Lesson 3

 Cam and Follower

Cams
Are very important and frequently occurring elements in many types of machines
especially automatic machines, provide a simple means of obtaining unusual or irregular
motion that would be difficult to obtain with other types of linkages.
-is a link having an irregular surface groove that imparts motion to a follower,
which rolls over its surface or its groove.

Composition of a Cam Mechanism

a) Cam – which has contact surface, whether curved or straight
b) Follower – whose motion is produced by contact with the cam
surface.
c) Frame – which supports and guide the follower and cam.

Types of Cam

a) Radial, Disk or Plate

b) Cylindrical (Drum)
c) Linear (Translation)

Types of Follower
a) Point or Knife edged – sliding contact
b) Rounded or curved – rolling contact
c) Roller – rolling contact
d) Flat surface – sliding contact

Forms and Paths of Cam Followers

a) In-line – along a straight line that passes through the center or rotation of the
cam.
b) Offset – along a straight line is offset from the center of rotation of the cam.
c) Pivoted – along a curved path such as an arc.

Forms and Paths of Cam Followers

- The motion of the follower is of primary interest analysis of existing cams or in
the design of a new cams.
- Its easy to analyze motion of cam follower if motion is plotted or graphed.
where:
- The displacement of the follower is laid off parallel to Y-axis.
- Angular displacement of cam (1 rev) is laid off along the X-axis.
Importance of Displacement Diagram
1. The curve will able you to detect the critical phases of the follower, say the peak
velocities and accelerations.
2. Serve as a basis for developing complete velocity and acceleration curves.
3. Make it possible to lay-out desired follower motion linearly with no regard for the
physical cam and follower arrangements.

Motion Used for Cam Follower

1. Uniform Velocity (straight-line) motion
- Seldom used in its pure form, except for non-precision low speed applications
because of the theoretically infinite accelerations that occur at the beginning
and end of the displacement.
Illustration:
- Lay out the displacement diagram of a cam follower that is to have the following
motion.
Rest----------30˚
Rise for 1 inch for 330˚
Fall for 1 inch.

y-axis

-1”---------------------------------------------------------
Follower Rise
(inch.)

‘ ‘ ‘ x-axis
0 30˚ 360˚
Cam travelled (in degrees)

DISPLACEMENT DIAGRAM

2. Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)

- As a point moves along around the circumference of a circle with constant
velocity, its projection on the diameter of the circle moves with simple harmonic
motion.
-

P₅ P₅’

P₄ P₄’
P₃’ P₃’ projection
P₂ P2’
P₁ P₁’
P
» Diameter of the semi-circle is equal to the follower rise.
» The number of divisions of the semi-circle must agree with the number of
divisions along the time axis.

Two Division of Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)

a) AHM – Accelerating Harmonic Motion (¼ circle)
b) RHM – Retarded Harmonic Motion (¼ circle)

Slope of curve in the Displacement Diagram

For the Curves:

------increasing --------increasing

---------decreasing ---------decreasing

3. Uniform Accelerated (Parabolic) Motion-Gravitational

- A motion of uniform or constant acceleration often called parabolic-is the motion
of a free falling body.
PARABOLIC – Accelerated and Retarded motion.
-Given displacement is divided into 2 halves
 First Half – uniformly accelerated
Second Half – uniformly decelerated
-Horizontal distance involved in the total displacement be divided into an even
number of divisions.

Illustration:
2 inches rise in 120˚ (UARM) Uniformly Accelerated and Retarded Motion

K=constant
S = ½at²
S = t²; say t = 4
S = 16 division

Solution:
s₁
S = t² t₁
If, s₂
t₁ = 1; S₁ = 1 t₂
t₂ = 2; S₂ = 4
t₃ = 3; S₃ = 9 s₃
t₄ = 4; S₄ = 16 t₃

s₄
t₄

□ Alternative Method – (For Uniform Accelerated Motion)

- Half displacement is divided into equal sized divisions corresponding to the number of
horizontal divisions.
4. Cycloidal Motion
- If a circle rolls along a straight line without slipping, a point on its circumference
traces a curve that is called a cycloid.

Co =  D; where: Co = S
D = Co/  thus, D =S/ 
● Procedure for cycloidal Motion
1. Divide the x-axis into any number of divisions (equal)
2. Line AB is drawn and extended to some point such as C.
3. A circle is drawn at C whose circumference is equal to S or whose
S
diameter is .

4.The circumference is divided into number of parts equal to the
number of divisions along the horizontal scale.
5.The point around the circle are projected to the vertical line of
the circle and then parallel to line AB to the corresponding
vertical lines in the displacement diagram.

5. Modified Uniform Velocity (MUV)

a) Exact Method
60˚ acceleration for 150˚ with S rise
60˚ deceleration
Example:
Combination of the different kind of motion:
- Lay out the following motions of a cam follower
30˚ Rest
2 inches Rise-----SHM for 150˚
30˚ Rest
1 inch. Drop Accelerated parabolic Motion for 90˚
1 inch. Drop Uniform Velocity for 60˚

Displacement Diagram

Drawing Plate Cam Profile with Point Follower (in-line)

● Point Follower (in-line)

- Consider cam as the fixed link and move the follower around it.
- After displacement diagram and type of follower are chose the cam profile
is drawn.
x – Time displacement (t)
y – Linear displacement (S)

Procedure:
1. Draw the Base Circle.
-The distance from the point of the follower to the center of the
cam.
2. Divide the base circle to the number of divisions of the x-axis.
3. Find position “A” after 30˚of cam movement, cam profile set of the distance x
from “A” outwardly along the path of motion of this point, thus point 1 is
determined.
4. Next, with O as center and O1 as radius. Swing arc 1-1’ in a sense opposite to
the cam movement and subtending an angle of 30˚ at point O’ then 1’ will be
the new position of point “A” corresponding to 30˚ angular motion.
5. Do the rest for distances 1,2,3, and so on.

Problem 1.
LEARNING ACTIVITY

Starting from the position shown, the slide is to drop 2 ins. with harmonic
motion during three-eighths of a turn, to rise at once 1 inch, to remain still one-
eighth of a turn, to drop 2 ins. with uniformly accelerated and uniformly retarded
motion in one-half turn, and then to rise 3 ins. at
once. Find the cam outline if the end A of the lever is in contact with the cam, the
latter to turn in the direction shown. (Assume that A is kept in contact with the cam
by some external force.)

Problem 2.
Piece A carries a pin that projects into the slot on the horizontal piece B. Find
profile of a plate cam turning uniformly clockwise to
act at D and give A the following motion: still for one-quarter turn of cam; up 1½ in.
with harmonic motion in one-quarter turn; still one-quarter turn; drop 1½ in. at once;
and still one-quarter turn.
 MODULE SUMMARY

In module 2, you have learned about Relative Acceleration, Coriolis’ Law and
Cams. You have learned to solve analytically and graphically. You have also learned the
difference in applying relative acceleration method to Coriolis’ Law.

There are three lessons in module 2. Lesson 1 consist of relative velocity which
is much more easily analyzed if it is resolved into rectangular components, one normal
and one tangent to its path.

Lesson 2 is coriolis’ law, in which whenever a particle is moving on a body which

is moving relative to the earth.

Lesson 3 deals with the motion of follower to design a cams. Its easy to analyze
motion of cam follower if motion is plotted or graphed.

Congratulations! You have just studied Module 2, now you are ready to evaluate
how much you have benefited from your understanding by answering the summative
test. Good Luck!!!

 SUMMATIVE TEST