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Chapter8.OtherMechanisms

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RapidDesignthroughVirtualandPhysical
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CarnegieMellonUniversity

IntroductiontoMechanisms
YiZhang
with
SusanFinger
StephannieBehrens

TableofContents

Chapter8.OtherMechanisms
8.1RatchetMechanisms
Awheelprovidedwithsuitablyshapedteeth,receivinganintermittentcircularmotionfromanoscillatingorreciprocating
member,iscalledaratchetwheel.AsimpleformofratchetmechanismisshowninFigure81.

Figure81Ratchet
Aistheratchetwheel,andBisanoscillatinglevercarryingthedrivingpawl,C.AsupplementarypawlatDprevents
backwardmotionofthewheel.
WhenarmBmovescounterclockwise,pawlCwillforcethewheelthroughafractionalpartofarevolutiondependentupon
themotionofB.Whenthearmmovesback(clockwise),pawlCwillslideoverthepointsoftheteethwhilethewheel
remainsatrestbecauseoffixedpawlD,andwillbereadytopushthewheelonitsforward(counterclockwise)motionas
before.
Theamountofbackwardmotionpossiblevarieswiththepitchoftheteeth.Thismotioncouldbereducedbyusingsmall
teeth,andtheexpedientissometimesusedbyplacingseveralpawlssidebysideonthesameaxis,thepawlsbeingof
differentlengths.
Thecontactsurfacesofwheelandpawlshouldbeinclinedsothattheywillnottendtodisengageunderpressure.This
meansthatthecommonnormalatNshouldpassbetweenthepawlandtheratchetwheelcenters.Ifthiscommonnormal
shouldpassoutsidetheselimits,thepawlwouldbeforcedoutofcontactunderloadunlessheldbyfriction.Inmanyratchet
mechanismsthepawlisheldagainstthewheelduringmotionbytheactionofaspring.
TheusualformoftheteethofaratchetwheelisthatshownintheaboveFigure,butinfeedmechanismssuchasusedon
manymachinetoolsitisnecessarytomodifythetoothshapeforareversiblepawlsothatthedrivecanbeineitherdirection.
ThefollowingSimDesignexampleofaratchetalsoincludesafourbarlinkage.

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Ifyoutrythismechanism,youmayturnthecrankofthelinkmechanism.Therockerwilldrivethedrivingpawltodrivethe
ratchetwheel.ThecorrespondingSimDesigndatafileis:
/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/cit/ce/rapidproto/simdesign/ratchet.sim

8.2OverrunningClutch
Aspecialformofaratchetistheoverrunningclutch.Haveyoueverthoughtaboutwhatkindofmechanismdrivestherear
axleofbicycle?Itisafreewheelmechanismwhichisanoverrunningclutch.Figure82illustratesasimplifiedmodel.As
thedriverdeliverstorquetothedrivenmember,therollersorballsarewedgedintothetaperedrecesses.Thisiswhatgives
thepositivedrive.Shouldthedrivenmemberattempttodrivethedriverinthedirectionsshown,therollersorballsbecome
freeandnotorqueistransmitted.

Figure82Overrunningclutch

8.3IntermittentGearing
Apairofrotatingmembersmaybedesignedsothat,forcontinuousrotationofthedriver,thefollowerwillalternatelyroll
withthedriverandremainstationary.Thistypeofarrangementisknowbythegeneraltermintermittentgearing.Thistype
ofgearingoccursinsomecountingmechanisms,motionpicturemachines,feedmechanisms,aswellasothers.

Figure83Intermittentgearing
Thesimplestformofintermittentgearing,asillustratedinFigure83hasthesamekindofteethasordinarygearsdesigned
forcontinuousrotation.Thisexampleisapairof18toothgearsmodifiedtomeettherequirementthatthefolloweradvance
oneninthofaturnforeachturnofthedriver.Theintervalofactionisthetwopitchangle(indicatedonbothgears).The
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singletoothonthedriverengageswitheachspaceonthefollowertoproducetherequiredmotionofaoneninthturnofthe
follower.Duringtheremainderofadriverturn,thefollowerislockedagainstrotationinthemannershowninthefigure.
Tovarytherelativemovementsofthedriverandfollower,themeshingteethcanbearrangedinvariouswaystosuit
requirements.Forexample,thedrivermayhavemorethanonetooth,andtheperiodsofrestofthefollowermaybeuniform
ormayvaryconsiderably.Countingmechanismsareoftenequippedwithgearingofthistype.

8.4TheGenevaWheel
AninterestingexampleofintermittentgearingistheGenevaWheelshowninFigure84.Inthiscasethedrivenwheel,B,
makesonefourthofaturnforoneturnofthedriver,A,thepin,a,workingintheslots,b,causingthemotionofB.The
circularportionofthedriver,comingincontactwiththecorrespondinghollowcircularpartsofthedrivenwheel,retainsitin
positionwhenthepinortoothaisoutofaction.ThewheelAiscutawaynearthepinaasshown,toprovideclearancefor
wheelBinitsmotion.

Figure84Genevawheel
Ifoneoftheslotsisclosed,Acanonlymovethroughpartoftherevolutionineitherdirectionbeforepinastrikestheclosed
slotandthusstopsthemotion.Thedeviceinthismodifiedformwasusedinwatches,musicboxes,etc.,toprevent
overwinding.FromthisapplicationitreceivedthenameGenevastop.Arrangedasastop,wheelAissecuredtothespring
shaft,andBturnsontheaxisofthespringbarrel.ThenumberofslotsorintervalunitsinBdependsuponthedesired
numberofturnsforthespringshaft.
AnexampleofthismechanismhasbeenmadeinSimDesign,asinthefollowingpicture.

ThecorrespondingSimDesigndatafileis:
/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/cit/ce/rapidproto/simdesign/geneva.sim

8.5TheUniversalJoint
Theengineofanautomobileisusuallylocatedinfrontpart.Howdoesitconnecttotherearaxleoftheautomobile?Inthis
case,universaljointsareusedtotransmitthemotion.

Figure85Universaljoint
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TheuniversaljointasshowninFigure85isalsoknownintheolderliteratureasHooke'scoupling.Regardlessofhowit
isconstructedorproportioned,forpracticaluseithasessentiallytheformshowninFigure86,consistingoftwo
semicircularforks2and4,pinjointedtoarightanglecross3.

Figure86Generalformforauniversaljoint
Thedriver2andthefollower4makethecompleterevolutionatthesametime,butthevelocityratioisnotconstant
throughouttherevolution.Thefollowinganalysiswillshowhowcompleteinformationastotherelativemotionsofdriver
andfollowermaybeobtainedforanyphaseofthemotion.

8.5.1AnalysisofaUniversalJoint

Figure87Analysisofauniversaljoint
Iftheplaneofprojectionistakenperpendiculartotheaxisof2,thepathofaandbwillbeacircleAKBLasshowninFigure
87.
Iftheanglebetweentheshaftsis ,thepathofcanddwillbeacirclethatisprojectedastheellipseACBD,inwhich
OC=OD=OKcos =OAcos
(81)
IfoneofthearmsofthedriverisatA,anarmofthefollowerwillbeatC.Ifthedriverarmmovesthroughtheangle toP,
thefollowerarmwillmovetoQ.OQwillbeperpendiculartoOPhence:angleCOQ= .ButangleCOQistheprojection
oftherealangledescribesbythefollower.Qnistherealcomponentofthemotionofthefollowerinadirectionparallelto
AB,andlineABistheintersectionoftheplanesofthedriver'sandthefollower'splanes.Thetrueangle describedbythe
follower,whilethedriverdescribestheangle ,canbefoundbyrevolvingOQaboutABasanaxisintotheplaneofthe
circleAKBL.ThenOR=thetruelengthofOQ,andROK= =thetrueanglethatisprojectedasangleCOQ= .
Now
tan =Rm/Om
and
tan =Qn/On
But
Qn=Rm
Hence

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Therefore
tan =cos tan
Theratiooftheangularmotionofthefollowertothatofthedriverisfoundasfollower,bydifferentiatingaboveequation,
rememberingthat isconstant

Eliminating :

Similarly, canbeeliminated:

Accordingtotheaboveequations,whenthedriverhasauniformangularvelocity,theratioofangularvelocitiesvaries
betweenextremesofcos and1/cos .Thesevariationsinvelocitygiverisetoinertiaforces,torques,noise,andvibration
whichwouldnotbepresentifthevelocityratiowereconstant.

8.5.2DoubleUniversalJoint
ByusingadoublejointshownontherightinFigure87,thevariationofangularmotionbetweendriverandfollowercanbe
entirelyavoided.Thiscompensatingarrangementistoplaceanintermediateshaft3betweenthedriverandfollowershafts.
Thetwoforksofthisintermediateshaftmustlieinthesameplane,andtheanglebetweenthefirstshaftandtheintermediate
shaftmustexactlybethesamewiththatbetweentheintermediateshaftandthelastshaft.Ifthefirstshaftrotatesuniformly,
theangularmotionoftheintermediateshaftwillvaryaccordingtotheresultdeducedabove.Thisvariationisexactlythe
sameasifthelastshaftrotateduniformly,drivingtheintermediateshaft.Therefore,thevariablemotiontransmittedtothe
intermediateshaftbytheuniformrotationofthefirstshaftisexactlycompensatedforbythemotiontransmittedfromthe
intermediatetothelastshaft,theuniformmotionofeitheroftheseshaftswillimpart,throughtheintermediateshaft,
uniformmotiontotheother.
Universaljoints,particularlyinpairs,areusedinmanymachines.Onecommonapplicationisinthedriveshaftwhich
connectstheengineofanautomobilestotheaxle.

TableofContents
CompleteTableofContents
1PhysicalPrinciples
2MechanismsandSimpleMachines
3MoreonMachinesandMechanisms
4BasicKinematicsofConstrainedRigidBodies
5PlanarLinkages
6Cams
7Gears
8OtherMechanisms
8.1RatchetMechanisms
8.2OverrunningClutch
8.3IntermittentGearing
8.4TheGenevaWheel
8.5TheUniversalJoint
8.5.1AnalysisofaUniversalJoint
8.5.2DoubleUniversalJoint
Index
References
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sfinger@ri.cmu.edu

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