For my end of the year project, I chose to create the 6-bar window mechanism. The goal of the mechanism is to introduce complex motion that allows a window to rotate open but also move away from the frame; otherwise, the window would not be able to open because it would hit the window frame. We want the mechanism to be successfully driven by an input crank and for the sliding joints and pin joints to move properly with minimal friction. During Dr. Deshpande's class ME 350R, I learned the critical thinking and problem solving skills associated with the design and analysis of planar mechanisms, so this project provided hands on experience to actually fabricate a mechanism.
During the unprecedented times brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic students were given several options for this hands on portion of the course. Since I was in Austin, Texas during the semester, I elected to head into campus for my project. Materials were provided like DC motors, Arduinos, acrylic, etc., and I had access to the Texas Invention Works space which contains equipment like laser cutters, 3D filament printers, and hand tools.
The specific mechanism I designed is shown below in a kinematic diagram. The design includes 5 links and is composed of 5 full joints and 1 half joint. Therefore, according to Gruebler's equation the planar mechanism operates with 1 degree of freedom (1 DOF).
M = 3l - 3 -2J1 - J2
*Where l corresponds to the number of links, J1 represents full joints, and J2 represents half joints.
