What is the kinematics of a rolling disc on a tilted plane?

In summary, the kinematics of the contact point of a disc rolling without slip in a Cartesian plane is straightforward with the velocity being v = ωr ev where r is the wheel radius and ev is the current direction vector of the wheel. However, if the disc is rotated in a direction other than its axis of rotation, such as when it is leaned towards the floor, the contact point will change and its rate of change is largest when the disc is almost flat to the surface. This effect can be modeled by considering the projection of the disc onto the plane and using the appropriate kinematic equations. Literature sources such as Advanced Engineering Dynamics by
  • #1
Zetor
6
0
So the kinematics of the contact point of a disc rolling without slip in a Cartesian plane if fairly straightforward. The velocity for the contact point is just
v = ω r ev
where r is the wheel radius and ev the current direction vector of the wheel.

However, say that you grab the plate and force a rotation that is not around the axis around where it would roll when rolling freely on the floor. If the plate is vertical, the contact point will not change (if anything you will drill a hole in the table after while perhaps). However, if you lean the plate, this rotation will clearly induce a change of the contact point. The rate of change is largest when the plate is almost flat to the surface. Does that make sense? I could not find any visualization for this, nor did I bother to formulate this formally as I do not think it helps too much, but if you grab a plate you could probably figure out what I mean.

Where can I find a model for this kinematics? I am modeling a unicycle and no papers I have read so far consider this effect. As I could not find any full model for it yet, I guess the topic classifies as advanced. Probably the answer is related to the projection of the disc onto the plane.
 
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  • #2
Zetor said:
However, say that you grab the plate and force a rotation that is not around the axis around where it would roll when rolling freely on the floor. If the plate is vertical, the contact point will not change
can you please illustrate using an appropriate diagram...
 
  • #3
Shreyas Samudra said:
can you please illustrate using an appropriate diagram...

Assuming rotation only around the point G, translation of the contact point C is carried out by rotation ##\dot{\theta} ##. The velocity of the contact point is
$$ \dot{\vec{P}}_c =\vec {v_c}=\dot{\theta}r\vec{e}_{vc}$$

where ## \vec{e}_{vc} ## is the direction vector for the velocity.

media%2F55b%2F55bee1c4-e296-4e6c-89e2-504a0d69ba87%2FphpGOsgeU.png

However, say that you grab on to the now vertical disc in the figure and lean it towards the floor. Then, you rotate the disc around ## \vec{e}_2 ##. Clearly, the contact point ##\vec{P}_c ## will translate although ## \dot\theta =0 ##. The question is though, what is the kinematic model for this translation? I am looking for literature source or so covering this.
 

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  • #4
Zetor said:
However, say that you grab on to the now vertical disc in the figure and lean it towards the floor.

Are you talking about something like a wobbling coin? This is called Euler's Disk:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euler's_Disk
 
  • #5
Well, I bet there is some paper related to the Euler Disk that can answer this. But, all I have seen regarding the Euler Disk so far are the dynamical equations for it. I am developing a model for a unicycle using Kane's method, so I basically want a kinematic model for what happens when the disc is twisted in other directions.
 
  • #6
Zetor said:
Well, I bet there is some paper related to the Euler Disk that can answer this. But, all I have seen regarding the Euler Disk so far are the dynamical equations for it. I am developing a model for a unicycle using Kane's method, so I basically want a kinematic model for what happens when the disc is twisted in other directions.
To predict what will happen, you need the dynamics. Otherwise you can also dictate some kinematics, but these might not be realistic, or require additional external forces on the disk.
 
  • #7
Well, that is the next step. But in order to derive the dynamics, I need all kinematic relationships of the system.
 
  • #8
Zetor said:
Well, that is the next step. But in order to derive the dynamics, I need all kinematic relationships of the system.
This might help:

 
  • #9
Well, that is a nice video but it does not single out the kinematic equations (as far as I could see). However, I think I found what I am looking for in
Advanced Engineering Dynamics by Ginsberg, at page 144. Below is a screenshot from Google Books that I found. As expected, the velocity is depending on the tilt ##\theta ##
1Bzo5OL.png
 

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1. What is kinematics?

Kinematics is the branch of physics that studies the motion of objects without considering the forces that cause the motion.

2. How is kinematics applied to a rolling disc?

In the context of a rolling disc, kinematics is used to analyze the motion of the disc as it rolls along a surface. This involves studying the disc's position, velocity, and acceleration as it moves.

3. What is the difference between linear and rotational motion?

Linear motion refers to the movement of an object along a straight line, while rotational motion refers to the movement of an object around an axis or center point. In the case of a rolling disc, it exhibits both linear and rotational motion simultaneously.

4. How is the velocity of a rolling disc calculated?

The velocity of a rolling disc can be calculated using the formula v = ωr, where v is the linear velocity, ω is the angular velocity, and r is the radius of the disc.

5. What factors affect the motion of a rolling disc?

The motion of a rolling disc can be affected by various factors such as the surface it is rolling on, the mass and size of the disc, and any external forces acting upon it. Additionally, the shape and distribution of mass within the disc can also impact its motion.

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