Homework H6.A - Sp24

Problem statement
Solution videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-WefHE4bMc

NOTE: Please complete ONLY Part (a). Do not work on Part (b).


DISCUSSION THREAD

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Discussion and hints

The four-step plan:

  1. FBD: It is recommended that you draw individual free body diagrams of each disk and of bar AB. Note that the mass of AB is negligible and that forces are applied at only two points (i.e., a two-force member). What does this say about the direction of the forces on the disks at A and B?
  2. Kinetics: Recommended that you use an Euler equation about the contact point of each disk since those are no-slip points for whose accelerations are directed toward the center of mass of each disk. Note that both of these two equations will involve the load carried by AB. You can eliminate that load from these equations, resulting in a single equation.
  3. Kinematics: Note that rigid bar AB insures that the velocities of points A and B are the same. How can this be used to relate the angular accelerations of the two disks? Can you see this kinematic relationship between the angular accelerations in the animation above? Please note that the angular accelerations of the two disks are NOT the same, although their centers have the same accelerations.
  4. EOM: Combine your results from Steps 2 and 3 to produce a single differential equation of motion (EOM) in terms of the x-coordinate.