Machine frame or structure design considerations and

procedures

Introduction
• A frame is often a structural system that supports
other components or elements of a machine that
limits the construction’s extent.
• A structure may be defined as a body that can
resist applied forces without changing its shape or
size apart from the deformations due to the
elasticity of the materials from which it is made.
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• The function of frame is to provide a structural
backbone for mounting the various operating
components in their prescribed positions and
securing them together.
• The machine frames should be strong enough to
resist the induced stress and be rigid enough to
maintain accurate alignment.
• Machine frames are generally made from cast iron
as it can be easily machined, has vibration dumping
capacity and good wear resistance.
 Considerations for machine frame design

 A machine frame may be designed by giving attention to

forces and moments placed on these supporting structures
by the mounted components as the machine operates. In
some cases the weight of structural frame members
themselves must be considered. The tasks of evaluating
potential failure modes, selecting appropriate materials,
and establishing an effective structural geometry are all
important when designing a frame. Necessary attributes of
an effective structural geometry include maintaining the
accuracy of required spatial relationships between and
among mounted components, and providing failure-free
component support during the design life of the machine.
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Some of the more important design parameters
include the following:
• Strength
• Rigidity or stiffness
• Appearance
• Corrosion resistance
• Size
• Vibration limitation
• Cost to manufacture
• Operational safety, etc
 Because of the virtually infinite possibilities for
design details for frames and structures, this
section will concentrate on general guidelines. The
implementation of the guidelines would depend on
the specific application. Factors to consider in
starting a design project for a frame are now
summarized:
• Forces exerted by the components of the machine
through mounting points such as bearings, pivots,
brackets, and feet of other machine elements
• Manner of support of the frame itself
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• Environment in which the unit will operate
• Precision of the system: allowable deflection of
components
• Quantity of production and facilities available
• Relationship to other machines, walls, and so on
 Materials for machine frames and structures

 Common materials used for frames include cast

iron, cast steel, and wrought steel. For high-
performance applications, or in corrosive
environments, other materials such as titanium,
aluminum, or magnesium may sometimes be used.
Because of its inherent damping capacity, relatively
low cost, and relative ease of obtaining the desired
shape, cast iron is frequently chosen.
 Considerations for material selection
• Cost
• Availability
• Machinability
• Wear resistance
 Each of the above parameters are considered while
selecting a material. By listing out candidates, and
from these candidates the one which scores higher
on the above criterion is chosen as a best option
for our design. For this purpose we may use the
digital logic method.
Procedures for machine frame or structure design

 In the final analysis, the design procedure for

frames follows the same guidelines as for all other
components. That is, the size, shape, and selected
material must satisfy the functional requirements
of supporting the loads without failure and
maintaining the necessary dimensional accuracy
throughout the prescribed design life, and do it at
an acceptable cost.
 Important steps of designing machine
1. Making the written statement; make the written
statement of what exactly is the problem for which
the machine design has to be done. This statement
should be clear and as detailed as possible.
2. Consider the possible mechanisms; when designing
the machine consider all the possible mechanisms
which help desired motion or the group of motions
in your proposed machine. From the various
options the best can be selected whenever
required.
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3. Transmitted forces; machine is made up of various
machine elements on which various forces are
applied. Calculate the forces acting on each of the
element and energy transmitted by them.
4. Material selection; select the appropriate materials
for each element of the machine so that they can
sustain all the forces and at the same time they have
least possible cost.
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5. Find allowable stress; all the machine elements are
subjected to stress whether small or large.
Considering the various forces acting on the machine
elements, their material and other factors that affect
the strength of the machine calculate the allowable or
design stress for the machine elements.
6. Dimensions of the machine elements; find out the
appropriate dimensions for the machine elements
considering the forces acting on it, its material and
design stress.
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7. Make drawings; after designing the machine and
machine elements make the assembly drawings of the
whole machines and detailed drawings of all the
elements of the machine.
 Designing to resist bending
 A typical requirement for a machine structure is to
limit deflection due to bending to some maximum
acceptable value. This will be governed by the
specific application under consideration. Common
elements in frames and structures are beams.

 The deflection of a simply supported beam is given

by the above formula where the value for the
constant K depends on the actual form of support.
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 In order to minimize deflections, loads and lengths
should be kept small and the Young’s modulus for
the beam material and the second moment of area
should be maximized. The most critical of these is
length as the deflection is a cubic function of the
length. As an example for a given load, reducing
the length by a factor of two reduces the deflection
by a factor of eight.
 Designing to resist torsion
 As well as resisting bending, frames and structures
also need to resist torsion in some applications.
 In general the torsional deflection of a beam can
be modeled by

 The general principles that can be determined from

consideration of the above equation include:
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• Use closed sections wherever possible, such as
solid bars with large cross-sections and hollow
tubes.
• Avoid use of open sections made from thin
material.
• For frames and bases use diagonal braces at 45° to
the frame.
• Use rigid connections where possible by, for
instance, welding panels together.
 Designing to provide adequate
ventilation
 Many machines generate heat that must be
dissipated in order to ensure that components do not
reach temperatures where, for instance, the material
strength drops below a critical value or clearances
reduce too much such that components touch
causing machine failure. Examples of components
that generate heat include the self-heating effect of
electricity in electric windings, rotating shafts and
discs causing frictional windage heating of the
surrounding fluid, meshing teeth in gearboxes, belt
drives, clutches and brakes and compression of fluids.
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 In order to evaluate whether a machine will need

to be cooled it will be necessary to estimate the
range of temperatures that a machine will operate
at during its life. This can be a substantial task as it
may involve modeling both solid components and
the surrounding fluid and even in some cases the
distant environment if, for instance, heat transfer
by thermal radiation is significant.
 Safety
 A primary obligation for the designer and manufacturer is
to make a product safe. Safety can be defined as the
freedom from danger, injury or damage. This will involve
estimating or measuring the risk or judging the
acceptability of the estimated risk.
 Safeguards should:
• prevent operator contact with dangerous parts;
• make safeguard removal or tampering difficult;
• protect against falling objects or rollover;
• create no new hazards;
• allow for safe maintenance.
 Conclusions
 Machine elements have to be supported adequately in order to
function and this is the purpose of a frame, casing or
enclosure. Typical requirements are that of rigidity, ventilation
and safety and the principal considerations in providing for
these have been introduced in this chapter. An enclosure for a
machine provides not only the support for the machine, but
also gives form to a product. Attention to visual attractiveness
is not always given the attention it warrants by designers of
machine elements. However, we produce our components to
be purchased and current understanding indicates that visual
perception is dominant amongst the senses. The shape of our
products is therefore important and we should design
accordingly.
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