Designing, analysis and computer modeling of straight-line mechanisms

Abstract

Some mechanisms connect mechanics and mathematics closely. In the middle of 19-th century scientists’ attention was attracted by mechanical linkages providing a transformation from translation into rotation. This led to the search for mechanisms realizing theoretically exact displacement of a target point along a straight line. Dozens of such straight-line linkages have been developed. The majority of them realize the approximate displacement along a straight line and some of them provide exact rectilinear motion. In the creation of these mechanisms J. Watt, France Reuleaux, P. Chebyshev and the others took part. In Reuleaux’ famous collection of models about 40 are models of straight-line mechanisms. This article discusses some models of straight-line linkages (further called SLM). Moreover, the results of modeling them graphically and numerically by computer are presented.