There has been tremendous growth in the area of kinematics and dynamics of machinery in the past 20 years, much of which exists in a large variety of technical papers, each requiring its own background for comprehension. These new developments can be integrated into the existing body of knowledge so as to provide a logical, modern, and comprehensive treatise. Such is the purpose of this book.

This book offers outstanding coverage of mechanisms and machines, including important information on how to classify and analyze their motions, how to synthesize or design them, and how to determine their performance when operated as real machines. To develop a broad comprehension, all the methods of analysis and development common to the literature of the field are used.

Part I of the book begins with an introduction which deals mostly with theory, nomenclature, notation, and methods of analysis. Serving as an introduction, Chapter 1 also tells what a mechanisms is, what it can do, how it can be classified, and what its limitations are. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 deal with analysis - all the various methods of analyzing the motions of mechanisms.

Part II goes into the engineering problems involving the selection, specification, design, and sizing of mechanisms to accomplish specific motion objectives. Part III covers the consequences of the proposed mechanism design. In other words, having designed a machine by selecting, specifying, and sizing the various mechanisms which make up the machine, we tackle such questions as: What happens during the operation of the machine? What forces are produced? Are there any unexpected operating results?

Will the proposed design be satisfactory in all respects?