Screw Theory - Work of Forces Acting On A Rigid Body

Work of Forces Acting On A Rigid Body

Consider the set of forces F1, F2 ... Fn act on the points X1, X2 ... Xn in a rigid body. The trajectories of Xi, i=1,...,n are defined by the movement of the rigid body with rotation and the translation d(t) of a reference point in the body, given by

where xi are coordinates in the moving body.

The velocity of each point Xi is

where ω is the angular velocity vector and v is the derivative of d(t).

The work by the forces over the displacement δri=viδt of each point is given by

Define the velocities of each point in terms of the twist of the moving body to obtain

Expand this equation and collect coefficients of ω and v to obtain

Introduce the twist of the moving body and the wrench acting on it given by

then work takes the form

The 6x6 matrix is used to simply the calculation of work using screws, so that

where

and is the 3x3 identity matrix.

Read more about this topic:  Screw Theory

Famous quotes containing the words work of, work, forces, acting, rigid and/or body:

    The work of the world is common as mud.
    Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
    But the thing worth doing well done
    has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
    ...
    The pitcher cries for water to carry
    and a person for work that is real.
    Marge Piercy (b. 1936)

    It is like any other work of art.
    It is and never can be changed.
    Behind everything there is always
    The unknown unwanted life.
    Randall Jarrell (1914–1965)

    Silence is the general consecration of the universe. Silence is the invisible laying on of the Divine Pontiff’s hands upon the world. Silence is at once the most harmless and the most awful thing in all nature. It speaks of the Reserved Forces of Fate. Silence is the only Voice of our God.
    Herman Melville (1819–1891)

    A régime which invented a biological foreign policy was obviously acting against its own best interests. But at least it obeyed its own particular logic.
    Albert Camus (1913–1960)

    Success makes men rigid and they tend to exalt stability over all the other virtues; tired of the effort of willing they become fanatics about conservatism.
    Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)

    Go on then in doing with your pen what in other times was done with the sword; shew that reformation is more practicable by operating on the mind than on the body of man.
    Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)