Cam Mechanisms play an important role in the conversion of rotary motion into oscillatory motion. This application is highly dynamic: valves must be opened and closed in very quick succession. The contact between the valve and a cam must not be lost, otherwise it would result in uncontrolled oscillations, valve float and possible damage to the engine. The most common application of cam mechanisms is the activation of valves in engines.
Features:
Influence of spring stiffness and mass on the dynamic behaviour
Record elevation curves of cam mechanisms
Four different cam members, two different engaging members
Learning Objectives And Experiments:
Determine the limit speed and compare with theory
Influence of moving mass on the motion of cam member/plunger
Influence of return-spring stiffness and preload on the motion of cam member/plunger
Elevation curves in non-matching engaging member
Elevation curve in sprung-engaging member
Comparison of elevation curves with theory
Comparison of the elevation curves of different cam-member shapes.
Cam mechanisms are used in many areas of technology, such as for valve control in combustion engines. The cam follower can work either as a roller tappet, cup tappet, or trailing lever. The stroke is measured using a mechanical position measurement gauge. A scaled disk indicates the associated angle of rotation. The well-structured instructional material sets out the fundamentals and provides a step-by-step guide through the experiments. The simple experimental set-up permits quick demonstration of the action principle, and can be used to demonstrate the influence of different cam shapes.
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