Cam and Follower is also used in other machinery like gear systems. In the most basic form the system consists of three major components. A driving member is called the cam, a frame that holds the cam and the follower. The cam is controlled by the frame, and finally, the driven member is specified as the follower.

Cam and FollowerVEX

The follower moves radially from the cam's rotational centre in the disc cam style of the cam. Due to its straightforward layout and size, which allow for installation in far-off places, this cam is very well-liked. Disc or plate cams are used in IC engines and machine tools.

Two normal forces offset the cocking moment, which is the moment brought on by the rotating torque of force. One normal force acts in the X-direction, and the other normal force acts in the Y-direction.

Camshafts for internal combustion engines have traditionally been produced by casting, steel forging, or cutting steel bar stock.

A cam that can move in a horizontal plane is referred to as a translating cam. The follower is also attached, in which the motion is interrupted with the aid of a spring. Occasionally, groove cams are used to accomplish follower motion without the need for a spring.

Cam and followerexamples

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A flat-face follower is one that has a follower surface that is flat and in touch with the cam. Instead of being flat, the trailing surface could also be curved. It is known as a curved face because the cam rotates and the follower that sits here oscillates. If there isn't much room available, as there was in the case of cars, we can use a flat-face follower.

A roller follower is a follower that is hinged to a roller and in touch with a roller cam. The follower that is attached here oscillates, and the cam itself rotates. When a lot of electricity needs to be transmitted, like in stationary IC engines, it is used.

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Cam and follower is a mechanical kinematic link that coverts rotary motion of cam to linear motion of follower. Cam and follower are a pair of higher links that can be used to move links periodically or immediately. It helps to reduce the degree of error in the transmission process. The cam was first invented in the third century by Hellenistic water-powered automata.

Types ofcam and follower

Prime circle is the smallest circle that can be drawn from the cam centre and which is tangential to the pitch curve. This circle is perpendicular to the pitch curve and has its centre at the camshaft axis.

We refer to a follower as a knife-edge follower if its only connection to the sensor is a knife-edge. Due to the extremely high wear rate, a knife-edge follower is never used, so the knife-edge is only notional. Too much contact tension will result.

Cam and followerin real life

The circumferential outlines are cut on the cylinder's surfaces while the cylinder is rotated about its axis in the cylindrical cam. They also come in two varieties. In the first variety, a groove with a positive oscillating motion is cut into the surface of the cam and roller. The other has a cylinder as the working surface. The spring-loaded follower in this kind of cam corresponds to a cylinder rotating around a parallel plane.

In this article, you’ll learn what is cams and followers, their nomenclature, working principle and more with diagrams. We will also learn about classification of cam and follower and Cam and Follower Uses. SSC JE ME and GATE ME exams have included this fundamental concept in mechanical engineering.

If the follower has a flat face, the tracepoint is n the area of the follower's face that makes touch with the cam surface when it is in one of its extreme positions. Typically, the extreme position is when the follower is most closely situated to the cam centre.

It is an imaginary point that is used to trace the profile of a cam. It is at the centre of a roller follower. Since the roller centre serves as the trace point, the movement of the follower will be explained in terms of how this roller centre moves.

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Types ofcam and followerpdf

If the cam has linear motion, we call it a wedge cam. The four-link wedge cam system consists of two fixed links and one link that resembles a cam wedge. Depending on the shape of this wedge, the follower will vacillate in the vertical direction alongside this prismatic pair or this guide as this cam oscillates in the horizontal direction.

Large F is required to beat the friction force, and the vertical component of F will also overcome the spring force. In contrast, during the downward movement, the spring force is assisting the follower to descend, so the contact force will be less.

A follower is a rotating or oscillating component of a device that directly tracks the motion of a cam. If a cam moves back and forth, the follower moves vertically with regard to the cam's axis.

The internal combustion engine mainly uses cams and follower mechanisms to operate the valves. These valves are used in the fuel ignition system. Automobile engineers use the cam and follower device as a component of the I.C.E timing system to maintain the proper timings between fuel injection in the combustion chamber and fuel ignition to produce energy.

Consider kinematic reversal when defining the pitch curve. This four-link system has a fixed link, a cam, a roller, and a follower in the kinematic inversion. In this four-link mechanism, this link is fixed, but if we create a kinematic inversion holding cam fixed, it will move in the kinematic chain. A curve adjacent to the cam profile will be produced by the location of the roller's centre. After kinematic inversion with the cam set, this is where the tracepoint or roller centre is located.

Cam and followerDiagram

This vertical motion will be opposed by the friction force that is \({\mu}\) times the normal force. If the normal force is N, then this will be \({\mu}N\). The follower must overcome the spring force while moving upward in addition to these two friction pressures.

The base circle is the smallest circle that can be created using the cam centre as its centre and touching the cam profile.

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When building a cam-follower system, translating followers does not jam in a prismatic guide. The chances of restriction to the movement of the oscillating follower are much less.

A cam and follower system is a mechanical arrangement consisting of a cam, which is a specially shaped rotating element, and a follower, which is a device that follows the contour of the cam. The cam's shape dictates the motion of the follower, allowing for precise control and coordination in various applications.

One of the most popular kinds of "cams" is the radial cam. A rotating plate or disc known as a "radial cam" has an outer circumference that is shaped to generate the necessary movement (typically linear) to a "follower" that is pressed up against it.

The roller needs a lot of areas if a larger roller can't be used because the pin needs to be big enough to transmit force between the cam and the follower, and the roller needs to be at least twice as big as the pin.

The primary purpose of this component is to convert rotational motion into linear motion for another component. It is a machine component that can be connected to an electric wheel that rotates or a shaft that strikes different points on a lever along a circular route.

The cam is a profiled disc, cylinder or sphere that rotates. The shape or profile of the cam influences the motion of the follower. The cam is directly in contact with the follower. A follower is another component of this machine, and it is made to oscillate or reciprocate by the cam.

Cam and followermechanism

The cam continues to spin as before, but because of the shape of the cam, the follower oscillates instead, and this is where the follower is hinged. This is why it is known as an oscillating follower.

Cam and followerPDF

A cam and follower is a mechanism that converts rotary motion into linear motion. The cam is a rotating element with an irregular shape that interacts with a follower, which is a sliding or rolling element. The motion of the cam causes the follower to move, enabling the conversion of motion from one form to another. Cam and follower mechanisms are used in various applications, including engines, pumps, and automation systems.

The vertical component will be \(Fcos{\alpha_p}\). If the \({\alpha_p}\) is very large then this vertical component will be reduced. As a result, during the upward movement, the pressure angle should be low and during the return movement, \({\alpha_p}\) can be large, so \({\alpha_p}\) max is more critical during the upward movement.

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The primary function of this machine component is to follow the cam, which may be oscillating or reciprocating. It alters the cam's rotary motion so that it now oscillates or reciprocates.

We refer to a follower as a linear follower if it moves linearly. Now let's talk about a translating follower, or what we refer to as radial translating since the axis of that prismatic pair goes through the cam centre. When the follower axis crosses the camshaft's centre, the follower is referred to as tangentially translating. It is referred to as an offset translation follower if there is a slight offset, which indicates that the follower's translation axis does not travel through the centre of the cam.