Constraint Analysis for Mechanisms

In this thesis, a generalised framework of constraint analysis is developed for planar fully-constrained and over-constrained mechanisms. Based on this framework, a scissor lift structure is developed for advanced 3D printing. In this framework of constraint analysis, the generalised coordinates and the constraint equations are first created, followed by coordinate selection by means of the selection matrices. The detailed framework under static and dynamic cases for the fully-constrained mechanism is derived and validated by examples of a four-bar linkage and a five-bar linkage. Furthermore, the framework of the over-constrained mechanism is developed and validated by an example of a double-parallelogram.