WEEK 7:

KINEMATICS OF
RIGID BODIES
 PLANE KINEMATICS OF RIGID BODIES

Rigid Body
• A system of particles for which the distances between the particles remain unchanged.
• This is an ideal case. There is always some deformation in materials under the action of loads. This
deformation can be neglected if the changes in the shape are small compared to the movement of the
body as a whole.

Particle Kinematics
• Developed the relationships governing the displacement, velocity, and acceleration of points as they
move along straight or curved paths.

Rigid Body Kinematics

• Same relationships will be used. In addition, rotational motion of rigid bodies will also be accounted for.
• Involves both linear and angular displacement, velocity, and acceleration.
• Discussion will be restricted to motion in a Single Plane (Plane Motion).
• When all parts of the body move in parallel planes
• Plane containing mass center is generally considered as plane of motion and the body is treated
as a thin slab whose motion is confined to the plane of the slab.
PLANE KINEMATICS OF RIGID BODIES

Plane Motion
• Translation
• No rotation of any line in body. Motion of the
body specified by motion of any point in the
body ≈ Motion of a single particle.
• Rotation at a Fixed Axis
• All particles move in circular paths at axis of
rotation. All lines perpendicular to the axis of
rotation rotate through the same angle.
• General Planar Motion
• Combination of translation and rotation

• The actual paths of all particles in the body are

projected on to a single plane of motion.
TRANSLATION

• Consider rigid body in translation, the

direction of any straight line inside the body
is constant, and all particles forming the
body move in parallel lines.
• For any two particles in the body

𝒓𝑩 = 𝒓𝑨 + 𝒓𝑩/𝑨
• Differentiating with respect to time

𝒗𝑩 = 𝒗𝑨
• Here 𝒗𝑨 and 𝒗𝑩 denote absolute velocities
since these vectors are measured with
respect to the 𝑥, 𝑦 𝑎𝑥𝑒𝑠. The term 𝑑𝑟𝐵/𝐴 /
𝑑𝑡 = 0 , since the magnitude of 𝑟𝐵/𝐴 is
constant by definition of a rigid body, and
because the body is translating the direction
of 𝑟𝐵/𝐴 is also 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡.
TRANSLATION

• Taking the time derivative of the velocity equation yields a similar relationship between the
instantaneous accelerations of A and B:

𝑎𝐵 = 𝑎𝐴
• The above two equations indicate that all points in a rigid body subjected to either rectilinear or
curvilinear translation move with the same velocity and acceleration.

• As a result, the kinematics of particle motion, discussed in previous module, can also be used to
specify the kinematics of points located in a translating rigid body.
ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS

• When a body rotates about a fixed axis, any point P located in the body
travels along a circular path. To study this motion, it is first necessary to
discuss the angular motion of the body about the axis.

• Angular Motion. Since a point is without dimension, it cannot have angular

motion. Only lines or bodies undergo angular motion. For example,
consider the body shown in Fig. a and the angular motion of a radial line
𝑟 located within the shaded plane.

• Angular Position. At the instant shown, the angular position of 𝑟 is defined

by the angle 𝜃, measured from a fixed reference line to 𝑟.

• Angular Displacement. The change in the angular position, which can be

measured as a differential 𝑑𝜃, is called the angular displacement.* This
vector has a magnitude of 𝑑𝜃, measured in degrees, radians, or revolutions,
where 1 𝑟𝑒𝑣 = 2𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑.
ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS

• Angular Velocity. The time rate of change in the angular position is called the angular velocity 𝜔
(omega). Since 𝑑𝜃 occurs during an instant of time 𝑑𝑡, then,

𝑑𝜃
𝜔=
𝑑𝑡
• This vector has a magnitude which is often measured in 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠. It is expressed here in scalar form
since its direction is also along the axis of rotation.

• Angular Acceleration. The angular acceleration 𝛼 (alpha) measures the time rate of change of the
angular velocity. The magnitude of this vector is

𝑑𝜔 𝑑2 𝜃
𝛼= = 2
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
• Also, by eliminating 𝑑𝑡 from the equations, we obtain a differential relation between the angular
acceleration, angular velocity, and angular displacement;

𝛼 𝑑𝜃 = 𝜔 𝑑𝜔
ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS

• Constant Angular Acceleration. If the angular

acceleration of the body is constant, ∝ = ∝𝑐 ,

𝜔 = 𝜔0 + 𝛼𝑐 𝑡

1
𝜃 = 𝜃0 + 𝜔0 𝑡 + 𝛼𝑐 𝑡 2
2

𝜔2 = 𝜔02 + 2𝛼𝑐 𝜃 − 𝜃0
• Motion of Point P. As the rigid body in Fig. c rotates, point
𝑃 travels along a circular path of radius 𝑟 with center at
point 𝑂. This path is contained within the shaded plane
shown in top view, Fig. d .
ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS

• Position and Displacement. The position of 𝑃 is defined by the position vector 𝑟, which extends from
𝑂 to 𝑃. If the body rotates 𝑑𝜃 then 𝑃 will displace 𝑑𝑠 = 𝑟𝑑𝜃.
• Velocity. The velocity of 𝑃 has a magnitude which can be found by dividing 𝑑𝑠 = 𝑟𝑑𝜃 by 𝑑𝑡 so that

𝑣 = 𝜔𝑟
• As shown in Figs. c and d, the direction of v is tangent to the circular path.
• Both the magnitude and direction of v can also be accounted for by using the cross product of 𝜔 and
𝑟𝑝 . Here, 𝑟𝑝 is directed from any point on the axis of rotation to point 𝑃, Fig. c. We have

v = 𝝎 x 𝒓𝒑
• The order of the vectors in this formulation is important, since the cross product is not commutative,
i.e., 𝝎 x 𝒓𝒑 ≠ 𝒓𝒑 x 𝝎. Notice in Fig. c how the correct direction of v is established by the right-hand
rule.
ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS

• Acceleration. The acceleration of 𝑃 can be expressed in terms of its normal and

tangential components. Since 𝑎𝑡 = 𝑑𝑣/ 𝑑𝑡 and 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑣2/ 𝑝, where 𝑝 = 𝑟, 𝑣 =
𝜔𝑟, and 𝛼 = 𝑑𝜔/𝑑𝑡, we have

𝑎𝑡 = 𝛼𝑟
𝑎𝑛 = 𝜔2𝑟
• The tangential component of acceleration, Figs. e and f, represents the time rate
of change in the velocity's magnitude.
• If the speed of 𝑃 is increasing, then 𝑎𝑡 acts in the same direction as v;
• if the speed is decreasing, 𝑎𝑡 acts in the opposite direction of v;
• and finally, if the speed is constant, 𝑎𝑡 is zero.

• The normal component of acceleration represents the time rate of change in the
velocity's direction. The direction of 𝑎𝑛 is always toward 𝑂, the center of the
circular path, Figs. e and f
ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS

• Like the velocity, the acceleration of point 𝑃 can be expressed in terms of the vector cross product.
Taking the time derivative of v = 𝝎 x 𝒓𝒑 , we have

𝑑𝑣 𝑑𝜔 𝑑𝑟𝑝
a= = x 𝑟𝑝 + 𝜔 x
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
• Recalling that 𝛼 = 𝑑𝜔/𝑑𝑡, and using 𝑑𝑟𝑝 /𝑑𝑡 = v = 𝝎 x 𝒓𝒑

a = 𝛼 𝑥 𝑟𝑝 + 𝜔 𝑥 𝜔 𝑥 𝑟𝑝
• From the definition of the cross product, the first term on the right has a magnitude 𝑎𝑡 = 𝛼 𝑟𝑝 sin ∅ =
𝛼𝑟, and by the right-hand rule,𝛼 x 𝑟𝑝 is in the direction of 𝑎𝑡 , Fig. e

• Likewise, the second term has a magnitude 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑤2𝑟𝑝 sin ∅ = 𝜔2𝑟, and applying the right-hand rule
twice, first to determine the result vp = 𝜔 x 𝑟𝑝 then 𝜔 x v𝑝, it can be seen that this result is in the same
direction as 𝑎𝑛, shown in Fig. e.
ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS

• Noting that this is also the same direction as −𝑟, which lies in the plane of motion, we can express an
in a much simpler form as 𝑎𝑛 = −𝑤2𝑟. Hence, a =𝛼 𝑥 𝑟𝑝 + 𝜔 𝑥 𝜔 𝑥 𝑟𝑝 can be identified by its two
components as

a = at + an =𝛼 𝑥 𝑟 − 𝜔2 𝑟
• Since at and an are perpendicular to one another, if needed the magnitude of acceleration can be
determined from the Pythagorean theorem; namely,

𝑎= 𝑎𝑛2 + 𝑎𝑡2
ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS

• EXAMPLE: A cord is wrapped around a wheel in Fig. 16-5, which is initially at rest when 𝜃 = 𝑂. If a
force is applied to the cord and gives it an acceleration 𝑎 = (4𝑡) 𝑚/𝑠2 , where 𝑡 is in seconds,
determine, as a function of time, (a) the angular velocity of the wheel, and (b) the angular position of
line 𝑂𝑃 in radians.
SOLUTION
• Part (a). The wheel is subjected to rotation about a fixed axis passing
through point 𝑂. Thus, point 𝑃 on the wheel has motion about a circular
path, and the acceleration of this point has both tangential and normal
components. The tangential component is (𝑎𝑝 ) 𝑡 = (4𝑡) 𝑚/𝑠2 , since the
cord is wrapped around the wheel and moves tangent to it. Hence the
angular acceleration of the wheel is

(𝑎𝑝)𝑡 = 𝛼𝑟

(4𝑡) 𝑚/𝑠2 =𝛼 0.2 𝑚

𝛼 = 20𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 2
ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS

• Using this result, the wheel's angular velocity 𝜔 can now be determined from𝛼 = 𝑑𝜔/𝑑𝑡, since this
equation relates 𝛼, 𝑡, and 𝜔. Integrating, with the initial condition that 𝜔 = 0 when 𝑡 = 0, yields

𝑑𝜔
𝛼= = 20𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 2
𝑑𝑡
𝑤 𝑡
න 𝑑𝜔 = න 20𝑡 𝑑𝑡
0 0

𝜔 = 10𝑡 2 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠
ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS

• Part (b). Using this result, the angular position 𝜃 of 𝑂𝑃 can be found from 𝜔 = 𝑑𝜃/𝑑𝑡, since this
equation relates 𝜃, 𝜔, and 𝑡. Integrating, with the initial condition𝜃 = 0 when 𝑡 = 0, we have

𝑑𝜃 2
𝑟𝑎𝑑
= 𝜔 = 10𝑡
𝑑𝑡 𝑠
𝜃 𝑡
න 𝑑𝜃 = න 10𝑡 2 𝑑𝑡
0 0

𝜃 = 3.33𝑡 3 𝑟𝑎𝑑
• NOTE: We cannot use the equation of constant angular acceleration, since a is a function of time.