IHS ESDU A comparison of techniques for balancing planar linkages. 89043

ESDU 89043 gives guidance on selecting in given circumstances the most appropriate balancing technique to eliminate or reduce both the shaking force and the shaking moment on a planar linkage. Design criteria on which a rational choice depends are discussed and, by means of a tabular presentation, each of eleven separate techniques can be assessed against the requirements of a particular application. The principle underlying each technique is explained and sketches illustrate their practical application. The methods covered are of three types: link mass distribution (for example, by adding counterweights), the addition of moving links (for example, adding an identical linkage with mirror-image symmetry) and the addition of rotating or oscillating masses (for example, the Lanchester balancer). In practice, two or more of the techniques may be combined and a table indicates possible such combinations.