Operational Processes in Mechanical Engineering

This is the first mechanical engineering textbook that deals with the operational processes of systems: the analysis of their characteristics of motion. A system's motion often must comply with certain constraints, such as acceptable ranges of acceleration or deceleration. Determining the parameters of motion requires the composing and solving of differential equations that describe the system's operational processes. Calculus courses for mechanical engineering programs offer a method based on characteristic equations, which allows the solving of differential equations for one-degree-of-freedom systems. However, this method does not work for two-degree-of-freedom systems, such as shock absorbing mechanisms.

This textbook presents the solutions for the entire spectrum of linear differential equations of motion for one- and two-degree-of-freedom systems. These solutions are obtained using the Laplace Transform methodology along with a newly presented table of 101 Laplace Transform pairs.

Contents:

• Part I:

  • Introduction to the Study of Operational Processes of One-Degree-of-Freedom Systems
  • Motion of a System on a Horizontal Frictionless Surface in the Absence of Resisting and Active Forces
  • Motion of a System on a Frictionless Surface while being Subjected to a Constant Resisting Force
  • Motion of a System Being Subjected to a Dry Friction Force
  • Motion of a System on a Horizontal Surface being Subjected to a Dry Friction Force and a Constant Resisting Force
  • Motion of a System Restricted by a Flexible Link
  • Motion of a System Restricted by a Flexible Link and Subjected to a Constant Resisting Force
  • Motion of a System Attached by a Flexible Link to a Non-movable Support and Subjected to a Dry Friction Force
  • Motion of a System Restricted by a Flexible Link and Subjected to a Constant Resisting Force and a Dry Friction Force
  • Motion of a System Restricted by a Fluid Link
  • Motion of a System Restricted by a Fluid Link and Subjected to a Constant Resisting Force
  • Motion of a System Restricted by a Fluid Link and Subjected to a Dry Friction Force
  • Motion of a System Restricted by a Fluid Link and Subjected to a Constant Resisting Force and a Dry Friction Force
  • Motion of a System on a Horizontal Frictionless Surface while being Restricted by a Flexible Link and a Fluid Link
  • Motion of a System on a Horizontal Frictionless Surface while being Restricted by Flexible and Fluid Links and Subjected to a Constant Resisting Force
  • Motion of a System on a Horizontal Surface while being Subjected to a Dry Friction Force and Restricted by a Flexible Link and a Fluid Link
  • Motion of a System on a Horizontal Surface while being Subjected to Constant Resisting and Dry Friction Forces and Restricted by Flexible and Fluid Links

• Part II Two-Degree-of-Freedom Systems:

  • Fundamentals of the Study of Two-Degree-of-Freedom Systems
  • Unrestricted Systems with Masses Connected to Each Other by a Flexible Link
  • Unrestricted Two-Degree-of-Freedom System with the Two Masses Connected to Each Other by a Fluid Link
  • Unrestricted Two-Degree-of-Freedom Systems with Masses Connected to Each Other by Flexible and Fluid Links in Parallel
  • Restricted Two-Degree-of-Freedom Systems with Two Sequences of Flexible Links
  • Restricted Two-Degree-of-Freedom Systems with Two Sequences of Fluid Links
  • Restricted Systems with Masses Connected to Each Other and to a Non-movable Support by Two Sequences of Flexible and Fluid Links in Parallel
  • Two-Degree-of-Freedom Restricted Systems with Three Sequences of Flexible Links
  • Restricted Two-Degree-of-Freedom Systems with Three Sequences of Fluid Links
  • Restricted Two-Degree-of-Freedom System with Three Sequences of Flexible and Fluid Links

Readership: Academic researchers and graduates in mechanical and systems engineering.