A mechanism is formed when one of the links of a kinematic chain is fixed. A mechanism can be used to either transmit or transform some given motion. Knowing the velocity of the links in any mechanism therefore becomes a crucial aspect for any designer.
SolidWorks helps us develop the velocity plots for these mechanisms using the SolidWorks motion feature. For this demo I went with a simple slider crank mechanism.
Knowing the behavior of links in such a kind of mechanism for a mechanical engineer is key since it plays a pivotal role in many mechanical systems.
We begin by creating parts making up the mechanism i.e. crank, slider, connecting rod and frame (fixed link)
If say we went with a mechanism with the above link lengths.
For the crank:
For the connecting rod:
For the slider:
The length of the frame is equivalent to the sum of the other two link lengths.
Once you are done creating the parts you can proceed to create the assembly.
When you are done your assembly should look like the one below.
Next we run the motion study. Remember to first activate the SolidWorks motion add-in.
Next set the drive rotating at a definite speed. For this problem I have set the crank to be rotating at 10rad/s which is approximately 96rpm.
Click on the drop down arrow on the bottom left and select motion analysis.
Click on calculate motion to see how your mechanism behaves. In the motion study click on results and plots and define the parameters of your plot, for example the linear velocity of the slider in the x axis.
Clicking the green marker sets up the plot which is stored in the results folder. Moving to this folder and selecting to show plot displays the velocity plot on the window.
With this you can determine the maximum and minimum velocities of the link.
If say we went with a mechanism with the above link lengths.
For the crank:
For the connecting rod:
For the slider:
The length of the frame is equivalent to the sum of the other two link lengths.
Once you are done creating the parts you can proceed to create the assembly.
When you are done your assembly should look like the one below.
Next we run the motion study. Remember to first activate the SolidWorks motion add-in.
Next set the drive rotating at a definite speed. For this problem I have set the crank to be rotating at 10rad/s which is approximately 96rpm.
Click on the drop down arrow on the bottom left and select motion analysis.
Click on calculate motion to see how your mechanism behaves. In the motion study click on results and plots and define the parameters of your plot, for example the linear velocity of the slider in the x axis.
Clicking the green marker sets up the plot which is stored in the results folder. Moving to this folder and selecting to show plot displays the velocity plot on the window.
With this you can determine the maximum and minimum velocities of the link.