On the Issue of the Use of Software Tools for Determining the Kinematic Characteristics of Mechanical Systems

Abstract

Modern requirements for the forms and technologies of teaching disciplines of the natural science cycle in technical universities require the introduction of modern software tools into the educational process. It is this restructuring of approaches to the methodology of teaching physics, theoretical and applied mechanics, the theory of mechanisms and machines, the resistance of materials and related ones that allows us to significantly simplify the calculation of cumbersome expressions, the solution of differential equations or their systems, and to focus on the analysis of the results obtained. The MS Excel spreadsheet and the universal mathematical systems Mathcad, Maple and Matlab have been widely used in the process of teaching in higher education. However, the implementation of full-fledged modeling and analysis of mechanical systems and processes sometimes requires the purchase of a licensed product (some of the above mathematical systems are not free), or has limited capabilities in solving the outlined tasks. Therefore, the development of our own software modules for automated calculation remains relevant, which can be used when solving applied problems of the appropriate focus and complexity by applicants for technical specialties, including when performing coursework and projects. The purpose of the work is to improve the teaching methodology for the disciplines of the natural science cycle on modeling mechanical systems. The work proposes solving the problem of determining the kinematic parameters of the mechanism using the KINEMA computer program. The use of such software allows you to significantly reduce the complexity of calculations when performing calculations and pay more attention to the analysis of the results obtained. The use of the KINEMA program can also be useful when solving specific engineering problems in production.