Farahanchi and Shaw (1994) have studied the problem of the clearance in a planar slider–crank mechanism. They
investigated the influence of the clearance dimension, the friction and the crank speed on the dynamic response. Two
response types are observed: chaotic and periodic. The chaotic motion is prevalent for high speeds of the crank and
low coefficients of friction. The periodic motion is generally observed for low values of the crank speed and also at
low values of the coefficient of restitution.
Rhee and Akay (1996) have studied the response of a revolute joint with clearance in a rigid four bar mechanism.
The clearance is modeled as a massless rigid connection requiring a continuous contact. Three motion phases are
distinguished: a phase of contact (with friction), a phase of free motion and a phase of impact. They showed that,
depending on the friction coefficient and clearance size, the system can exhibit periodic or chaotic behavior.
Ravn (1998) has presented a method permitting to expect and to characterize the dynamic behavior of a mechanical
system with clearance in the joints by means of a continuous contact analysis. When the contact is detected, a set of
opposite forces of contact are applied according to HERTZ model. The author was able to extract a continuous flow
of responses, including accelerations, velocities, positions and forces from all the elements and points of contact.