PLANE CURVILINEAR MOTION

Normal and Tangential (n-t)

Coordinate
NORMAL AND TANGENTIAL COORDINATES (n- t )
• One of the common descriptions of curvilinear motion uses
path variables, which are measurements made along the
tangent t and normal n to the path of the particle.
• These coordinates provide a very natural description for
curvilinear motion and are frequently the most direct and
convenient coordinates to use.
• The n-and t-coordinates move along the path with the particle,
as seen in Fig. below where the particle advances from A to B
to C.
NORMAL AND T ANGENTIAL COORDINATES (n- t )
• The positive direction for the normal coordinate is
toward the center of curvature of the path.
• As seen from Fig., the positive n-direction will shift
from one side of the curve to the other side if the
curvature changes direction.
 Velocity and Acceleration
• We now use the coordinates n and t to describe the velocity v
and acceleration a.
▪ ds is the scalar displacement
Velocity
along the path (A to A’)
▪ Radius of curvature of the path
is ρ and dβ is the angle change.
▪ en the unit vector in the normal
direction
▪ et is the unit vector in the
tangent direction
 Velocity and Acceleration
Acceleration

The direction of det is given by en.

Thus, we can write det = endβ
Dividing by dβ gives
 Important Notes:

1. The n-t coordinate system is fixed on the particle,

therefore moves with the particle.
2. When described using n-t components, the velocity
only has one component, vet.
3. at is the change in speed, and an is the change in the
direction of the velocity.
4. Therefore,
5. Similarly

6. an is also known as the centripetal acceleration, always

points to the concave side of the path.
7. If the path is known as y=f(x), then
 Circular Motion
• Circular motion is an important special case of plane
curvilinear motion where the radius of curvature ρ
becomes the constant radius r of the circle and the
angle β is replaced by the angle θ measured from
any convenient radial reference to OP, Fig.
The velocity and the acceleration components for
the circular motion of the particle P become
Examples:
• The speed of a car increases uniformly with time from 50
km/h at A to 100 km/h at B during 10 seconds. The radius
of curvature of the hump at A is 40 m. If the magnitude of
the total acceleration of the mass center of the car is the
same at B as at A, compute the radius of curvature ρB of
the dip in the road at B. The mass center of the car is 0.6
m from the road.
Given:
t=10s
vA =50 km/h
= 50/3.6=13.89m/s
vB =100 km/h
= 100/3.6=27.8m/s
 Given: vB=vA +att
t=10s
vA =50 km/h = 50/3.6=13.89m/s at=(27.8-13.89)/10
vB =100 km/h = 100/3.6=27.8m/s =1.389m/s2
A v A ρB - 0.6

ρ=ρA + 0.6 vB
=40.6
At point B:
At point A: aA=aB= 4.95m/s2
an=v2/ρ= (13.89) 2/40.6
=4.75m/s2 4.95 = 1.389 2 + an2  an = 4.75

a A = 4.752 + 1.389 2 = 4.95m / s 2 

27.82
an = 4.75 =   B = 163.0m
 B − 0.6
2.In the design of a timing mechanism,
the motion of pin P in the fixed circular
slot is controlled by the guide A, which
is being elevated by its lead screw.
Guide A starts from rest with pin P at
the lowest point in the circular slot, and
accelerates upward at a constant rate
until it reaches a speed of 175 mm/s at
the halfway point of its vertical
displacement. The guide then
decelerates at a constant rate and
comes to a stop with pin P at the
uppermost point in the circular slot.
Determine the n and t components of
acceleration of pin P once the pin has
traveled 30° around the slot from the
starting position.
Given
R=250mm
Speed at the halfway= 175 mm/s

h=Rcos(θ)=250*cos(20°) =235mm

20°
at at
ay ay
t h t
40° 40°
n a vy n a vy
30° n vp 30° n vp

y=250*cos(20°)-250*cos(50°) =74.2mm
 h=235mm v 2
max = v + 2a y h 
2
o
20° y=74.2mm
at 1752 = 2a y (235)
ay
t h a y = 65.2mm / s 2
40°
n a vy
vp
30° n
v 2y = 2a y (74.2) 
v 2y = 2  65.2  (74.2)
y
v y = 98.4mm / s

v p cos 40o  v p = 128.4mm / s an =

v 2p
=
(128.4)
2
= 66mm / s 2
r 250
at and an must be combined to get ay
a y = at cos 40o + an sin 40o
65.2 = at cos 40 o + 66 sin 40o
at = 29.7mm / s 2
PLANE CURVILINEAR MOTION
POLAR COORDINATES (r - θ)
 POLAR COORDINATES (r - θ)
• We now consider the third description of plane
curvilinear motion, namely, polar coordinates where
the particle is located by the radial distance r from a
fixed point and by an angular measurement θ to the
radial line.
• Polar coordinates are particularly useful when a
motion is constrained through the control of a radial
distance and an angular position or when an
unconstrained motion is observed by measurements
of a radial distance and an angular position.
 POLAR COORDINATES (r-θ)
• The particle is located by the radial distance r from a fixed
point and by an angular measurement θ to the radial line.
• θ is measured from an arbitrary reference axis
• er and eθ are unit vectors along +r & +θ directions.
• The position vector r to the particle at A has a magnitude
equal to the radial distance r and a direction specified by the
unit vector er. Thus, we express the location of the particle
at A by the vector:
 POLAR COORDINATES (r - θ)
During time dt, the coordinate
directions rotate through an angle dθ

• As already seen in the

previous section:
magnitudes of der and
deθ in the limit are equal
to the unit vector (radius)
times dθ, we have
POLAR COORDINATES (r - θ)

Position
 Velocity

• Magnitudes can be calculated as:

• r-component of v is the rate at which the
vector r stretches.
• θ component of v is due to the rotation of
r along the circumference of a circle
having radius r.

The term dθ/dt is called Angular

Velocity (rad/s)
It represents time rate of change of
angle θ.
Acceleration

Magnitudes

The term d2θ/dt2 is called Angular acceleration (rad/s2)

r  Sliding Component

r  Normal (Centripetal )
2

r  Tangential Component

2r  Coriolis Component
 Circular Motion
• For motion in a circular path with r constant, the
components of velocity and acceleration become simply
Example:
The rod OA in Fig. below rotates in the horizontal plane
such that θ=(t3)rad. At the same time, the collar B is
sliding outward along OA so that r =(100 t2)mm. If in
both cases t is in seconds, determine the velocity and
acceleration of the collar when t = 1 s.
Solution

v = rer + re = 200er + (100  3)e

v = (200er + 300e )mm / s
v = rer + re = 200er + (100 3)e
v = (200er + 300e )mm / s
The magnitude of v is
 ( ) (
 )
a = r − r er + r + 2r e
2

= (200 − 100  3 )e + (100  6 + 2  200  3)e

2
r 

= (− 700er + 1800e )mm / s 2

The magnitude of a is

NOTE: The velocity is tangent to the path; however, the acceleration is

directed within the curvature of the path, as expected.
 Given
t2
 = 0.8t − [rad ]
20
r = 1.6 − 0.2t [m]
 t2
 = 0.8t − [rad ] r = 1.6 − 0.2t [m]
20
r = −0.2 [m / s ]
 = 0.8 − 0.1t [rad / s]

 = −0.1 [rad / s ] 2 
r = 0 [ m / s 2
]
@t=4s  = 2.4rad = 137.5o ,  = 0.4rad / s, r = 0.8m
v = (r )er + (r )e = −0.2er + (0.8  0.4)e = −0.2er + 0.32e [m / s ]

v = (−0.2) 2 + (0.32) 2 = 0.377m / s

y
er
 0.2 
 = tan −1   = 32
o

 0.32 
β
 =  + 90o +  = 260o θ=137.5 x
eθ
 ( ) ( )
a = r − r 2 er + r + 2r e
= (0 − 0.8(0.4) )e + (0.8(−0.1) + 2(−0.2)(0.4) )e
2
r 

(− 0.128er − 0.24e )m / s 2
a = 0.272m / s 2

 0.128 
 = tan −1   = 28.1
o
y
 0.24 
er
 =  − 90 −  = 19.44
o o

β
x
eθ
Given:
v=90 km/h = 90/3.6=25m/s
a =0.5 m/s2
r=400m
θ r

= 60o
 Given:
r t=10s
θ
vA =50 km/h = 50/3.6=13.89m/s
15o
vB =100 km/h = 100/3.6=27.8m/s
30o
45o
r = ?
y  = ?
r=400m
60o  = ?
x

vr = r = v sin 45o = 25  sin 45o = 17.68m / s

v = r  −25  cos 45o = 400  


 = −0.0442rad / s

ar = r − r 2  −0.5  cos 45o = r − 400  −(0.0442)

2

r = 0.428m / s 2
a = r + 2r  0.5  sin 45o = 400   + 2 17.68  −0.0442
 = 0.00479rad / s 2
END