This document summarizes key points from a lecture on mechanical design alignment methods:
- Common alignment methods discussed include elastic averaging, compliant kinematic couplings, quasi-kinematic, active kinematic, and passive kinematic couplings. Accuracy and repeatability are important factors.
- Passive kinematic couplings provide fixed alignment through contact forces and preloading. Modeling considers contact forces, stresses, stiffness variations, friction, and thermal effects.
- Ball-based couplings can be modeled as equivalent radii and moduli to determine displacements and contact stiffness scaling laws. Proper preloading improves repeatability.
- Lubrication significantly improves radial repeatability of kinematic couplings compared to unlubricated couplings
3. Schedule and reading assignment
Quiz
Thursday: Hale 6.1
Soon: Bolted joint qualifying quiz
Topics
Lab notebooks
Alignment methods
Kinematic coupling grade bump = 遜 grade for use/design
Reading assignment
Read: 8.2
Examples: All in 8.2
息 Martin Culpepper, All rights reserved 2
4. Lab notebooks
Technical quality/quantity
Appropriate equations, codes
Units
Important results highlighted/boxed/noted/explained
Graphical quality/quantity
Appropriate sketches/pictures
Pasted CAD/etc
Archival quality
Can this be copied?
Understood by others?
Best practices
Dating and number of pages
Permanent pen
No blank spaces (X out)
息 Martin Culpepper, All rights reserved 3
8. 3 2 1 Alignment schemes
息 Martin Culpepper, All rights reserved 7
9. Exact constraint couplings
Exact constraint (EC):
Constraints = DOF to be constrained
Deterministic saves $
Balls (inexpensive) & grooves (more difficult to make)
In KC design the issues are:
KNOW what is happening in the system (coupling)
MANAGE forces, deflections, stresses and friction
There are many
types of EC couplings,
our time limits us to a
semi-focused study on
kinematic couplings
Balls
Tetrahedral
groove
Maxwell V groove Kelvin
息 Martin Culpepper, All rights reserved 8
10. Passive kinematic couplings
Fabricate and forget
村 micrometer with best practices, 10s of nm recently
What is important?
Contact forces
Contact stress
Stiffness vs. geometry
Stiffness vs. preload
Friction & settling
Thermal loading
Preload repeatability
Preload (nesting load) is the force
applied to keep the coupling
components engaged and prevent
tipping
Preload
息 Martin Culpepper, All rights reserved 9
11. Ball motions: Displacements
iABall
iABall
ee
n
iABalln n
ER
F
_
_
3
1
2
2
__
16
9
=裡隆
v
iBBall
iBBall
ee
n
iBBalln n
ER
F
_
_
3
1
2
2
__
16
9
=裡隆
v
Hertz
1857-1894
v
v
v
裡隆Ball _i = 隆Ball _iA +隆Ball _iB
This assumes
that the ball-ball
stiffness is > ~10x
ball-groove stiffness
Ball far-field point
B1
B3
B2
A B
iABall _隆
v
iBBall _隆
v
iBall _隆
v
Groove far-field points
息 Martin Culpepper, All rights reserved 10
12. Load balance: Force and moment
Preload
Force balance (3 equations)
Error
Contact
裡F
v
relative = 0 = ( preloadF
v
+ ErrorF
v
)+ (
Moment balance (3 equations)
M
r
relative = ( iBalli M _1
6
r
= )裡 + ( preloadM
r
)+ ( errorM
r
)= ( preloadpreload Fr
vv
+ Errorerror Fr
vv
)+ 裡 iBalliBall Fr __
vv
Goal:
1. Solve 6 equations for contact forces
2. Solve normal displacements
3. Solve relative displacements/rotations
Ball far-field point
Given geometry, materials,
preload force, error force,
solve for local distance of approach
A B
Groove far-field points
)6_5_4_3_2_1_ BallBallBallBallBallBall FFFFFF
vvvvvv
+++++
息 Martin Culpepper, All rights reserved 11
13. Modeling round interfaces
Equivalent radius
1
R =e
1 1 1 1
+ + +
R1major R1minor R2major R2minor
Equivalent modulus
1
Ee = 2 2 Poissons ratio1侶1 1侶2
+
E1 E2
Youngs modulus
1
9 F
2
3
n
隆 = n
16 Re Ee
2
Important scaling law
Scaling with
Matl properties
and geometry
Contact stiffness
0
05
10
20
30
0 250 500 750 1000
Fn [N]
k[N/micron]
Preload should be
repeatable in magnitude
& direction
Degree of nonlinearity
is reduced as preload
is increased
3 E 3 3k 隆 = 2 R E 隆( ) ( 0.5
) 0.5
k ( )F = Constant (R
1 2
) F
1
n n e e n n n e e n
息 Martin Culpepper, All rights reserved 12
14. Friction and lubrication
The trend of
the data is
important
Wear in vs.
snow balling
Magnitude
depends on
coupling
design and
test
conditions
Slocum, A. H., Precision Engineering, 1988: Kinematic couplings for precision fixturing
Experimental determination of repeatability and stiffness
Number of Trials
Radial Repeatability (Unlubricated)
2
0
Displacement,亮m
Radial Repeatability (Lubricated)
Displacement,亮m
2
0
Number of Trials
息 Martin Culpepper, All rights reserved
Courtesy of Elsevier, Inc., http://www.sciencedirect.com. Used with permission.
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