Analysis of a Pneumatically Coupled Cam-Actuated Mechanism

Cam-actuated mechanism with a pneumtic coupling is a design improvement upon the conventional system. Pneumatic dashpots are used which provide a cushioning effect, thus reducing the wear and tear of system components. This paper investigates the dynamic behavior of such a system based on a lumped parameter model with a damping factor which is a nonlinear function of the frequency. A digital computer is used as a design tool to determine the effect on the performance of changing design parameters. It is found that the system amplitude ratio peak depends largely upon the pneumatic damper orifice area and that a proper selection of the orifice area will yield a minimum resonance amplitude ratio.