FEA-Based Fatigue Life Assessment of Cycloidal Displacement Cam and Flat-Faced Follower Mechanism
- 1 Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Sciences, Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, USA
- 2 Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Sciences, Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, USA
Abstract
Cam-followers provide reliable and controlled motions in various mechanical systems. Due to the highly fluctuating load between the cam and follower in operation, the cam-follower may be subjected to a high risk of contact fatigue failure. This paper assesses the fatigue life of a cycloidal displacement cam and a flat-faced follower under the defined loads and constraints. Computer-aided design (CAD) model of the cam-follower is developed in CATIA software and imported to ANSYS software for finite element analysis (FEA) of fatigue life. MATLAB programming is developed for determining the appropriate spring constant and pre-load force to always keep the cam and follower in contact. The fatigue life of the cam-follower has been estimated under the specified operating conditions. The analysis method can be applied to investigate the fatigue life of cams with other profiles, including the modified trapezoidal functions, polynomial functions, etc.
- Norton, R. (2020) Design of Machinery. 6 th Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York.
- Jayakumar, K., Aldrin, R.J. and Somesh, S.S. (2019) Theoretical and Finite Element Analysis to Determine Contact Pressure, Von Mises Stresses and Wear in Cam and Follower for Various Cam Rotational Angles in IC Engine. Journal of Manufactu r ing Engineering , 14, 76-82. https://doi.org/10.37255/jme.v4i2pp076-082
- Tesfie, N. (2020) Wear Analysis of Cam and Follower Using Finite Element Method. International Journal of Mechanical and Production Engineering Research and Development , 10, 9117-9126. https://doi.org/10.24247/ijmperdjun2020866
- Jamali, H., Al-Hamood, A., Abdullah, O., Senatore, A. and Schlattmann, J. (2019) Lubrication Analyses of Cam and Flat-Faced Follower. Lubricants , 7, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants7040031
- Vardaan, K. and Kumar, P. (2023) Tribological Parameters Analysis of Cam and Follower Pair Used in IC Engine Using ANSYS. Materials Today : Proceedings . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2023.05.525
- Patil, S., Patil, S.F. and Karuppanan, S. (2010) Modal and Fatigue Analysis of a Camshaft Using FEA. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research , 8, 1685-1694.
- Merticaru, E., Merticaru, V., Nagit, G., Mihalache, A., Tabacaru, L. and Ripanu, M. (2023) Analytical, Numerical and Experimental Analysis of a Positive Displacement Cam Mechanism-A Case Study. Machines , 11, 770. https://doi.org/10.3390/machines11070770
- Budynas, R.G. and Nisbett, K. (2020) Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design. 11 th Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York.