Monte Carlo simulation of motion errors for four-bar linkages with clearances

An impact-pair model based on the dynamics equations for four-bar linkages with clearance joints was used to study the effects of errors in the bar lengths and the joint clearances on the position precision of the mechanism motion.The Monte Carlo method was used for a probabilistic analysis of the motion.Simulation results indicate that the effects of the joint clearance errors on the motion of the four-bar linkage are related to the mechanism motion,with the joint clearances causing variations of the average motion and deviations of the variance curves.Therefore,probabilistic analyses of the motion of a mechanism with clearance joints can improve the mechanism motion prediction accuracy.