Table of Contents

Abstract..2
Introduction....2
Experiment..4
Procedure.7
Results, Analysis, and Discussion.9
Conclusion and Recommendations.....12
Bibliography....12
Appendix....13


2

Abstract
This experiment was performed to determine the effect different weights had
on the follower and witness the behavior of the follower as the cam shaft reached
critical speed. In addition to the weight varying, the springs along the follower,
holding the weight, were changed throughout the experiment. The revolutions per
minute of the cam shaft were recorded each time the springs and weights were
changed. From these measurements the effect of spring force on the critical speed of
the cam shaft could be analyzed.

Introduction
The purpose of a cam is to convert rotational motion to linear motion. This
occurs when the follower, in this case a roller follower, follows the shape of the cam.
When the follower goes around the peak of the cam, it is forced in an upward, then
downward motion. This linear motion is increased as the speed of the motor
spinning the cam increases. The follower will remain tracing the outside of the cam
until it reaches the critical speed which occurs when the revolutions per minute are
so high that the follower cannot keep up with the cam and then separates. This
separation can be heard due to the large impact force produced by the follower
regaining contact with the cam. The importance of this critical speed is that the
force created during critical speed can eventually cause fatigue failure of the
surfaces of the follower and the cam.
This experiment shows the change in critical speed when two different
springs, each with added weights from no weight to 2000 grams in increments of
3

400 grams, were added to the follower. The two springs used were the red spring,
with a stiffness of 31.4 lb/in and the white spring, with a stiffness of 22.5 lb/in. The
resulting critical speed for each change in weight, for each spring was recorded.
This critical speed was then calculated using the following equation.

)

Equation 1
Where Ncr is the critical speed, W is the weight of the follower, is the angle
between the line of motion of the follower and the vertical, Fso is the spring force
behind the follower, k is the spring constant, z is the vertical displacement of the
follower, and is the angular displacement of the cam.
Then, the critical speed measured and the critical speed calculated were
compared. These results can be seen in Table 1.



4

Equipment


- Figure 1


Figure 1

roller and follower-Figure 2



Figure 2
5



-
Figure 3


Figure 3

- Figure 4


6

Figure 4
- Figure 5 (Omega Non-
Contact Pocket Optical Tachometer)



Figure 5



7

Procedure

1) While the variable speed drive motor is turned off, select the cam rotation
direction by moving the switch to the right or left. Do not change the
direction of rotation for the cam while the motor is running.
2) Select a cam, follower and spring and connect these parts to create the entire
cam follower assembly.
3) Wrap a piece of Teledeltos paper around the recording drum and secure it
with scotch tape.
4) Attach the rubber belt to the cam and then put the cam follower through one
full rotation manually, with the motor off. This will provide a sketch of the
follower displacement. Once the sketch has been recorded, remove the paper
from the recording drum.
5) Turn on the motor, and slowly increase the speed until you reach the critical
point. The critical point is distinguished by a loud tapping sound, indicating
the separation between the cam and follower. Decrease and increase the
speed a few times and listen to be sure that you have found the real critical
point. Using the Omega Non-Contact Pocket Tachometer, read the speed of
the camshaft and record it. Each person in the group should take their own
readings since the data collection is based on each individuals own hearing
sensitivity.
6) Repeat step 5 five times, adding a 400 gram weight to the follower each time.
8

7) To change the spring force, Fs, replace the spring and then repeat steps 5 and
6 with the new spring.
8) Calculate the critical speed (Ncr) analytically by differentiating twice, the Z-
curve and plotting dZ/d and d
2
Z/d
2
verses , obtaining the maximum
negative value into Eq.(3) from the lab manual. Because a curve-fit is
required to approximate the cam surface in this step, 95% confidence
intervals should also be shown on the Z- plot.
9) Plot the variation of Ncr versus the weight of the follower as well as the
spring force (either Fso or k if the spring was replaced). Be sure to indicate
the mean and standard deviation of each data point on graphs containing
measured values
10) Compare the theoretical Ncr with the experimental Ncr values obtained and
comment on the results.



9

Results, Analysis, and Discussion

The critical speed, N
cr
, is obtained by differentiating the Z - curve, shown
in figure 6 below, twice. The Z - curve was plotted after analyzing the analog cam
profile recorded on Teledeltos paper attached to the recording drum. The plotted
profile was divided into thirty-nine points corresponding to a time interval of
2/39.

Figure 6: Cam Profile
A polynomial curve fit was incorporated over the relevant portion of the cam
profile using Microsoft Excel. This curve fit displayed a high correlation coefficient,
near unity, reassuring the linearity between both the vertical displacement of the
follower and the angular displacement of the cam. Upon differentiating figure 6
twice, the maximum negative vertical displacement of the follower is found to be
-3.87 inches as shown in figure 7 below, as well as tabulated in table 6 found in the
appendix.
Z= -0.4033x
6
+ 3.1385x
5
- 8.6954x
4
+ 9.9149x
3
- 4.1064x
2
+ 0.9772x + 0.0102
R = 0.9985
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Z

(
i
n
)

(rad)
Z - Curve
10


Figure 7: d
2
Z/d
2
vs
The realization of this maximum negative displacement value mathematically
closes equation 3 (lab manual) and N
cr
is calculated for both the red and white
springs having nominal stiffness values of 31.4 lb/in and 22.5 lb/in respectively. The
critical speed is then calculated while increasing weight in increments of 400 grams,
added to the top of the follower for both springs. The theoretical and calculated N
cr

values are depicted in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Theoretical and Actual NCR Values
Theoretical Actual
Red Spring White Spring Red Spring White Spring
Added Weight
(g)
NCR
Added
Weight (g)
NCR
Added Weight
(g)
NCR
Added
Weight (g)
NCR
0 113.43 0 95.54 0 299.00 0 265.67
400 103.20 400 87.41 400 280.67 400 244.67
800 95.49 800 81.25 800 266.67 800 227.67
1200 89.44 1200 76.39 1200 249.67 1200 215.67
1600 84.52 1600 72.44 1600 238.67 1600 210.67
2000 80.43 2000 69.14 2000 228.00 2000 202.00

-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
d
2
Z
/
d

2

(
i
n
/
r
a
d
2
)

(rad)
d
2
Z/d
2
vs
11


As can be seen from table 1, the actual and theoretical NCR values of both
springs decrease in a semi linear fashion with an increase in follower weight,
depicted in in figure 8. A 95% confidence interval is incorporated into the
polynomial curve fit consisting of error bars indicating the standard deviation of
each data point containing measured values. The variables of interest in regard to
NCR are spring constant and mass of the follower. The results show that as the spring
constant increases, the critical speed of separation will also increase. Furthermore,
as the mass of the follower increases, the critical speed decreases. It is important to
note that the theoretical NCR values are roughly three times less than that of actual
values calculated. This relationship defies logic and a calculation error is inherently
present in regards to theoretical values.


Figure 8: Actual and Theoretical NCR Values
0.00
50.00
100.00
150.00
200.00
250.00
300.00
350.00
0 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400
C
r
i
t
i
c
a
l

S
p
e
e
d

(
R
P
M
)

Added Weight (g)
Actual and Theoretical N
CR
Values
Red Spring Theoretical
White Spring Theoretical
Red Spring Actual
White Spring Actual
12



Conclusion and Recommendations
It can be concluded that the additional weight to each of the springs changes
the critical speed dramatically. Due to a calculation error, it is impossible to note
the exact difference between theoretical and calculated critical speeds. They do,
however, have the same linear pattern (as seen in Table 8). One recommendation to
this experiment is to have a more accurate way of measuring the theoretical critical
speed. The factor of human error could be eliminated if there was another way to
measure when the follower lost contact with the cam other than just listening for
the sound of the impact.



Bibliography
[1] ME 4201 Lab Manual Cam Experiment. Pages 17-22. Fall 2014

13

Appendix



Average Critical Speed (RPM) for Red Spring
Extra Weight (g) Average RPM Standard Dev.
0 299.00 1.63
400 280.67 0.94
800 266.67 1.70
1200 249.67 0.47
1600 238.67 1.70
2000 228.00 1.41

Table 2



Average Critical Speed (RPM) for White Spring
Extra Weight (g) Average RPM Standard Dev.
0 265.67 1.70
400 244.67 1.89
800 227.67 0.47
1200 215.67 0.47
1600 210.67 0.47
2000 202.00 0.00

Table 3



Cam-Follower Experiment Spring Dimensions
Color
Dimensions
Spring
Weight
(g)
Nominal
Stiffness (lb/in)
Retainer
Weight
(lb)
Mean
Diameter
(in)
Diameter Length
Red 1.12 1/8 2.99 0.138 31.4 0.156
White 1.85 1/8 3.02 0.294 22.5 0.300

Table 4

14

Miscellaneous
Weight of roller follower
and attachment
3.78 lb
Diameter of roller
follower
1-1/8"
Diameter of paper
recording drum
3.673"

Table 5
15



Table 6
16

Sample Calculation Red Spring with No Extra Weight Theoretical