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Watt linkages and quadrilaterals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2016

G. Keady ,
P. Scales  and
P. Németh
G. Keady
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Western Australia, 6009, Australia e-mail: [email protected]
P. Scales
Affiliation:
Balanced Engineering Advice, Woodlands 6018, Australia e-mail: [email protected]
P. Németh
Affiliation:
Balanced Engineering Advice, Woodlands 6018, Australia e-mail: [email protected]
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Extract

We define a Watt quadrilateral to be a quadrilateral with a pair of opposite sides of equal length. See Figure 1.

2. Linkages

The Watt linkage (Figure 2) has equal-length cranks AD and BC, A and B fixed, and coupler bar CD. It was devised by James Watt about 1784 to constrain the steam-engine piston rod, connected at E, the midpoint of CD, to approximate straight-line motion over a limited range.

Type
Articles
Information
The Mathematical Gazette , Volume 88 , Issue 513 , November 2004 , pp. 475 - 492
Copyright
Copyright © The Mathematical Association 2004

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References

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