An Instant Center—A Point Common to Two Links


Click the figure above to activate the associated video simulation file.

WM2D File

Software copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Info    Source   Credits

Info

An instant center is a point common to two links which has the same velocity. The instant center I24 is a point that common to both links 2 and 4 at the instant. 

In this simulation file,  I24 is separately attached to link 2 and link 4, forming two separate triangles. As the linkage moves from that instant, these two points (and two triangles) separate and their velocities differ. Only when these two points coincide, their velocity vectors are the same. 

Source

This Working Model file is adapted from Figure 6.10b on p. 283 in Design of Machinery, 3rd ed. by Norton, R.L., McGraw-Hill, 2004.

Credits

This Working Model file was first developed by Fan (Michael) Mo.