Author(s)

Kifatsoa Kolani^1*, Mutuku Muvengei^2*, Joshua Ngoret², James Kimotho²

¹Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, Pan African University Institute for Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation, Nairobi, Kenya.
²College of Engineering and Technology (COETEC), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya.

Clearances in joints of a mechanical multibody system can induce impulsive forces, leading to vibrations that compromise the system’s reliability, stability, and lifespan. Through dynamic analysis, designers can investigate the effects of the clearances on the dynamics of the multibody system. A revolute joint with clearance exhibits three motions which are; free-flight, impact and continuous contact motion modes. Therefore, a multibody system with n-number of revolute clearance joints will exhibit 3n motion modes which are a combination of the three motions in each joint. This study investigates experimentally the nine motion modes in a mechanical system with two revolute clearance joints. A slider crank mechanism has been used as the demonstrative example. We observed that the experimental curve exhibits a greater impact compared to the simulation curve. In conclusion, this experimental investigation offers valuable insights into the dynamics of planar mechanical systems with multiple clearance revolute joints. Utilizing a slider-crank mechanism for data acquisition, the study successfully confirmed seven out of nine motion modes previously identified in numerical research. The missing modes are attributed to inherent complexities in real-world systems, such as journal-bearing misalignment.

Slider Crank Mechanism, Dynamic Responses, Revolute Clearance Joints, Motion Modes

Kolani, K. , Muvengei, M. , Ngoret, J. and Kimotho, J. (2023) Experimental Study of the Motion Modes of a Planar Mechanical System with Multi-Clearance Revolute Joints. Open Journal of Applied Sciences, 13, 2014-2031. doi: 10.4236/ojapps.2023.1311158.