Mechatronics Engineering

NAME & ID DATE MTE 119 STATICS

LECTURE
MATERIALS
PAGE

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 5-3:
Bedford & Fowler, 2005 by Pearson Education Inc.
The robotic manipulator is stationary and the y axis is vertical. The weight of the arms AB
and BC act at their mid-points.
The direction cosines of the
centerline of the arm AB are:
cos 0.174
x
=
cos 0.985
y
=
cos 0
z
=
The direction cosines of the
centerline of the arm BC are:
cos 0.743
x
=
cos 0.557
y
=
cos 0.371
z
=
The support at A behaves like a built-
in support.
a. What is the sum of the moments
about A due to the weight of the
two arms?
b. What are the reactions at A?

SOLUTION:
Free-Body Diagram

Let us denote the center of mass of arm AB as
1
D and that
of arm BC as
2
D .


A Ax Ay Az
M M i M j M k = + +

1
200 W jN =

2
160 W jN =

1
3
x
y
z
W
1
W
2
A
y
A
x
A
z
D
1
D
2
B
A
300mm
M
A


Mechatronics Engineering
NAME & ID DATE MTE 119 STATICS
LECTURE
MATERIALS
PAGE

Unit vectors in the direction of AB and BC:

cos cos cos
x y z
u i j k = + +

0.174 0.985 0
AB
u i j k = + +

0.743 0.557 0.371
BC
u i j k = +

Position Vectors:
Position Vector from A to D
1
:
1
0.3
AD AB
r u =

1
0.0522 0.2955
AD
r i j = +

m
Position Vector from A to D
2
:
2 2
AD AB BD
r r r = +


0.6
AB AB
r u =

0.1044 0.5910
AB
r i j = +

m
2
0.3
BD BC
r u =

2
0.2229 0.1671 0.1113
BD
r i j k = +

m
Therefore:

2
0.3273 0.7581 0.1113
AD
r i j k = +

m
a. We now have the geometry determined and we are ready to determine the moments of
the weights about A
1 2
1 2 W AD AD
M r W r W = +

1
1
0.0522 0.2955 0
0 200 0
AD
i j k
r W =

1
1
10.44
AD
r W k =

N-m
and,


2
3


Mechatronics Engineering
NAME & ID DATE MTE 119 STATICS
LECTURE
MATERIALS
PAGE


1
2
0.3273 0.7581 0.1113
0 160 0
AD
i j k
r W =

1
2
17.81 52.37
AD
r W i k =

N-m
Thus,

17.81 62.81
W
M i k =

N-m Ans.

b. Applying equilibrium equations:
Sum of forces:
0 0
x x
F A = =

N
1 2
0 0
y y
F A W W = =

N
0 0
z z
F A = =

N
Thus,
0
x
A = , 360
y
A = N, 0
z
A = Ans.
Sum of moments about A:
0 0
A
R A W
M M M = + =


N-m
0 17.81 0
Rx Ax
M M = =

N-m
0 0 0
Ry Ay
M M = + =

N-m
0 62.81 0
Rz Az
M M = =

N-m
Thus,
17.81
Ax
M = N-m, 0
Ay
M = , 62.81
Az
M = N-m Ans.
3
3