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Section 10.4 Frictionless Joints

The contact action screw which results from the connection of two rigid bodies \(\cB_1\) and \(\cB_2\) by a frictionless joint can be simplified due to the fact that the local contact force is directed along the local unit normal vector \(\bn_{12}\) to the surfaces in contact
\begin{equation} \bof_{1 \to 2} ^c (Q) = N_{1 \to 2} (Q) \bn_{12} (Q)\tag{10.4.1} \end{equation}
at any point \(Q\) of the contacting surfaces. We list below the expressions of the action screw \(\{ \cA^c_{1 \to 2} \}\) for the six lower kinematic pairs described in Chapter 7.

Subsection 10.4.1 Frictionless Pivot

Recall that a pivot is a one-degree-of-freedom joint which permits a rotation about a common axis \(\Delta \equiv (O_1 , \bz_1 ) = (O_2 , \bz_2)\) of \(\cB_1\) and \(\cB_2\text{.}\) The corresponding kinematic screw is given by
\begin{equation} \{ \cV _{2 / 1} \} = \left\{ \begin{array}{c} \bom_{2/1} = \om_z \bz_1 \\ \bze \end{array} \right\}_{A\in \Delta}\tag{10.4.2} \end{equation}
Then, assuming frictionless contact, the corresponding action contact screw \(\{ \cA^c_{1 \to 2} \}\) satisfies
\begin{equation} \bM^c_{A, 1 \to 2} \cdot \bz_1 = 0\tag{10.4.3} \end{equation}
for any point \(A\) of axis \(\Delta\) as was shown in Example 10.3.18. All other components of the action screw are in general non-zero:
\begin{equation*} \{ \cA_{1 \to 2}^c \} = \left\{ \begin{array}{c} R_x \bx_1 +R_y \by_1 +R_z \bz_1 \\ M_{Ax} \bx_1 +M_{Ay} \by_1 \end{array} \right\}_{A\in \Delta} \end{equation*}
Figure 10.4.1.

Remark 10.4.2.

Note that the kinematic \(\{ \cV _{2 / 1} \}\) and the action \(\{ \cA^c_{1 \to 2} \}\) screws satisfy the property (see Section 4.7)
\begin{equation*} \{ \cV _{2 / 1} \} \cdot \{ \cA_{1 \to 2}^c \} = \om_z \bz_1 \cdot \bM^c_{A, 1 \to 2} + \bR^c_{1\to 2}\cdot \vel_{A\in 2 /1} = 0 \end{equation*}
where point \(A\) is an arbitrary point of axis \(\Delta\text{.}\) This equation simply states that the power generated by the contact forces vanishes, as will be shown in Chapter 12.

Subsection 10.4.2 Frictionless Slider

In a slider, a prismatic surface of \(\cB_2\) coincides with a prismatic surface of \(\cB_1\) thus restricting the motion to a rectilinear translation along a direction \(\bx_1 = \bx_2\) common to \(\cB_1\) and \(\cB_2\text{.}\)
Figure 10.4.3.
This is a one-degree-of-freedom joint, characterized by the following kinematic screw
\begin{equation} \{ \cV _{2 / 1 } \} = \left\{ \begin{array}{c} \bze \\ v_{2x} \bx_1 \end{array} \right\}\tag{10.4.4} \end{equation}
Then, assuming frictionless contact, the corresponding contact action screw \(\{\cA^c_{ 1 \to 2} \}\) satisfies
\begin{equation} \bR^c_{1 \to 2} \cdot \bx_1 = 0\tag{10.4.5} \end{equation}
All other components of the action screw are non-zero:
\begin{equation*} \{ \cA_{1 \to 2}^c \} = \left\{ \begin{array}{c} R_y \by_1 +R_z \bz_1 \\ M_{Ax} \bx_1 +M_{Ay} \by_1 +M_{Az}\bz_1 \end{array} \right\}_A \end{equation*}
Again one can verify again that \(\{ \cV _{2 / 1} \} \cdot \{ \cA_{1 \to 2}^c \} =0\text{.}\)

Subsection 10.4.3 Frictionless Slider-Pivot

A slider-pivot is a two-degree-of-freedom joint which permits both a rotation about and a translation along an axis \(\Delta (O_1 , \bz_1 )\text{.}\)
\begin{equation} \{ \cV _{2 / 1} \} = \left\{ \begin{array}{c} \om_z \bz_1 \\ v_{2z}\bz_1 \end{array} \right\}_{A \in \Delta}\tag{10.4.6} \end{equation}
Then, assuming frictionless contact, the corresponding contact action screw \(\{ \cA_{1 \to 2}^c \}\) satisfies
\begin{equation} \bR^c_{1 \to 2} \cdot \bz_1 = 0, \qquad \bM^c_{A, 1 \to 2} \cdot \bz_1 = 0\tag{10.4.7} \end{equation}
for all points \(A\) of axis \(\Delta\text{.}\) All other components of the action screw are non-zero
\begin{equation*} \{ \cA_{1 \to 2}^c \} = \left\{ \begin{array}{c} R_x \bx_1 +R_y \by_1 \\ M_{Ax} \bx_1 +M_{Ay}\by_1 \end{array} \right\}_{A \in \Delta} \end{equation*}
Figure 10.4.4.

Subsection 10.4.4 Frictionless Helical Joint

A helical joint is a slider-pivot joint in which the rotational about and translational motion along axis \(\Delta (O_1, \bz_1)\) are constrained to each other by the relation \(v_{2z} = (p / 2\pi) \om_z\) (where \(p\) is a constant). Thus, this is a one-degree-of-freedom joint, and the corresponding kinematic screw can be written as
\begin{equation} \{ \cV _{2 / 1} \} = \left\{ \begin{array}{c} \om_z \bz_1 \\ {p\over 2\pi} \om_z \bz_1 \end{array} \right\}_{A \in \Delta}\tag{10.4.8} \end{equation}
Then, assuming frictionless contact, the corresponding contact action screw \(\{ \cA_{1 \to 2}^c \}\) satisfies
\begin{equation} \frac{p}{2\pi} \bR^c_{1 \to 2} \cdot \bz_1 + \bM^c_{A, 1 \to 2} \cdot \bz_1 = 0\tag{10.4.9} \end{equation}
for any point \(A\) of axis \(\Delta\text{.}\) This can be found by imposing \(\{ \cV _{2 / 1} \} \cdot \{ \cA^c_{1 \to 2} \} =0\text{.}\)
Figure 10.4.5.

Subsection 10.4.5 Frictionless Spherical Joint

In a spherical joint, a single point \(O_2\) of \(\cB_2\) remains fixed relative to \(\cB_1\text{.}\) This is a three-degree-of-freedom joint with corresponding kinematic screw
\begin{equation} \{ \cV _{2 / 1 } \} = \left\{ \begin{array}{c} \bom_{2/1} \\ \bze \end{array} \right\}_{O_2}\tag{10.4.10} \end{equation}
Figure 10.4.6.
Then, assuming frictionless contact, the corresponding contact action screw \(\{ \cA^c_{1 \to 2} \}\) satisfies
\begin{equation} \bM^c_{O_2, 1 \to 2} = \bze\tag{10.4.11} \end{equation}
All other components of the action screw are non-zero:
\begin{equation*} \{ \cA_{1 \to 2}^c \} = \left\{ \begin{array}{c} R_x \bx_2 + R_y \by_2 +R_z \bz_2 \\ \bze \end{array} \right\}_{O_2} \end{equation*}

Subsection 10.4.6 Planar Frictionless Joint

In a planar joint between \(\cB_1\) and \(\cB_2\text{,}\) a plane \((O_2 , \bx_2, \by_2)\) of \(\cB_2\) coincides with a plane \((O_1 , \bx_1, \by_1)\) of \(\cB_1\text{.}\) A planar joint is a three-degree-of-freedom joint with corresponding kinematic screw
\begin{equation} \{ \cV _{2 /1 } \} = \left\{ \begin{array}{ccc} \om_z \bz_1 \\ v_{O_2 x} \bx_1 + v_{O_2 y} \by_1 \end{array} \right\}_{O_2}\tag{10.4.12} \end{equation}
The corresponding contact action screw \(\{ \cA^c_{1 \to 2} \}\text{,}\) assuming frictionless contact, satisfies
\begin{equation} \bR^c_{1 \to 2} \cdot \bx_1 = 0, \qquad \bR^c_{1 \to 2} \cdot \by_1 = 0, \qquad \bM^c_{A, 1 \to 2} \cdot \bz_1 = \bze\tag{10.4.13} \end{equation}
about any point \(A\text{.}\) All other components of the action screw are non-zero:
\begin{equation*} \{ \cA_{1 \to 2}^c \} = \left\{ \begin{array}{c} R_z \bz_1 \\ M_{Ax} \bx_2 +M_{Ay}\by_2 \end{array} \right\}_{A} \end{equation*}
Figure 10.4.7.

Remark 10.4.8.

It is possible to give the expression of the action screw \(\{ \cA^c_{1 \to 2} \}\) for frictionless higher kinematic pairs by imposing the condition \(\{ \cV _{2 / 1} \} \cdot \{ \cA^c_{1 \to 2} \} =0\text{.}\)