Recent content by remettub

The springs provide a reaction force proportional to the distance from the current position and the initial position, and in the direction of the initial position. So they can act in any direction. I guess the discrepancy I'm seeing must be from an error in my code. Thanks for all your replies!

1. Homework Statement Question 1: given a rigid tetrahedron, with vertices A, B, C and D anchored to their initial locations with an arbitrary but uniform spring constant, will Cases 1, 2, and 3 below result in the same behavior of the system? - Case 1: a force of constant magnitude (red...

Oops, I was mistakenly thinking that there would be four equations of equilibrium for the 2 dimensional version. Of course, there are only three! My goal is to write some code which would be able to evaluate any specific instance of this problem. So, while I have not provided a specific...

After thinking about this some more, I don't think that considering deformation is necessary. The beam would not be wedged tightly into the opening. The more natural entry method would be to simply insert the beam at an upwards angle, then let gravity bring all the points into contact. Here is...

Thanks for your replies. I came across the example of an object in a V cleft as I was browsing the forum for ideas. It seems highly relevant. Would minimizing the normal forces provide an approximation of the equilibrium that a real world object would reach due to elasticity?

Homework Statement This is a real world application. I am posting it here to follow the guideline for any "coursework-like" questions, but since I have no formal training, I'm not sure what category this would actually fall under. Any recommendations for a more specific posting location would...

Thanks Baluncore, it seems like you are saying there's no reliable way to model the pressure of an eccentric clamp. Is that correct? I was hoping I could take measurements of the current pressure distribution, arm myself with knowledge, and then make an adjustment to the design to even it out...

Hi all, I'm designing a small 3-pronged clamping mechanism, and I'm having trouble figuring out the best way to keep the pressure even between the upper contact surfaces (pads). Here's a picture of my attempt from this afternoon: It's difficult to tell from the image, but the lower pad is...

Torchfire: From the other thread, it looks like you may have all the answers you need... but... I think I had an application very similar to yours, and I eventually decided on a four point system. I believe I found a solution using four coplanar points that was relatively simple. I could dig it...

gsal: I'm looking for an analytic method if possible. AlephZero: thanks for the insight. I'll give it a try.

I'm dealing with a problem that seems (to my uneducated mind) like it should be more or less straightforward, but for some reason I've been unable to find any help on forums that are geared towards high school and college level math. Please forgive me if the solution is obvious. If I know...