A cam follower refers to the parts mounted on a cam’s inside. There are various uses for cams, such as dishwashers, sprinklers, and cars, but the most well-known is the camshaft in an automobile. Cams are designed to transform rotational motion into linear motion.
Cams come in several shapes and sizes, the most common being cylindrical and plate. Cams are only useful when they touch cam followers, which convert circular motion into linear motion. To facilitate this shifting, followers are outfitted with cam follower bearings.
The outer ring of cam follower bearings (sometimes called track followers) is typically thicker than those of standard ball bearings. Depending on the setting, this design permits the cam follower bearing to withstand substantial radial loads while accommodating substantial shock loads without cracking a softcore component.
Using a Cam and a Follower:
Two normal forces, one in the direction of X and one in the Y direction, cancel out the cocking moment those results from the presence of this force Fn.
The friction force that counteracts this upward motion equals the normal force multiplied by. If N represents the normal force, then N would be the result. In order to ascend, the follower must contend with these two forces of friction and the spring force.
While a large Fn is required to overcome the friction force, the vertical component of Fn will overcome the two friction forces plus the spring force experienced by the follower during the downward movement.
The vertical element will be minimised if it is extremely big, and the resulting function will be Fn cos. Since the air pressure angle should be small during the ascent and might be big during the descent, the max is more important during the ascent.
The translating follower of a cam-follower system is intended to avoid becoming stuck in the prismatic guide. There is far less likelihood of the oscillating follower’s movement being constrained.
Cam and Follower Mechanism: Advantages and Disadvantages
The benefits of the cam & follower system are as follows.
- This simple system takes rotating motion and changes it into reciprocating motion.
- Any desired movement of the follower may be obtained with careful planning.
- Extreme vibrations won’t damage this setup.
- They can adapt quickly and accurately.
The cam & follower system has the following drawbacks –
- The cam takes a lot of punishment.
- It’s expensive to make and has to be exact.
- The camera and follower arrangement takes up extra room.
Conclusion
The term “Cam And Follower Mechanism” refers to a common mechanical engineering mechanism that consists of a higher pair of links. These two additional links may be used to shuffle connections on their own or at regular intervals. Engineers also utilise cam and follower devices to guarantee a perfect or near-perfect result.
Cam was first discovered in Al-jazari architecture in the 4th century. Most internal combustion engines employ the cam & follower mechanism to power the engine’s valves. The mechanism is also often utilised as a component of the timing system in internal combustion engines.