Question |
| Asked by: |
Priya Narayanan |
| Subject: |
Horizontal reaction force of a rolling object |
| Question: |
Hi,
I'm trying to study the motion of a rigid object on a rail. I have a
very basic question in dynamics. Suppose, a ball is rolling on a straight rail (
with two point of contacts) what are the reaction forces ?. The
vertical component can be assumed to be equal and found by equating to
the weight. The horizontal components are also equal and opposite. But
is there any way to find the value for the horizontal component?
I will highly appreciate an answer to this question.
Thank you,
Priya |
| Date: |
16 March 2005
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Answers (Ordered by Date)
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| Answer: |
arthur dent - 06/04/2005 00:33:19
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| | I believe that this situation was treated by Routh in his Advanced Dynamics (or possibly his Advanced Statics). The solution, I seem to recall, is a rather complicated function of the ratio of the rail separation to the sphere diameter.
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| Answer: |
Victor Geere - 19/04/2005 22:29:48
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| | Priya
Connect the two points on the rails where the ball touch with each other, and also connect the points to the centre of the ball. Now draw a line straight down from the centre of the ball to cross the line that join the two rails at a right angle. The lines will form two rectangles. The horisontal forces are proportional to the vertical force in the same relation that the length of the horisontal sides of the triangles are proportional to the length of the vertical sides of the triangle.
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