Mechanical Elements

Clutches CAM Mechanism Flywheel Governor Couplings

Clutches
A Clutch is a machine member used to connect the driving shaft to a driven shaft, so that the driven shaft may be started or stopped at will, without stopping the driving shaft. A clutch thus provides an interruptible connection between two rotating shafts

 It is required that the driven shaft should stop, but the engine should continue to run. It is, therefore, necessary that the driven shaft should be disengaged from the driving shaft. The engagement and disengagement of the shafts is obtained by means of a clutch which is operated by a lever. Clutches are also used extensively in production machinery of all types. Types of Clutches

1. Positive clutches The positive clutches are used when a positive drive is required. The simplest type of a positive clutch is a jaw or claw clutch. The jaw clutch permits one shaft to drive another through a direct contact of interlocking jaws. It consists of two halves, one of which is permanently fastened to the driving shaft by a sunk key. The other half of the clutch is movable and it is free to slide axially on the driven shaft, but it is

2. Friction Clutches A friction clutch has its principal application in the transmission of power of shafts and machines which must be started and stopped frequently. Its application is also found in cases in which power is to be delivered to machines partially or fully loaded. The force of friction is used to start the driven shaft from rest and gradually brings it up to the proper speed without excessive slipping of the friction surfaces.

Material used for lining of friction surfaces The material used for lining of friction surfaces of a clutch should have the following characteristics : It should have a high and uniform coefficient of friction. It should not be affected by moisture and oil. It should have the ability to withstand high

Considerations in Designing a Friction Clutch The following considerations must be kept in mind while designing a friction clutch. The suitable material forming the contact surfaces should be selected. The moving parts of the clutch should have low weight in order to minimise the inertia load, especially in high speed service. The clutch should not require any external force to maintain contact of the friction surfaces.

 The provision for taking up wear of the contact surfaces must be provided. The clutch should have provision for facilitating repairs. The clutch should have provision for carrying away the heat generated at the contact surfaces. The projecting parts of the clutch should be covered by guard.

Types of Friction Clutches Following are the important types of friction clutches: 1. Disc or plate clutches (single disc or multiple disc clutch), 2. Cone clutches 3. Centrifugal clutches The disc and cone clutches are known as axial friction clutches while the centrifugal clutch is called radial friction clutch.

Single disc or plate clutch

CAM Mechanism
A cam mechanism consists of two moving elements, the cam and the follower. It can be seen as a device that can convert rotary motion into reciprocating or linear motion (movement in a straight line) or vice versa.

 A common example is the camshaft of an automobile, which takes the rotary motion of the engine and translates it into the reciprocating motion necessary to operate the intake and exhaust valves of the cylinders. For opposite operation, translation of reciprocating motion to circular motion, the common example is the crankshaft of a car, which takes the reciprocating motion of the pistons and translates it into the rotary motion necessary to

CAM:
A cam is a specially shaped piece of material, usually metal or hard wearing plastic, which is fixed to rotating shaft. The cam can have various shapes e.g. round, oval, egg shaped.

FOLLOWER:
A follower is a lever making contact with the cam. As the cam rotates it is the profile or shape of the cam that causes the follower to move in a particular way. The

Types of CAM shapes:

Classification of cam mechanisms

Modes of Input/output Motion Configuration and arrangement of the follower Shape of the cam Cams can also be classified by the different types of motion events of the follower and by means of a great variety of the motion characteristics of the cam profile.

1) Modes of Input/Output Motion

Rotating cam-Translating follower. Rotating cam-Rotating follower Translating cam-Translating follower

2) Configuration of the Follower

Knife-edge follower Roller follower Flat-faced follower Spherical-faced follower

3) Cam Shape

Plate cam or disk cam: Grooved cam or closed cam Cylindrical cam or barrel cam End cam

Applications:
Many machines which have moving parts use cams. A good example is the motor car engine which has cams to open and close valves and contact breaker points and operate fuel pumps. In addition to that, Cam follower systems are used in a wide variety of daily applications, including printing presses, moving lawn ornaments, and pumping devices. In any class of machinery in which automatic control and accurate timing are paramount, the cam is an indispensable

Flywheel
A flywheel is a mechanical type inertial energy-storage device, i.e. it has a significant moment of inertia and is used as a storage device for rotational energy.

Function of a Flywheel:
The main function of a fly wheel is to smoothen out variations in the speed of a shaft caused by torque fluctuations. It absorbs mechanical energy and serves as a reservoir, storing energy during the period when the supply of energy is more than the requirement and releases it during the period when the requirement of energy is more than the supply.

Working Principle:

It works on the basis of principle of inertia, i.e. objects in motion tend to stay in motion.
If the source of the driving torque or load torque is fluctuating in nature, the inertia of the flywheel resists rotational speed changes, and moderates fluctuations in the speed of the engine and stores the excess energy for intermittent use. To oppose speed fluctuations

Some Applications of a Flywheel:

Flywheels have become the subject of extensive research as power storage devices for uses in vehicles and power. Suitable in racing situation where the track is even, having a demand for rapid changes in engine speed. Flywheels are used in punching machines and riveting machines, where they store energy from the motor and release it during the operation cycle (punching and riveting). In internal combustion engine, to maintain a constant angular velocity of the

Governor
It is a device that automatically maintains the rotary speed of an engine or other prime mover within reasonably close limits regardless of the load. A typical governor regulates an engines speed

Functions of a Governor:
Maintains the speed selected by the operator which is within the range of the governor. Prevent over-speeding which may cause engine damage. Limit both high and low speeds.

Types of a Governor in terms of application:

In an engine that is required to come up and run at only a single speed regardless of load, the governor is called a constant-speed type governor. If the engine is manually controlled, or controlled by an outside device with engine speed being controlled over a range, the governor is called a variablespeed type governor.

Types of a Governor in terms of application:

If the engine governor is designed to keep the engine speed above a minimum and below a maximum, then the governor is a speed-limiting type. If the governor limits fuel to ensure that the engine is not loaded above a specified limit, it is called as a load limiting type.

Types of a Governor in terms of mechanism:

A governor may be an electric, hydraulic, or mechanical device, or it may employ some combination of electric, hydraulic, and mechanical components. Almost all governors work by centrifugal force.

Difference Between Flywheel & Governor

Flywheel stores or releases excess energy produced by a shaft and keeps it running within the critical speed. Governor is a speed control mechanism which directly controls fuel supply to an engine. Governor controls the speed variation caused by a varying load, while flywheel does not control the speed variation.

Couplings
A coupling is a device used to connect two shafts together at their ends for the purpose of transmitting power or motion. Couplings do not normally allow disconnection of shafts during operation

Functions of a Coupling:

To provide for the connection of shafts of units that are manufactured separately such as a motor and generator and to provide for disconnection for repair. To provide for misalignment of the shafts or to introduce mechanical flexibility. To reduce the transmission of shock loads from one shaft to another. To introduce protection against

Types of Couplings:

Rigid coupling --- For aligned shafts so that no motion can occur between them.
(shaft

misalignment will affect the coupling's performance as well as its life) Types
Flanged Split Coupler Keyed Friction

Types of Couplings:

Flexible coupling --- For non-aligned shafts where alignment may still change while running due to vibration or load
(designed to transmit torque while permitting some radial, axial, and angular misalignment) Types:
Universal Constant Velocity Flexible