Experiment 02 – Cam Analysis Machine

Theory:

Types of cam

Figure 1 Key Parts of the Cams

The machine includes four di erent cams:

• one tangent with two circles and straight tangential sides (no ank radius)
• one with concave anks and o set nose circles
• two with convex anks - each with di erent base, nose and ank radius

Followers, Springs, Masses and the Stem

Figure 2 Moving parts

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 Figure 2 shows an internal view of the moving parts of the machine, to help clarify the description.

Figure 3 The Followers

The machine includes two di erent followers:

• one roller follower, with a rolling element in a high-quality bearing

• one at-faced follower with a smooth, hardened face

You use the tools supplied to t your chosen follower to the follower stem, which holds the
follower in
position.

Important - Cam a n d Follower Combinations

You can use the roller follower with any cam, but the at-faced follower is only for use with the
convex cams. This is due to the increased risk of noise, cam bounce, and wear caused by the
bad combination of the at face of the follower with the surfaces of the concave and tangent
cams. Real applications would not use these bad combinations, so there is no purpose
experimenting with them.

CAUTION: Do not use the at-faced follower with the tangent and concave cams. This will
create unnecessary noise, wear and cam bounce. It may also damage the machine.

Cam

Tangent ✓ ✘

Concave ✓ ✘

Convex A ✓ ✓

Concave B ✓ ✓

Table 2 Cam and Follower Combinations

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 Units Conversions
Speed and Angular Velocity
Rotational velocity (speeds) of the cam may be in revolutions per minute (rev·min⁻¹) or
radians per second (rad·s⁻¹)

2π(6.28) radians = 360 degrees = one revolution.

One radian = 57.29578 degrees.

1 rev·min⁻¹ = 1/60 rev.s⁻¹ (0.0166 rev.s⁻¹) = 2π/60 rad.s⁻¹ (0.1047 rad.s⁻¹l)

Velocity and Acceleration Charts

The velocity chart in the VDAS software are usually shown in mm/degree and the acceleration
chart are usually shown in mm/degree

For velocity
1 mm/degree = 1 mm.s⁻¹/2π radian.s⁻¹ = Velocity/2T = V/2πω

For acceleration
1 mm/degree2 = 1 mm.·s⁻² /2π rad·s⁻² = Acceleration/2πω2 = a/2πω2

Follower Spring Rate and Force

Spring rate may be in units of N/mm or N/m.

A spring rate of 3.77 kN/m = 3770 N/m = 3.77 N/mm

As the follower move up and down, it shorten and lengthens the follower spring. This changes the
force from the spring. To nd the force, you need the spring constant (k), its initial compression
distance termed pre-tension or preload (y), and the displacement of the follower (x)

Spring Force (N) = Spring constant (k) x (Pre-tension (v) + Follower displacement (X))

Note that you must keep the units consistent.

Typical calculation
Pre-tension y = 10 mm (0.01 m)

Displacement X = 15 mm (0.015 m)

Spring constant k = 3770 N/m = 3.77 N/mm

Spring Force = (0.01 + 0.015) × 3770 = 94.25 N (all units in m)

or

Spring Force = (10 + 15) × 3.77 = 94.25 N (all units in mm)

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 Cam and Follower Displacement

Figure 4 Typical Cam and Valve Gear

Many machines use cams to give a conversion of rotary motion to linear motion. The conversion
is unique, determined by the shape of the cam and its follower, giving a displacement pro le.
Figure 4 shows a typical use of a cam to turn a rotary motion into a linear motion to lift a valve.
This could be a valve in a combustion engine used in cars, motorbikes and other vehicles, or a
valve in a steam engine. The shape of the cam determines the pro le, showing how long the valve
stays open or shut for.

Figure 5 Typical Cam Displacement Pro les

Figure 5 shows the typical displacement (up and down movement) pro les of a roller follower as it
follows a rotating cam through one turn (360°). It shows that each cam turns a rotating movement
into a di erent reciprocating displacement.

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 Di erent followers such as the at face follower will give slightly di erent pro les, as you will nd
by experiment.

The displacement curves show important characteristics of the cam and follower pairs:

• Dwell Period - a time or angle over which the follower displacement doesn't change even
though the cam is turning (the follower 'dwells' in one place).

• Rise - the time or angle over which the cam pushes the follower towards its highest
point.

• Return or Fall - the time or angle over which the cam pushes the follower to its lowest
point.

Tangent and Convex Cams with symmetrical anks and a cam shaft at centre line will give an
almost sinusoidal displacement with an equal rise and return time. They may produce a very short
upper dwell period (or none at all) and should give a symmetrical displacement. The follower will
determine the exact shape and amplitude of the pro le.

The Concave Cam, also with symmetrical anks and a cam shaft at centre line gives a slightly
di erent pro le with a distinct upper dwell period. This cam is normally only used with a roller
follower.

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 'Seeing' Bounce

Figure 6 'Seeing' Bounce

You can 'see' the point of bounce on the VDAS traces, where the Channel 1 trace moves away
from the Reference trace. This usually happens on the downward or return of the follower, where
its acceleration downwards is not enough to keep in contact with the cam surface. Eventually, it
catches up and impacts the cam surface, causing the metal on metal noise. Expand the VEDAS
window and the chart to ll your screen to see this more clearly, In extreme bounce, you may also
see the traces of the follower bouncing as it return to the highly sensitive displacement sensor to
lose contact with(bounce itself).

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 Experiment I - Cam Pro les (below bounce speed)
Aims
To compare the calculated pro les for each cam with that from experiment.

Procedure
1. Choose a cam and follower combination (refer to Table 2 for the correct combinations). Predict
some points on the pro le for follower displacement, velocity and acceleration as shown in the
theory section. If you have time, or a suitable spreadsheet program, predict the complete
displacement, velocity and acceleration pro les.

Note that the VDAS software captures velocity in mm/degree (mm/°) and acceleration in
mm/degree2 (mm/°2). So, you must convert (see Theory).

2. Fit your chosen cam and follower.

3. Fit the white spring and no additional mass. Adjust the spring for no additional pre-tension, so it
is just held in position.

4. Start the VDAS software and enter your chosen cam and follower combination. Channel 1 is the
displacement waveform. Set the ZERO DISPLACEMENT.

5. Start the machine with the speed control at minimum. Slowly increase until the cam starts to
rotate. Reduce the speed back to a steady value around 60 r rev·min⁻¹ below bounce speed for all
combinations.

6. Check that the displacement pro le looks as you'd expect and its maximum amplitude
matches that shown on the low speed displacement indicator above the cam. Table 4 gives
nominal values for all combinations. Figure 6 shows a typical VDAS displacement trace for the
roller follower on a convex

7. On VDAS, set Channel 1 to shows its derivatives (Derivative 1 = Velocity and Derivative 2 =
Acceleration).

8. If necessary, add some ltering to the derivative traces to 'smooth' them out, but do not apply
too much, as you will start to a ect the amplitude and general shape of the waveform. Figure 6
shows a typical set of al traces for the roller follower on a convex cam.

9. When you are happy with the traces, use VDAS to record the data.

10. Repeat for other cam and follower combinations. In VDAS, remember to start a new data
series for

Results Analysis
Compare your calculated pro les with those from the experiment. Do they compare correctly?

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 Experiment II - Basic Bounce Speed
Aims
To compare bounce speeds for di erent cam combinations.
Procedure
1. Fit your chosen cam and follower (refer to Table 2 for the correct combinations).

2. Fit the white spring and no additional mass. Adjust the spring for no additional pre-tension, so it
is just held in position. Recheck this for each cam and follower combination.

3. Note from the theory that bounce will most likely happen at the nose.

4. Start the VDAS software and enter your chosen cam and follower combination. Channel 1 is the
displacement waveform. Set the ZERO DISPLACEMENT.

5. Start the machine with the speed control at minimum. Slowly increase until the cam starts to
rotate. Reduce the speed back to a steady value around 60 r rev·min⁻¹ below bounce speed for
all combinations.

6. Check that the displacement pro le looks as you'd expect and its maximum amplitude
matches that shown on the low speed displacement indicator above the cam. Table 4 gives
nominal values for all combinations.

7. Adjust the trace to ll the screen so that you can see it clearly.

8. On VDAS, enable the Reference trace for Channel 1. There is no need for the derivatives in this
experiment. Adjust the Reference trace so that it aligns with Channel 1 perfectly. You may need to
use the 'Reset reference trace' tool button until it matches Channel 1.

9. Increase the speed very slowly until you start to hear a noise of metal against metal,
accompanied by the slightly distorted trace on VDAS Channel 1 compared to the Reference trace,
indicating cam bounce.

10. Slowly reduce the speed until you just start to hear and see the beginning of the bounce and
note the speed and angle at which it happens. Record data values in VDAS.

CAUTION
Due to the sensitivity of the linear sensor, and the high torque loading, the Channel 1 trace
may sometimes move slightly before the bounce occurs, so the whole trace shifts relative
to the reference trace.

This is more prominent with the cams with high pressure angles (such as the
concave cam) or those that achieve a high speed before bounce (e.g. Convex with at
follower).

To eliminate this, lower the speed by 10-20 rev·min⁻¹ below the bounce point and reset the
reference trace.

11. Quickly reduce the speed and stop the machine.

12. Repeat for the other cam and follower combinations. In VDAS, remember to start a new data
series for each combination.

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 Cam Follower Experiment Bounce Theory Bounce speed
speed (rev·min⁻¹) (rev·min⁻¹)

Tangent Roller

Concave Roller

Convex A Roller

Convex b Roller

Convex A Flat

Convex B Flat

Table 5 Blank Results Table

Results Analysis
Compare your experiment bounce speed for the cam and follower combinations. Do they
compare well with those predicted by theory?

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