What does these structures do? (pistons with linear and circular motion)

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the practical applications of pistons connected to a rod that facilitates both linear and circular motion. Participants express skepticism about their real-world usefulness, suggesting they primarily serve as exercises for academic practice rather than practical applications. Some mention that similar mechanisms can be found in devices like sliding garage doors. Others reference mechanical linkages, indicating that while these structures may seem impractical, they have historical significance in engineering. Overall, the conversation highlights a mix of confusion and clarification regarding the relevance of these mechanical systems.
Femme_physics
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I always see them in my dynamics problem but I never understand what are they used for, typically? Just to get some sort of perspective on the thing.


It's supposed to be a rod connected to two pistons moving with linear and circular motion

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/3977/whatdothey.jpg
 
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Do you mean what are these objects useful in real world ?
I think almost nothing. It's just for practising with exercises.
 
Your picture is similar to a sliding garage door mechanism (but drawn upside down).

There are many applications for these types of linkage. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_linkage (and the links to Watt's linkage, etc on that page)
 
Quinzio said:
Do you mean what are these objects useful in real world ?
I think almost nothing. It's just for practising with exercises.


Really? Wouldn't we be better off studying something more practical?

This helped clear it though :) -->

[URL]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Pantograph_Mirror.gif[/URL]
 
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Femme_physics said:
Really? Wouldn't we be better off studying something more practical?

This helped clear it though :) -->

Cool picture! :cool:
 
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