Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2021
26th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
Software development to the design of four-bar linkages with Python
Submission Author:
Cádmo Rodrigues , MG
Co-Authors:
Cádmo Rodrigues, Claysson Vimieiro, Jánes Landre Júnior
Presenter: Claysson Vimieiro
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2021.COB2021-0089
Abstract
The four-bar linkage is a relatively old and still widely used solution for several engineering applications, such as windshield wipers, pumpjacks and medical beds. Basically, this mechanism is composed of four rigid links, connected to each other by means of pin joints, where the length and mass of these rigid links, for example, define the behavior of the mechanism. Among the parameters to be analyzed by the designer, the relationship between the velocities and accelerations of the input and output bars is one of the main definitions and, through the aid of algorithms, different solutions can be tested and optimized in terms of time spend during the mechanism design. Parallel to this, the use of simulation by engineering has become a fundamental stage during the development of new solutions and, therefore, engineers with skills in programming languages and development of algorithms have become common in the present times. In this context, the present work seeks to develop an algorithm, using Python computer programming language, to assist in the development of four-bar linkage designs. The software developed here has a graphical user interface in order to be more user friendly, where the user must provide data such as size, mass and inertia of the bars, in addition to the possibility of applying forces and accelerations at strategic points of the mechanism. As a result, the software user obtains the resulting forces and torques on the bars as well as the angular displacement, velocity and acceleration plots of the output bar during the complete movement cycle. Subsequently, the user is also able to change the previously assigned parameters and run the simulation again with the updated data, which results in a dynamic way to simulate and optimize the mechanism. Seeking to validate the software developed by the present work, classic examples of consolidated literature are simulated and these results are equivalent to the literature results.
Keywords
four-bar linkage, kinematics and dynamics of machinery, Mechanism design, Programming, Python, dynamics of mechanical systems, Algorithm, software
