ2 + R3 cos θ 3 * – R4 cos θ 4 * – R1 cos θ1 = ε X (13a)

and
R2 sin θ2 + R3 sin θ 3 * – R4 sin θ 4 * – R1 sin θ1 = ε Y (13b)

where ε X and ε Y are the X and Y components of the error vector. To linearize these two equations, the
first-order Taylor’s Series can be written as

 ∂ε X   ∂ε X 
  Δθ3 * +   Δθ 4 * = Δε X = − ε X (14a)
∂θ
 3  * ∂θ
 4  *
and

4
  ∂ε Y   ∂ε Y 
  Δθ3 * +   Δθ 4 * = Δε Y = − ε Y (14b)
 ∂θ3 *   ∂θ 4 * 

where Δθ3 * and Δθ 4 * are the two corrections to the joint angles for links 3 and 4. In matrix form, these
two linear equations can be written as

 a11 a12   Δθ3 *  − ε X 

a  =  (15)
 21 a22   Δθ 4 *  − ε Y 

The coefficients of the 2x2 matrix on the left-hand side of Eq. (15) can be written from Eqs. (13) as
∂ε X ∂ε X
a11 = = – R3 sin θ 3 * and a12 = = + R4 sin θ 4 * (16a)
∂θ 3 * ∂θ 4 *
and
∂ε Y ∂ε Y
a21 = = + R3 cos θ 3 * and a22 = = – R4 cos θ 4 * (16b)
∂θ 3 * ∂θ 4 *

Using Cramer’s rule, the two corrections can be written as

−ε X a12
−ε Y a22 ( −ε X )( a22 ) − ( −ε Y )( a12 )
Δθ3 * = = (17a)
a11 a12 DET
a21 a22
and
a11 −ε X

Δθ 4 * =
a21 −ε Y
=
( −ε Y )( a11 ) − ( −ε X )( a21 ) (17b)
a11 a12 DET
a21 a22

The determinant of the coefficient matrix in Eq. (16) is

a11 a12
DET = = a11 a 22 − a12 a 21 (18a)
a 21 a 22

Substituting Eqs. (16a) and (16b) into Eq. (18a), the determinant can be written as

DET = R3 R4 sin (θ3 − θ 4 ) (18b)

For the second iteration, the coupler angle and the output angle can be written as

θ3 *NEW = θ3 *OLD + Δθ3 * and θ 4 *NEW = θ 4 *OLD + Δθ 4 * (19)

The First iteration. Begin with the initial guesses for the coupler angle and the output angle. From a
scaled drawing of the open configuration, see Part (i), the coupler angle and the output angle were
measured as
θ3∗ = 81 and θ 4∗ = 123 (20)

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Note that the accuracy of the final values for the angles should be within 0.01˚ = 0.0001745 rads. From
Eqs. (13a) and (13b), the errors are

ε X = + 0.0811 cm and ε Y = − 0.1185 cm (21)

From Eqs. (15a) and (15b), the coefficients are

a11 = − 14.815 cm and a12 = + 14.257 cm (22a)
and
a21 = + 2.347 cm and a22 = + 9.259 cm (22b)

Substituting Eqs. (21) and (22) into Eq. (16) gives

 − 14.815cm + 14.257 cm   Δθ3∗   − 0.0811cm 

 + 2.347 cm + 9.259 cm   ∗
=  (23)
   Δθ4   + 0.1185cm 

Substituting Eqs. (22) into Eq. (18a), the determinant is

DET = − 170.63 cm2 (24)

From Eqs. (17), the two corrections are

(− 0.0811cm)(+ 9.259cm) − ( + 0.1185cm)(+14.257 cm)
Δθ3∗ = = + 0.01430 rads (25a)
− 170.63cm 2
and
(+ 0.1185cm)(− 14.815cm) − (− 0.0811cm)(+2.347 cm)
Δθ4∗ = = + 0.00917 rads (25b)
− 170.63cm 2

Therefore, the new values for the coupler angle and the output angle from Eq. (19), and using the
accuracy of the final values for the angles within 0.01˚ = 0.0001745 rads, are

θ3∗ NEW = 81.82 and θ4∗ NEW = 123.53 (26)

The Second iteration. Substituting Eqs. (26) into Eqs. (13a) and (13b) the errors are

ε X = + 0.00031 cm and εY = − 0.00014 cm (27)

Therefore, Eq. (16) can be written as

 − 14.847 cm 14.171cm   Δθ3∗   − 0.00031cm 

 2.134 cm  = (28)
 9.390 cm   Δθ4∗   + 0.00014 cm 

The determinant of the coefficient matrix in Eq. (28) is

DET = − 169.654 cm2 (29)

and the two corrections are

(− 0.00031cm)( + 9.390 cm) − (+ 0.00014 cm)(+ 14.171cm)
Δθ3∗ = 2
= + 2.885 x 10−5 rads (30a)
− 169.654 cm
and

6
 (+ 0.00014 cm)( − 14.847 cm) − ( − 0.00031cm)( + 2.134 cm)
Δθ4∗ = 2
= + 8.353 x 10 −6 rads (30b)
− 169.654 cm

Therefore, the new values for the coupler angle and the output angle from Eq. (19), and using the
accuracy of the final values for the angles within 0.01˚ = 0.0001745 rads, are

θ3∗ NEW = 81.82 and θ4∗ NEW = 123.53 (31)

Note that these answers are the same as the answers given by the second iteration, see Eqs. (26). A third
iteration would show that these answers are acceptable within the accuracy of the final values for the
angles within 0.01˚ = 0.0001745 rads.
Summary of the answers: For the coupler angle and the output angle (after two iterations):

Open Configuration: θ3 = 81.82 and θ4 = 123.53 (32a)

Closed Configuration: θ3 = − 75.10 and θ4 = − 116.81 (32b)

A computer code based on the Newton-Raphson iterative technique could be written as follows:
%% Initialize correction

dt_3=1; dt_4=1;

resolution = 0.01*pi/180;

iteration=0;
%% Estimating theta 3 and theta 4 values (from the Newton-Raphson technique)

while ( ( abs ( dt_3) > resolution ) | ( abs ( dt_4) > resolution ) )

iteration = iteration + 1 ;
“insert error equation”
“insert partial equation”
“insert Cramer’s rule”
“new angle values”

if ( iteration > 10 )
display ( ' Error - Number of iterations exceeds 10 ' )
break
end
end