PhD Qualifying Exams

DYNAMICS AND KINEMATICS

Summer-2007
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Spring-2006
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Spring-2005
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Spring-2004
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Winter-1999
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Winter-1998
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Spring-1996
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 ID Number________________________

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Ph. D. Qualifying Examination

Kinematics and Dynamics

Fall, 2007

1) There are 6 problems, but the problems are not equally weighted. They are also not equally
difficult. Be sure to work each one.

2) Start each problem on a separate page.

3) Work as much as possible on the problem sheets.

4) Be sure to write your ID number and the problem number on the front of each page that you
use.

5) In some cases, insufficient information may be given to enable the student to demonstrate
his/her ability to make engineering assumptions.

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 ID Number________________________

Problem 1 (15 points):

End A of the uniform 5-kg bar is pinned freely to

the collar, which has an acceleration a = 4 m/s2
along the fixed axis shaft. If the bar has a
clockwise angular velocity ω = 2 r/s as it swings
past the vertical, determine (a) the angular
acceleration of the bar at this instant and (b) the
components of the force acting at A at this instant.

The moment of inertia of a slender bar about its

1
mass center is I = mL2 .
12

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 ID Number________________________
Problem 2 (15 points):

A 2-kg sphere A translating at 4 m/s strikes the end of

a 5-kg slender bar B. The bar is pinned at O. What is
the angular velocity of the bar immediately after
impact if the coefficient of restitution is e = 0.8?

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 ID Number________________________
Problem 3 (15 points):

The slender beam AB having a mass of

100 kg is initially in the vertical position
(θ = 0°) when a constant force of P = 2
kN is applied. Determine the angular
velocity of the beam when it has rotated
by θ = 30°.

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 ID Number________________________

Problem 4 (30%)

a) Design a single-stage planetary gear train to maximize the speed reduction if the ring
gear is fixed and has a pitch diameter of 4 inches with a diametral pitch of 20. Sketch
your design and provide the pitch diameters for all of the clearly identified gears.
b) Using only gears identical to those from the planetary gear train, design a simple gear
train that approximates the speed reduction of the planetary gear train as closely as
possible with the fewest number of gears. Sketch your design and provide the pitch
diameters for all of the clearly identified gears.
c) Using only gears identical to those from the planetary gear train, design a compound gear
train that meets or exceeds the reduction of the planetary gear train with the fewest
number of gears. Sketch your design and provide the pitch diameters for all of the clearly
identified gears.
d) If the efficiency of every gear mesh is 98%, what is the overall efficiency of each of your
three designs?

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 ID Number________________________

Problem 5 (15%)

In the mechanism shown, the angular velocity of link 2 is 5 rad/sec CCW (constant).

1) Determine the velocity and acceleration of link 6

2) Now change the location of the fixed pivot at C along the line defined by BD so that the
velocity of link 6 is equal and opposite to the velocity computed in step 1.

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 ID Number________________________

Problem 6 (10%)

Assume that the six bar mechanism is drawn to scale. Link 2 rotates with an angular velocity of
100 rpm in the counterclockwise direction.

i) Determine the magnitude and direction of the angular velocity of link 5.

ii) If link 2 is driven by a torque (counterclockwise) of 10 in-lbs, what is the torque on link 5
required for equilibrium

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