Abstract:

ESDU 00014 provides a user manual for OSCAM, a design program that can model plane cam mechanisms composed of cams driving translating or swinging followers, with closure maintained by helical or torsional springs, respectively. The program can be used to design single- and multi-lobe cam/follower mechanisms that involve both high speeds and large loads. Six types of cam/follower mechanism, representing the majority of planar cam mechanisms found in practice, can be modelled. External loads can be applied to the follower as a force or torque using one of five models that accommodate all varieties of input. Cam motion can be specified by in-built commonly-used cam laws representing a wide range of motion types or the motion specified via a user-input file.The program is menu driven with on-line help, displays sketches of the mechanism and outputs tables and graphs of follower rise, velocity, acceleration, jerk, pressure angle, profile curvature, contact forces, bearing forces and drive torques. The dimensions, masses, moments of inertia, spring characteristics and external loads can be altered easily and the effects of the changes are immediately analysed and displayed. Any display can be sent to a printer or plotter or converted to other formats such as HPGL for use in other applications. A DXF file can be exported to CAD software. The follower motion can be exported as a motion data file to interface with other cam software in the Mechanisms Series, including OSMEC, an associated program for computer-aided mechanism design, introduced in ESDU 97023 and 97026. An ASCII file of the cam profile and tool cutter co-ordinates can be created.