Cam and follower mechanisms are a typical kind of higher pair links mechanism used in mechanical engineering. Roller or needle bearings, like the cam and follower, are manufactured to fit together precisely.
There is a wide range of possible configurations, and their functionality depends on the tasks they are meant to do and the results they provide. In this article, you will learn everything about cams and followers, including their many uses and applications and their components, diagram, kinds, and operation. Remember that the mechanism may also be understood as a cam-follower.
An Explanation of Cam Jargon
The significance of a cam profile was already covered. We shall now examine the cam’s essential jargon. In the illustration, a cam and its roller follower are shown with the many concepts we will discuss.
- In this illustration, the cam is assumed to be fixed, and the roller follows the cam profile at its various angular points.
- The circle at the bottom
- You may think of it as the smallest circle that touches the cam profile if you draw it with its centre at the cam’s centre.
Where To Find The Traces
Here is where the follower’s centre rotates as it travels around the cam profile. Add the roller’s radius to the cam profile to get trace points for a roller follower, as illustrated in the figure.
Purposes of the Camera and Its Follower
Listed below are some of the many ways in which a cam and follower system might be put to use:
- The cam-follower mechanism distributes the force exerted on a single machine part more evenly. Using a cylinder roller in a machine part allows for unintentional motion. If you install a cam-follower on a machine, it may move in several straight lines.
- Cam-followers absorb more shock than bearings since their thickness is more significant. This improves a machine part’s mechanical efficiency. The mechanism is also adaptable, which means it may be used in various contexts outside just soda machines. It’s also useful as a conveyor belt.
Design With A Cam Follower
- We will now talk about the fundamentals of cam follower mechanism design. Designing the cam profile is the first stage in creating a cam follower mechanism.
- The cam profile is determined by the dimensions of the follower, the kind of follower, and the desired motion.
- The movements of a cam and follower mechanism include constant velocity, constant acceleration, and simple harmonic motion. The activities above need unique cam profiles. We need to define specific terminology before discussing the cam’s profile.
Using A Cam And A Follower In Various Contexts
The uses for a cam and follower system are listed below.
- A cam-follower allows the camshaft to operate an internal combustion engine’s intake and exhaust valves.
- As part of a hydraulic mechanism.
- The mechanism is helpful in automated equipment.
- A cam-follower mechanism is also helpful in printing machines.
- A cam and a follower are found in textile and farming machinery.
- Power tools for slicing gears.
- The use of automatic lathes.
- Wall-clocks.
- Engineers also utilize cam and follower devices to guarantee a perfect result or at least one with a little margin of error. Cam followers are used to operating fuel pumps and engine valves in automobiles.
Conclusion
There are several varieties of cam-followers. Therefore, the role might shift accordingly. A cam, or driving member, a frame, or supporting member, and a driven member or follower comprise the three components of a cam-follower system.