Dynamics of Non-holonomic Mechanical Systems
443
The system of
−sm equations (22.2.35), together with the m constraint relations
(22.2.31) and with the
−sm linear relations (22.2.33), form the −2sm equations of
motion for the non-holonomic mechanical system in quasi-co-ordinates. Associating a
corresponding number of initial conditions, we can determine the
−2sm unknown
functions of time
−
12 1 2
, ,..., , , ,...,
ssm
qq qππ π
. We mention that the kinetic energy
*
T
is, in general, a function of all the
s quasi-velocities
i
π , the coefficients
i
kj
γ depending
on the generalized co-ordinates
12
, ,...,
s
qq q.
22.2.3 Applications
In what follows, we give firstly some simple applications: the motion of the skate
and the motion of a circular disc on a plane; we study then the motion of a sphere on a
horizontal plane and the motion of a carriage with two or four wheels
22.2.3.1 Motion of a Skate
The motion of a rigid skate on the ice plane has been considered in Sec. 13.2.2.6 (see
Fig. 3.16). Let
12
,xx be the co-ordinates of the middle of the skate (modelled as a segment
of a line of length
2l ) with respect to a system of axes
12
Ox x in the ice plane and let θ be
the angle made by the skate with the
1
Ox -axis. The constraint relation is of the form
−=
12
tan d d 0xxθ
;
(22.2.36)
it is non-holonomic (and scleronomic), as it has been shown in Chap. 3, Subsec. 2.2.6,
by means of the Theorem 3.2.2 of Frobenius. As a matter of fact, this property can be
put in evidence on another way too. Indeed, assuming that the constraint is a geometric
one, we can find a relation of the form
=
12
(,,) 0fx x θ , the differential consequence of
which is
∂∂ +∂∂ +∂∂ =
11 22
( / )d ( / )d ( / )d 0fxx fx x fθθ ; taking into account
(22.2.36), it results
∂∂ ∂
⎛⎞
++=
⎜⎟
∂∂ ∂
⎝⎠
1
12
tan d d 0
ff f
x
xx
θθ
θ
.
The displacements
1
dx (as well as
2
dx ) and dθ are arbitrary, so that
∂∂ ∂
+==
∂∂ ∂
12
tan 0, 0
ff f
xx
θ
θ
;
hence,
f does not depend on θ , while the first relation, where θ is arbitrary, leads to
∂∂=
1
/0fx and ∂∂=
2
/0fx . In this case, the function f depends of no one of the
three arguments, so that it cannot represent a finite connection between
12
,xx and
θ
.
The number of the generalized co-ordinates cannot be made less than three, but these
ones cannot have a free variation, the mechanical system being thus non-holonomic