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1. Introduction
Dimensional synthesis plays a vital role in kinematic synthesis of mechanisms. It deals with the determination of various link dimensions of mechanisms [[1]]. The variable topology mechanisms are used to meet complex motion requirements through multiple phases [[2]]. The main purpose of variable topology mechanism is to make synthesis processsimpler [[3]-[5]].
Four- bar slider crank linkages have been widely used in industrial applications [[6]]. Many works on five-bar linkages with variable topology mainly target on revolute joint type [[3]-[5]]. Though there are works which deal with the five-bar slider crank linkages, they are not commonly found in industries because of their limitations and difficulty in synthesizing [[6]]. The objective of the present work is to familiarize the five-bar slider mechanism for industrial applications and to make the synthesis of five-bar slider easy. For the purpose, a method known as variable topology is used. The paper deals with the synthesis of an offset five-bar slider with variable topology mechanism and a centric five-bar slider variable topology mechanism. In a way, this paper is the continuation of the work of second author [[3]-[5]]. The suggested procedure successfully applied tothe synthesis of five-bar slider which has not been tried.
The method used in the present work has been found in the previous studies for the planar five-bar and seven-bar mechanisms with only revolute pairs [[3]-[5]]. The mechanisms with sliders and so forth are not dealt with. Here is an attempt to use the technique to the mechanisms with prismatic pairs, that is, sliders, where the situations like that of offset slider and, hence, the stretch ratio come into picture.
1.1. An Offset Five-Bar Slider Mechanism
A planar offset five-bar slider mechanism has two degrees of freedom. It has one rotary and one linear independent input as shown in [Figure 1]. A planar five-bar slider mechanism with variable topology is a mechanism which operates as a simple single-degree-of-freedom mechanism in each phase.
Figure 1:
AFive-bar slider mechanism.
[Image omitted: See PDF.]
During Phase I of operation, a link adjacent to the permanently fixed link, that is, crank O a A shown in [Figure 2]. is temporarily fixed which results in an off-set slider crank mechanism ABP of one degree of freedom. The synthesis procedure is...