Team work: Students may work together, but each student is required to do their own analysis and
submit their own lab report
Introduction
Machines are movable structures comprised of a several pin connected multi-force members
which are designed to provide a mechanical advantage, to transmit forces or to otherwise
complete a specific task. Examples of common machines include pumps, hand tools such as
pliers, clamps, or vice grips, parts of construction equipment such as the arm of an excavator or
lifting clamps, and mechanisms used to open/close windows/doors. Using the principles of
statics, we can analyze such mechanisms by considering equilibrium of the entire structure as a
whole, or we can disassemble it into its constituent parts and consider the equilibrium for each.
This allows us to understand how forces are transferred through the structure. The limitation of
a static analysis is that it is valid for only a specific configuration; if we wish to calculate the
forces while the structure is in a different orientation we must perform a new analysis from
scratch.
This lab will examine how we can use software tools, namely spreadsheets, to analyze a
complex mechanism not just in one configuration, but in a generalized manner. This will allow
us to quickly determine the maximum and minimum forces acting on each part and plot these
forces across different configurations.
Mechanism 1 – Guided Analysis
The problem we will examine today is a mechanism which opens a 30 kg ventilation door (OAP)
using the expansion and contraction of a hydraulic piston (DE). The mechanism is shown in
Figure 2 in the closed position.
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