P • A • R • T • 1

MACHINE ELEMENTS
IN MOTION
 CHAPTER 2
A THESAURUS OF
MECHANISMS
L. E. Torfason
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
University of New Brunswick
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

GLOSSARY OF SYMBOLS

R Re volute pair or pin joint

SUMMARr

This chapter is intended to be used as an idea generator. Following the adage that a
picture is worth 1000 words, this chapter was assembled with millions of "words" in
figures and virtually none using the alphabet. I have taken the liberty of varying
dimensions to better show the principle of operation. You should not scale the fig-
ures, but follow the regular synthesis procedure to determine the proper dimensions
for the application in mind.
In this chapter a new notation is used for the kinematic representation of joints
or pairs in a linkage.

* Readers will note a difference in the style and character of the figures in this chapter. When this
manuscript was received, the illustrations, all conceived and executed by Professor Torfason, were seen to be
original and unique. We asked for and received from the publishers special permission to reproduce them
exactly as they were drawn—EDS.
COLLATERAL READING

L. J. Kamm, Designing Cost-Efficient Mechanisms, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1990.

FIGURE 2.1 Snap-action mechanisms. These mechanisms are bistable elements in machines.
They are used in switches to quickly make and break electric circuits and for fastening items.
(a) Snap-action toggle switch; (b) to (h) seven variations of snap-action switches; (i) circuit breaker;
(;') to (o), spring clips.
FIGURE 2.2 Linear actuators. These are devices that cause a straight-line displacement
between two machine elements, (a) Lead screw; (b) worm gear with stationary nut; (c) worm
gear with stationary screw; (d) single-acting hydraulic cylinder; (e) double-acting hydraulic
cylinder; (/) telescoping hydraulic cylinder; (g) hydraulic cylinder with positional feedback;
(h) hydraulic cylinder with floating link feedback.
FIGURE 2.3 Fine adjustments I. Fine adjustments for stationary mechanisms are mechanisms
that make a small change in the position of a mechanical member, (a), (b) Screw adjustments;
(c), (d) differential screws; (e) Chinese windlass; (/) differential hoist; (g) worm gear and screw;
(h) worm gears in series; (i) lever; (/) levers in series; (Jc) toggle mechanism; (/) screws to adjust
angular position; (m), (n) eccentric cranks; (o) wedges; (p) harmonic drive.
FIGURE 2.4 Fine adjustments II. Fine adjustments for moving mecha-
nisms are adjusting devices which control the motion of linkages such as
stroke, etc., while the mechanism is in motion, (a), (b) Differential gear
adjustment; (c) adjustable-stroke engine; (d) adjustable stroke of shaper
mechanism; (e) ball and disk speed changer; (J) adjusting fixed center of
linkage for changing motion properties.
FIGURE 2.5 Clamping mechanisms. These devices are used to hold items for machining
operations or to exert great forces for embossing or printing, (a) C clamp; (b) screw clamp;
(c) cam clamp; (d) double cam clamp; (e) vise; (/) cam-operated clamp; (g) double cam-
actuated clamp; (h) double wedge; (i) to (/) toggle press; (m) vise grips; (n) toggle clamp;
(o) collet; (p) rock crusher.
FIGURE 2.6 Locating mechanisms. These are devices which properly posi-
tion a linkage member when the load is removed, (a) to (/) Self-centering lin-
ear devices; (g) to (n) self-centering angular devices; (o) detent.
FIGURE 2.7 Escapements. These devices slowly release the potential energy
stored in a spring to control devices such as clocks, (a) Paddle wheel; (b) recoil
escapement; (c) dead-beat escapement; (d) stud escapement; (e) early anchor
escapement; (/) cylinder escapement; (g) double three-legged escapement for tower
clocks; Qi) to (J) chronometer escapements; (k) fuse used to give uniform torque at
escapement as the spring unwinds.
FIGURE 2.8 Indexing mechanisms. These mechanical devices advance a
body to a specific position, hold it there for a period, and then advance it again.
(a) to (c) Geneva stops; (d) four-bar links used to reduce jerk; (e) ratchet
mechanism; (/) friction ratchet; (g) cylindrical cam-stop mechanism; (h) pin
gearing used in indexing; (i) dividing head.
FIGURE 2.9 Oscillating mechanisms I. These mechanisms cause an output to repeatedly swing
through a preset angle, (a) Four-bar linkage; (b) six-bar linkage; (c) six-bar linkage with pin in slot;
(d) inverted slide-crank quick-return linkages; (e) radial cam and follower; (/) cylindrical cam;
(g) geared slider crank; (h) geared inverted slider crank; (/) slider-driven crank; (J) bulldozer lift
mechanism; (k) oscillator of the Corliss valve gear.
FIGURE 2.10 Oscillating mechanisms IL These all use spatial linkages, (a)
Spatial pin and yoke; (b) spherical four-bar linkage; (c) spatial RGGR link-
age; (d) spatial RCCC; (e) spatial RRGRR; (/) spatial RRGC.
FIGURE 2.11 Ratchets and latches. These are mechanisms that advance or hold a machine
member, (a) Ratchet and pawl; (b) reversible ratchet; (c) cam-lock ratchet; (d) ball-lock ratchet;
(e) toggle ratchet; (/) overrunning clutch; (g) high-torque ratchet; (h), (i) detents; (J) locking bolts.
FIGURE 2.12 Reciprocating mechanisms I. These mechanical devices cause a member to trans-
late on a straight line, (a) Slider crank; (b) Scotch yoke; (c) toggle mechanism; (d) Zoller engine;
(e) V engine; (J) double-stroke engine; (g) geared engine; (h) Atkinson gas engine; (i) ideal radial
engine; (J) practical radial engine; (k) geared Nordberg radial engine; (/) linked Nordberg radial
engine.
FIGURE 2.13 Reciprocating mechanisms IL (a) Geared cranks; (b) shaper mechanism; (c) slider
on Whitworth quick-return mechanisms; (d) slider on drag-link mechanism; (e) variable-stroke
engine; (/) gear-driven slider.

FIGURE 2.14 Reversing mechanism. These mechanical devices change the direction of rotation
of the output, (a) Reversible prime movers; (b) reversing gears; (c) reversing belts; (d) transmission;
(e) epicyclic gears as in Model T Ford.
FIGURE 2.15 Couplings and connectors—axial. These are used to connect co-
axial shafts, (a) Rigid coupling; (b) flanged coupling; (c) disk clutch; (d) cone
clutch; (e) plate clutch.
FIGURE 2.16 Couplings and connectors—parallel shafts, (a) Flat belt; (b) V belt;
(c) chain; (d) to (/) gears; (g) Hooke joints; (h) Oldham coupling; (/) Hunt's constant-
velocity coupling; (J) drag link; (k) to (m) flexible coupling.
FIGURE 2.17 Couplings and connectors—intersecting shafts, (a) Bevel gears;
(b) flat belts with idlers; (c) Hooke joint; (d) Hooke's coupling; (e) Clemens
coupling; (/) Rouleaux coupling; (g) spatial RCCR; (h) Hunt's constant-velocity
coupling.
FIGURE 2.18 Couplings and connectors—skew shafts, (a) Flat belts; [b) spatial RCCR; (c) flexi-
ble shaft; (d) hypoid gears; (e) spatial RGGR.

FIGURE 2.19 Slider connectors. These devices connect two or more reciprocating devices,
(a) Elliptic trammel; (b) gears; (c) slider-crank-slider; (d) cable; (e) hydraulic; (/) helical gearing.
FIGURE 2.20 Stops, pauses, and hesitations. These machine elements
cause an output to stop and dwell, to stop and return, to stop and
advance, etc. The derivatives of the motion at the stop determine which
category the motion fits, (a) Geneva stops (this includes all motions in
Fig. 2.8); (b) cams; (c) linkage at extreme limits; (d), (e) combination of
linkages at a limit; (/), (g) outputs derived from coupler curves.
FIGURE 2.21 Transportation devices. These mechanisms move one or more
objects a discrete distance in stepped motion, (a) Four-bar film advance; (b) circular-
motion transport; (c), (d) coupler-curve transport; (e) geared linkage transport; (/)
fishing-reel feed.
FIGURE 2.22 Loading and unloading mechanisms I. These mechanisms pick up material and
transport it to another location, (a) to (c) Front-end loaders; (d) backhoe; (e), (f) clamshell loaders.
FIGURE 2.23 Loading and unloading mechanisms II. (a), (b) Mucking machines; (c)
scooping mechanism; (d) to (/) dumping mine cars; (g) to (/) dump trucks; (/) motor
scraper; (k) elevating scraper.
FIGURE 2.24 Path generators. These linkages approximately generate a required
curve, (a) Four-bar coupler curve; (b) Watt straight-line linkage; (c) Crosby steam-
engine indicator approximates straight line; (d) scooping mechanism; (e) Peaucellier
exact straight-line linkage; (/) geared straight-line generators; (g) six-bar coupler
curve; (h) double-cam line generator; (i) pantograph; (;') Sylvester skew pantograph;
(k) geared linkage curve generator.
FIGURE 2.25 Function generators. These are mechanical devices in which
the output moves as some function of the input y =f(x). (a) Four-bar linkage
function generator; (b) function generator in pressure gauge; (c), (d) function
generator in a speedometer; (e) Scotch yoke sine-cosine generator; (/) epicyclic
sine-cosine generator; (g) noncircular gears.
FIGURE 2.26 Computing mechanisms. These devices are used on
mechanical computers for performing mathematical operations, (a) Ball
disk integrator; (b) multiplier; (c), (d) adders; (e) epicyclic sine genera-
tors; (J) Scotch yoke sine generator; (g) noncircular gears; (H) special-
function cams.
FIGURE 2.27 Speed-changing mechanisms. These devices change the speed of
an output shaft while the input shaft has constant speed, (a) Stepped pulleys and
flat belt; (b) geared transmission; (c) ball and disk speed changer; (d) to
(J) cone drives; (g) sphere drive; (H) toroidal drive; (J) variable-pitch V belt;
(J) zero maximum drive.
FIGURE 2.28 Robots. These are multidegree-of-freedom devices used for positioning or assem-
bly of items. They usually have some degree of machine intelligence and work under computer con-
trol, (a) A general 6R robot; (b) to (h) some forms of existing robots; (/) parallel actuation of a
planar 3-degrees-of-freedom robot; (/) Stewart platform which uses the 3-degrees-of-freedom prin-
ciple; (k) Florida shoulder with parallel actuation; (/) general robot with parallel actuation.