1:25
Four-bar linkage with manual force
The manual force element shows in real time how the required manual force changes when you move the application point, a bearing or the center of gravity.
Example · Basics · ASOMmini
Four-bar linkage step by step
From a blank sheet to a finished model: the video shows step by step how to build and analyze a four-bar linkage in ASOMmini.
3:35
The task
A mechanism from scratch
A four-bar linkage is built as a kinematic chain of links and joints. Then the motion, velocities and forces are to be made visible – with a mass on the coupler and friction in the bearings. Finally, the linkage is modified to make it fully rotating.
What ASOM shows here
- Build the chain in one go, define the frame, place a drive on a joint – in just a few steps.
- Trajectories show the paths of the points, and a diagram shows the velocity of a coupler point including its X and Y components.
- The coupler is given a mass; bearing forces appear as vectors on the model, and friction is added via friction coefficient and pin diameter.
Your benefits
Motion and forces in just a few steps
You build the four-bar linkage in one go and immediately see how it moves and which forces act in the bearings.
Quick start
A few steps take you from a blank sheet to your first model. More on modeling and motion
Size bearings early
Calculated with mass and friction, the bearing forces provide a basis for bearing design. More on force calculation
Check for full rotation
You see immediately whether the crank rotates fully – and modify the linkage until it works.
More examples
All example videos
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Chebyshev straight-line linkage
A Chebyshev four-bar linkage guides a point along an almost straight line: with a coupler length of 20 cm, the straight section lies within a corridor of about 1 mm.
2:29
Drive functions
A rotating motion becomes an oscillating motion. You shape the motion profile directly in the diagram, segment by segment.
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