ANALYSIS OF CRANKSHAFT MECHANISM USING THE COMPLEX NUMBER METHOD WITH MATLAB PROGRAMMING

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the kinematic characteristics of a beverage can pressing mechanism modeled as an offset crank–slider mechanism using the complex number method. This method is applied to simplify the mathematical representation of position, velocity, and acceleration vectors of each mechanism component within a unified formulation. The analysis is conducted through mathematical modeling and MATLAB based computational simulation using specific geometric parameters and angular velocity that represent the operating conditions of the pressing device. The results show that the complex number method provides efficient and accurate kinematic calculations, particularly in determining the magnitude and direction of velocity and acceleration at critical points of the mechanism. The influence of the offset configuration on the increase in acceleration values and changes in the direction of component motion can also be clearly identified. This study demonstrates that the integration of the complex number method and MATLAB programming is highly effective for analyzing and evaluating the performance of pressing mechanisms and can serve as a reference for the design and development of similar mechanisms in the field of mechanical engineering.