What is Lagrange’s Equations?

• A powerful technique, using the Energy Principle for obtaining the

equations of motion for systems with more than one degree of
freedom.
• Advantages:
• Acceleration do not have to be determined; only velocities
• Required number of equations is automatically obtained
• Same basic method for different coordinates; allows us to work
with the most convenient set of coordinates

1
 Total Kinetic Energy (T)

• N DOF requires n independent generalized coordinates (qi, q2, …,

qn)
d  T  T
   Qi
dt   qi   qi
Lagrange Eq. for Non-Conservative Systems

Example: Double pendulum - Generalized co-ordinates are angles q1 and q2

Positions and velocities of ith particle:

l cos q1  l cos q1  l cos q2   lq sin q1   lq1 sin q1  lq2 sin q2 
r1   , r2    r1   1  , r2   
l sinq1  l sin q1  lsin q2   lq1 cos q1   lq1 cos q1  lq2 cos q2 


T  12 ml 2 q12  12 ml 2  lq1 sin q1  lq2 sin q2   lq1 cos q1  lq2 cos q2 
2 2

2
 Application of Lagrange’s Eq. to Single DOF system

F
M

d  T  T
   Qi
dt   qi   qi
q1

d   ( 12 mq12 )   ( 12 mq12 )
  F
dt   qi   qi
d (mqi )
 F
dt

 mqi  F

3
 Lagrange’s Eq. for Conservative Systems

d L L
• Lagrangian: L  T V   0
dt   qi   qi
• Potential functions, V :

Ideal springs (energy storage) - Energy storage =

1
2 kx 2

Gravity - energy storage = mgh

4
 Application of Lagrange’s Eq. to a 2-DOF system

T  12 I 2  12 mx 2
V  12 k1 (r ) 2  12 k2 ( x  r ) 2

d L L
  0
dt   qi   qi

5
 Application of Lagrange’s Eq. to a 2-DOF system

L  12 I 2  12 mx 2  12 k1 (r ) 2  12 k2 ( x  r )2

d L L
  0
dt   qi   qi
L d L L d L
 I ,    mx,     mx
  I x dt   x 
 dt   

L L
 k1r 2  k2 r ( x  r )   k2 (x  r )
 x
 r 2 (k1  k2 )  rxk2

I  (k1  k2 )r 2  rk2 x  0 mx  k2 x  k2r  0

6
 Application of Lagrange’s Eq. to a 2-DOF system including a
gravity term
 x  l sin    x  l cos 
r1    1 
, r  
 l cos    l sin  


T  12 (2m) x2  12 m x2  l 2 2  2lx cos 
V  12 kx2  mgl 1  cos 

Lagrangian: L = T- V
d L L
  0
dt   qi   qi
L
 2mx  mx  ml cos L
x  ml 2  mlx cos 

d L d  L
  3mx  ml cos   ml sin 
2
   ml   ml cos x  mlx sin 
2
dt   x  
dt   
L L
  kx  ml x   sin    mgl sin 
x 

3mx  ml cos   ml sin  2  kx  0 ml 2  ml cos x  mgl sin   0

7
 Exercise 1

Lagrangian: L = T- V

d L L
  0
dt   qi   qi