Analysis of a Coriolis Acceleration

Abstract

The velocity of a moving point in a general path is its vector quantity, which has both magnitude and direction. The velocity vector can change over time because of acceleration, which can be tangential, radial and Coriolis types. Acceleration analysis is important because inertial forces are proportional to their rectilinear, angular and Coriolis accelerations. The loads must be determined in advance to ensure that a machine is designed to handle these dynamic loads. For planar motion, the vector direction of acceleration is separated into the tangential, radial and Coriolis components of a point on a rotating body. The Coriolis acceleration is the product of linear and rotational velocities. All textbooks in physics, kinematics and machine dynamics consider the magnitude of a Coriolis acceleration at a common condition when an object moves and rotates at variable velocities. The magnitude of the Coriolis acceleration is considered on a basis of that common condition. However, the magnitudes of Coriolis acceleration vary according to the conditions of motions of an object. This paper presents new analytical expressions of the Coriolis acceleration under the conditions of uniform, accelerated and combined motions of an object and a rotating element and thereby fills a gap in the study of acceleration analysis.