mPRECISION MOTION CONTROL

The basics of
motion control—Part 1
JOHN MAZURKIEWICZ, Baldor Electric Co.
Nomenclature:
Here are easy-to-follow equations for determining drive mechanics
e = Efficiency
— friction and inertia — for any electromechanical positioning Fl = Load force, lb
application. Then, using this information, a following article will Ff = Friction force, lb
show you how to determine motor and control requirements. Fpf = Preload force, lb
g = Gravitational constant,
386 in./sec2
he first step in determining the re-

T
quirements of a motion-control
system is to analyze the mechanics
— including friction and inertia — of the
load to be positioned. Load friction can
easily be determined either by estimating
Based on density, radius, and length: J = Inertia, lb-in.-sec2
Jls = Leadscrew inertia, lb-in.-sec2
πLρR 4
J= (2 ) Jl = Load inertia, lb-in.-sec2
2g Jm = Motor inertia, lb-in.-sec2
Hollow cylinder, Figure 2. Jt = Total inertia, lb-in.-sec2
Based on weight and radius: Jp = Pulley inertia, lb-in.-sec2

( )
or by simply measuring with a torque W 2 L = Length, in.
wrench. J= Ro + Ri2 (3 ) m = Coefficient of friction
Inertia — the resistance of an object 2g
N = Gear ratio
to accelerate or decelerate — defines Based on density, radius, and length: Nl = Number of load gear teeth

( )
the torque required to accelerate a load Nm = Number of motor gear teeth
πLρ 4
from one speed to another, but it ex- J= Ro − Ri4 (4 ) p = Density, lb/in.3
cludes frictional forces. Inertia is calcu- 2g P= Pitch, rev/in.
lated by analyzing the mechanical link- With these equations, the inertia of R = Radius, in.
age system that is to be moved. Such mechanical components (such as shafts, Ri= Inner radius, in.
systems are categorized as one of four ba- gears, drive rollers) can be calculated. Ro= Outer radius, in.
sic drive designs: direct, gear, tangential, Then, the load inertia and friction are re- Sl = Load speed, rpm
or leadscrew. flected through the mechanical linkage Sm = Motor speed, rpm
In the following analyses of mechani- system to determine motor require- Tf = Friction torque, lb-in.
cal linkage systems, the equations reflect ments. Tl = Load torque, lb-in.
the load parameters back to the motor Example: If a cylinder is a leadscrew Tm = Motor torque, lb-in.
shaft. A determination of what the motor with a radius of 0.312 in. and a length of Tr = Torque reflected to motor,
“sees” is necessary for selecting both mo- 22 in., the inertia can be calculated by us- lb-in.
tor and control. ing Table 1 and substituting in equation 2: Vl = Load velocity, ipm
( )( )( )
4 W= Weight, lb
πLρR 4 π 22 0.28 0.312
Cylinder inertia J= = Wlb= Weight of load plus belt, lb

The inertia of a cylinder can be calcu-

2g 2 386 ( )
lated based on its weight and radius, or = 0.000237 lb - in.- sec 2
its density, radius, and length.
Solid cylinder, Figure 1.
Based on weight and radius:
WR 2
J= (1 )
2g

John Mazurkiewicz is servo product man- Figure 1 — Solid cylinder. Figure 2 — Hollow cylinder.
ager at Baldor Electric Co., Fort Smith, Ark.

POWER TRANSMISSION DESIGN SEPTEMBER 1995 43

mPRECISION MOTION CONTROL

or Load
Sl × N l
Sm = (7 )
Nm
Motor torque:
Motor Load Tl
Tm = (8 ) R
Ne
Figure 3 — Direct drive. Load is Pulley
Reflected load inertia:
coupled directly to motor without any
speed changing device. Jl Motor
Jr = (9 )
N2
Direct drive Total inertia at motor:
Figure 5 — Tangential drive. The total
Jl load (belt plus load) is moved with a
The simplest drive system is a direct Jt = + Jm (10 )
drive, Figure 3. Because there are no me- N2 lever arm with a radius, R.
chanical linkages involved the load pa- Example: To calculate the reflected
rameters are directly transmitted to the inertia for a 6-lb, solid cylinder with a 4- Friction torque:
motor. The speed of the motor is the in. diameter, connected through a 3:1 T f = Ff R (13 )
same as that of the load, so the load fric- gear set, first use equation 1 to determine
tion is the friction the motor must over- the load inertia. Load inertia:
come, and load inertia is what the motor Wlb R 2
()
2
“sees.” Therefore, the total inertia is the WR 2 6 2 Jl = (14 )
Jl = = g
load inertia plus the motor inertia. 2g 2 386 ( ) Total inertia:
Jt = Jl + Jm (5 )
= 0.031 lb - in.- sec 2
Wlb R 2
Gear drive Jt = + J p1 + J p2 + J m (15 )
To reflect this inertia through the gear g
The mechanical linkage between the set to the motor, substitute in equation 9. Example: A belt and pulley arrange-
load and motor in a gear drive, Figure 4, 0.031 ment will be moving a weight of 10 lb. The
requires reflecting the load parameters Jr = = 0.0034 lb - in.- sec 2 pulleys are hollow cylinders, 5-lb each,
back to the motor shaft. As with any 32 with an outer radius of 2.5 in. and an in-
speed changing system, the load inertia For high accuracy, the inertia of the ner radius of 2.3 in.
reflected back to the motor is a squared gears should be included when determin- To calculate the inertial for a
function of the speed ratio. ing total inertia. This value can be ob- hollow, cylindrical pulley, substitute in
Motor speed: tained from literature or calculated using equation 3:
the equations for the inertia of a cylinder.
( ) ( )( )
Sm = Sl × N (6 ) W 2 5
Gearing efficiencies should also be con- Jp = Ro + Ri2 = 2.5 2 + 2.3 2
sidered when calculating required torque 2g 2 386
values.
N
= 0.0747 lb - in.- sec 2
m
Tangential drive Substitute in equation 14 to determine
Motor
load inertia:
Consisting of a timing belt and pulley,
( )
2
chain and sprocket, or rack and pinion, a WR 2 10 2.5
Jl = =
tangential drive, Figure 5, also requires g 386
Load reflecting load parameters back to the = 0.1619 lb - in.- sec 2
Nl motor shaft. Total inertia reflected to the motor
Figure 4 — Speed changer between Motor speed: shaft is the sum of the two pulley inertias
load and motor. Any speed changing V plus the load inertia:
device — gearing, belt, or chain — Sm = l (11 )
2πR J = J l + J p1 + J p2
alters the reflected inertia to the
motor by the square of the speed ratio. Load torque: = 0.1619 + 0.0747 + 0.0747
Tl = Fl R (12 ) = 0.3113 lb - in.- sec.2

44 POWER TRANSMISSION DESIGN SEPTEMBER 1995

 Table 1—Material densities

Material Density,
lb per cu in.
Aluminum 0.096
Copper 0.322
Plastic 0.040
Steel 0.280
Wood 0.029
Also, the inertia of pulleys, sprockets
or pinion gears must be included to de-
termine the total inertia. Table 2—Typical leadscrew
efficiencies
Leadscrew drive
Type Efficiency
Illustrated in Figure 6, a leadscrew
drive also requires reflecting the load pa- Ball-nut 0.90
rameters back to the motor. Both the Acme (plastic nut) 0.65
leadscrew and the load inertia have to be Acme (metal nut) 0.40
considered. If a leadscrew inertia is not
readily available, the equation for a cylin-
der may be used. Table 3—Leadscrew
For precision positioning, the lead- coefficients of friction
screw may be preloaded to eliminate or
reduce backlash. Such preload torque Steel on steel (dry) 0.58
can be significant and must be included, Steel on steel
as must leadscrew efficiency. (lubricated) 0.15
Motor speed:
Teflon on steel 0.04
Sm = Vl × P (16 ) Ball bushing 0.003
Load torque reflected to motor:
2 2
1 Fl 1 Fpf W 1  200  1 
Tr = + ×µ (17 ) Jl =   =  
2π Pe 2π P g  2πP  386  2π 5 
For typical values of leadscrew effi- = 0.00052 lb - in.- sec 2
ciency (e) and coefficient of friction (m),
see Tables 2 and 3. Leadscrew inertia is based on the
Friction force: equation for inertia of a cylinder:
Ff = µ × W
( ) ( )
(18 ) 4
πLρR 4 π 44 0.28 0.5
J ls = =
Friction torque: 2g ( )
2 386
1 Ff
Tf = (19 ) = 0.00313 lb - in.- sec 2
2π Pe
Total inertia: Total inertia to be connected to the
2 motor shaft is:
W 1 
Jt =   + J ls + J m (20 ) J = J l + J ls = 0.00052 + 0.00313
g  2πP 
= 0.00365 lb - in.- sec 2
Example: A 200-lb load is positioned
by a 44-in. long leadscrew with a 0.5-in.
radius and a 5-rev/in. pitch. The reflected
load inertia is: The next article will show you how to
how to use this information to deter-
mine torque and power requirements
for selecting motor and control. ■

Motor Load

Figure 6 — Leadscrew drive.

POWER TRANSMISSION DESIGN SEPTEMBER 1995 45