Al-Sabawi: Theoretical Study and Computer Simulation of a Modified Quick ----

Theoretical Study and Computer Simulation of a Modified Quick

Return Mechanism
Ahmad Wadollah S. Al-Sabawi
Assistant Lecturer
University of Mosul College of Engineering Mechatronics Engineering Department

Abstract
Quick return mechanism, (QRM), is considered one of the important
mechanisms. It is always desired to increase machine productivity and/or to decrease
time losses. Shapers, for instance, have a considerable importance in production
engineering, they have gearboxes for speed variation purposes required for cutting, and
most of them employ QRM. This study aimed to introduce coupling with a pre
determined misalignment engaged to QRM in order to obtain an enhanced QRM that
has different time ratios and speed ratios. This modification then applied to shaper for
making precise speed adjustment of the cutting and return speeds of the ram beside the
gearbox. Consequently, the resulted high time ratios (
) enhanced the
productivity of the shapers for the same ram stroke. The lower return time the higher
the productivity. Furthermore, the quick effect of the QRM retained even with
shorter strokes by the present modification. The research tools included mechanism
modeling and simulation using Autodesk Inventor Professional Software. In addition, it
includes theoretical velocity analysis for the resulting combination. Both simulation and
theoretical analyses agreed well.
Key words: Quick return mechanism, shapers, parallel misalignment, time ratio.

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Received: 91 9 - 2011

Accepted: 15 12 - 2011

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1.0 Introduction
The limited cutting speed and the time lost during the reverse stroke are the main
reasons behind the low productivity of shaping machines [1]. The variety of materials in
production requires manufacturing machines that should have various options, and hence,
speed variation is one of those basic options. For instance, if a steel workpiece is required to
be machined using shaper then the speed of cutting must be suitable otherwise the cutting
process may fail due to high impact load and excessive heat generation because of the high
speed of cutting. In the other hand, it would not be productive as well as bad surface finish
will be obtained if low speed of cutting is used [2]. Furthermore, if the length of workpiece is
small it means that the ram stroke of the shaper will also be small then the quick return
mechanism will have approximately the same speed for both the cut and return strokes and
the same time for both strokes as shall be seen and cured in later. For such case, another
mechanism or modification which is capable of maintaining quick return mechanism again
even with very small strokes is required, as well as capable of changing the speed accurately.
Shaft misalignment, which occurs when the centerlines of rotation of two machinery
shafts are not in line with each other [3], may be used for speed variation purposes.
Misalignment considers a main problem for field engineers who often suffer when they try to
fit components to their right positions, which, in turns, occupies their attention. However, and
among all its demerits, misalignment may have an advantageous usage, which will be
investigated throughout this research. There are three types of shaft misalignment [3] [4]:
parallel, angular and mixed misalignment as shown in figure (1) below.

Figure (1) Types of misalignment

Shapers, equipped with quick return mechanism, often called the quick-return shaper
mechanism, after the name of the machine tool in which it is used (the majority of shapers
ever built have been crank shapers) [5], are the case study of the current research, in which, a
coupling with a pre determined misalignment is adopted. The main feature of the crank and
slotted lever quick return motion, that it is capable of producing large time ratios [6-7]. It is
often used in metal shaping machines to provide a slow cutting stroke and a quick return
stroke when the tool is doing no work [7]. Large time ratios can only obtained by changing
the machine stroke given that the other dimensions are kept intact such as the center distance
of the flywheel and the limited stroke as well.
Slider Crank mechanism is usually found in reciprocating steam engine mechanism
as well as certain types of shaping machines [6]. This mechanism provides constant speeds
for both the cutting and return strokes and speed ratio equals unity. However, Hsieh and Tsai
[8] proposed a novel design for quick return mechanism and their new mechanism; composed
by a generalized Oldham coupling and a slider crank mechanism. Their design had been
validated by kinematic simulation using ADAMS software and their study showed that the
proposed mechanism is feasible and with reasonable accuracy. QRM has a very limited
literature.

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Al-Sabawi: Theoretical Study and Computer Simulation of a Modified Quick ----

2.0 The goal of the research

This work aims to present an addition to the classical quick return mechanisms and
verifying its feasibility by conducting computer simulation and theoretical analysis. A
modified crank and slotted lever quick return motion mechanism is introduced consisting of
adding coupling to the system as shown in figure (2). An intended misalignment ( ) using the
parallel offset type will be used. DeSmidt et al [9] concluded that misalignment tends to
stabilize internal damping-induced whirl, however, it causes instability of speeds within the
revolution. The instability of speeds, as concluded by DeSmidt, agrees well with the current
intended modification because it produces range of speeds for each revolution. This range is
useful for controlling the speed of cut and return strokes. The main study parameters are as
follows:
a- the speed ratio ( ), which can be defined as the ratio between the maximum return
(back stroke) speed to the maximum cutting (forth stroke) speed [1], and
b- the time ratio ( ), which can be defined as the ratio between the time elapsed for the
cutting stroke to that of the back stroke [1-2].

3.0 Motion geometry

All quick return mechanisms have time ratios either TR>1 or TR<1 according to the
direction of motion of the flywheel, figure (2). Provided that, and stroke, the time ratio is
constant. This research tends to introduce a mechanism by which, one can vary the speed and
time ratio as required up to the limited range. Depends on the dimension of the machine,
while keeping the direction of rotation and the stroke intact via using yoke mechanism as
coupling with a pre calculated misalignment between the two shafts being coupled, see
figure (2) and figure (3). This task will be done by forcing the output shaft to rotate at
different speeds for each revolution. Hence, the maximum speed of the ram (sliding block)
may occur when it is either at the forward or backward.

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4.0 Velocity analysis:

The mechanism shown in figure (3) is analyzed in a form of steps starting with input
shaft and ending with the sliding block (ram) as follows:Step 1: Angular velocity calculation of the flywheel (output shaft):
Consider figure (4) below which illustrates the coupling geometry corresponding to
figure (3 b) above.

Where 1 represents the distance from the center of the input shaft to the driving
pin.
is the pre-determined offset between the input shaft and the output shaft provided
that the center of output shaft is the reference and hence it is positive upward, figure (4). 2
is the distance from the center of output shaft to the driving pin and this is a time varying
distance during the operation due to the effect of the pre determined misalignment .
Consider the triangle
,
is the angle determined by
. From the cosine law, 2
can be calculated as follows:
1 2+ 2
....(1)
2
1
Now, the relation between the linear motion and angular motion is used for
determining the angular velocity of the flywheel (i.e. the output shaft) [6-7]. Or,
1
2

1
2

......(2)
....(3)

1
2

Where ( 1) is angular velocity of the input shaft and ( 2 ) is the angular velocity of
the output shaft. But 2 is corresponding to the perpendicular component of 1 , see figure (5)
which is related to the geometry shown in figure (4), hence,

Figure (5) Coupling geometry

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Al-Sabawi: Theoretical Study and Computer Simulation of a Modified Quick ---2

1
2

1
1

Note: The angular velocity

2 determined by equation (4) will be equal to
1 if the
offset ( ) is zero.
Step 2: Angular velocity calculation of the slotted arm:
Now, consider figure (6). Once again, applying the cosine law on the triangle
leads to the following formula for calculating the time varying radius (R), or:

..(5)

where
is the distance between the
lower pivot and the flywheel center.
is the stroke of the crank.
is
the angle obtained by
.
The linear speed of the crank on the
flywheel can be simply calculated as
follows:
3

...(6)

The crank causes the arm to rotate

about , fig. (6 b). Due to the
geometry of the quick return
mechanism, ( 3 ) is resolved in to two
components, one of them is parallel to
the slot of the arm and the other is
perpendicular to the slot and the latter
component is the main component
that controls the motion of the arm. Considering clockwise rotation, the perpendicular
component ( 3 ) can be calculated as follows:
.(7)
3
3
Then, the angular velocity of the arm will be obtained as follows:
1
..(8)
Step 3: Ram linear speed calculation:
The following relations obtained from fig (7) below:
....(9)
and
....(10)
Substituting equations (8) and (10) into equation (9) gives:
1
.....(11)
The component which is responsible for the motion of the ram is then:
(12)
Step 4: Determination of the speed ratio

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The ram speed of shapers using quick return mechanism is divided into two
categories, the forward (cutting) and backward (return or non cutting or idle) speeds.
Usually, the forward speed is less than the return speed. Then the speed ratio ( ) in this case
will be always greater than unity. However, using the present modified QRM, it will be
possible to make the ram maximum forward speed equals, less or greater than the maximum
backward speed. The relations for determining the maximum forward and maximum return
speeds can be derived as follows:
1- The maximum forward (cutting) speed
:
This speed occurs at
, where ( ) is an odd integer number,
and it can be calculated using equations (4, 6 and 11) as:
................(13)
+

where
fig (3 a).

, and

is the maximum speed of the second driving pin,

2- The maximum backward (return) speed

:
This speed occurs at
, where ( ) is an even integer number, and it
can also be calculated as follows using eqs (4, 6 and 11) as:
.................(14)
where
The speed ratio

and 3 is the maximum speed of the second driving pin.

can then be calculated using eqns (13) and (14):
+

..(15)

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Al-Sabawi: Theoretical Study and Computer Simulation of a Modified Quick ---With zero offset, i.e. without the coupling, 3
3 , and equation (15) becomes:
...(16)
Step 5: Time ratio calculation:
Time ratio is very important in shapers if productivity time is considered [1-2]. The
higher time ratios are always desired. Mathematically, the
time ratio is:
...(17)
The time required for the cutting stroke,
calculated from fig (8) as:

can be

....(18)
where 1 is the time varying angular displacement of the
flywheel during the forward (cutting) stroke.
Similarly, the time required for the return stroke
is:
(19)
where 2 is the time varying angular displacement of the
flywheel during the backward (return) stroke.
If the offset is not zero then ( 2 ) will not be a constant during a complete revolution
as can be seen from equation (3) due to the presence of the coupling and misalignment.
Equation (4) is simplified to the following first order differential equation:
(

(
2

))

.....(20)

subjected to the following initial condition: at

,
.
where
.
2 and
1
Equation (20) can be solved numerically using Runge Kutta 4th order method as in
[10] and its solution led to find the time elapsed for both the forward stroke and the return
stroke.
Step 6: offset calculation:
The magnitude of the required offset needs only specifying the speeds of the output
shaft at two important positions, the first is at
and the second is at
. The speed at
will be denoted as ( 2
) and the speed at
will be denoted as 2 , then
using equation (4):
..(21)
2
1
substituting equation (21) into equation (8):
......(22)
where (
) is the angular velocity of the output shaft during the return stroke when
(
).
For 2 again using equation (4):
2

.(23)

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and by substituting equation (23) into equation (8):

......(24)
where (
) is the angular velocity of the output shaft during the cutting stroke when
(
).
Now, dividing eq (22) by eq (24):
.........(25)
Equation (25) is the formula for determining the speed ratio for any offset. For
,
(i.e. for the case when the maximum cutting speed is equal to the maximum return speed)
then:
, or
...(26)
For any value of the speed ratio ( ) the offset can be calculated by rearranging equation (25)
and solving for the offset ( ):
....(27)
Equation (27) is useful for determining the required offset if the speed ratio is given.

5.0 CAD modeling and simulation:

Physical models can be built to illustrate the motion, and modular models using
Tinker toy or Lego are also effective. However, the link lengths of these models are fixed to
some extent, and the physical models can not represent many problems closely. Many
software packages are available for linkage animation and analysis. To validate the present
design, its solid model was established by Autodesk inventor software, as shown in figure (9)
above. Then the model is introduced into Dynamic Simulation Environment included in the
Autodesk Inventor. Table (1) shows the dimensions of the modeled mechanism. These
dimensions also had been used in the theoretical and numerical analyses.
Table (1)
1

25

5-20

50.5

99

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6.0 Results and discussion

The modeled governing equations of the present mechanism had been programmed
and solved using Matlab Software and their results are compared with the result of the
simulation, which had been made using Autodesk Inventor Professional software. The
following two sections present the main studied parameters,
and
and how they are
influenced by the pre determined offset. The third section is related to the speed calculation
of the output shaft after applying the pre determined offset.
6.1 Effect of the offset on the time ratio:
Figure (10) shows time ratios for different flywheel strokes and for different offsets.
The determination of the time ratios is obtained numerically by solving equation (20) and
from simulation using Autodesk Inventor Professional Simulation Environment. For more
clarity, a dimensionless parameter was chosen in terms of the offset
and the height
,
and it has the form ( ). The lowest black curve in figure (10) shows that when the stroke
equals (
and
) the time ratio was close to (1) and therefore the quick
term in the quick return mechanism practically is not obvious. However, the time ratio
changes significantly for the positive offsets and the quick term became practically obvious.
The well agreement between the numerical and simulation results can be observed.
Furthermore, eq (17) agreed well with the values shown in figure (10) for (
)
knowing that the time ratio for this case is:

Time ratio

... (28)

Dimensionless parameter ()
Figure (10) Time ratio Vs offset (numerical and simulation)
Furthermore, the time ratio is almost unity if the following condition is satisfied:
2

...(29)

6.2 Effect of the offset on the speed ratio:

Figure (11) shows the speed ratios for both theoretical analysis using equation (25)
and simulation analysis using Autodesk Inventor Professional software. A very good
agreement between those analyses is observed. It is clear that doubling or halving the speed
ratio is possible by choosing the right offset value. As mentioned earlier in the latter section,
the values of offsets which give a unity speed ratio always occur at
.

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Speed ratio

Al-Rafidain Engineering

Dimensionless parameter ()
Figure (11) Speed ratio Vs offset (theoretical and simulation)
About changing the speed of cutting, it is possible to increase or decrease the speed of
cutting via changing the offset while keeping the input shaft speed unchanged. A precise
adjustment of speed is then possible by changing the offset as well as the gearbox. Thus, for
each step of the gearbox there will be a range of speeds in order to meet almost the exact
cutting speed which is important due to technical and economical reasons.
6.3 Effect of offset on the angular velocity of the output shaft:

Angular velocity ( )

Fig (12) shows the effect of the pre determined offset on the angular velocity of the
output shaft for two values of offset, 0 and 10 mm for a complete revolution, (cut and

return). The input speed is chosen to be 1

.

Time ()
Figure (12) Comparison between theoretical and simulation
for angular velocity of the output shaft during a complete
revolution (theoretical and simulation)
The blue curve (theoretical) and the black triangular marks (simulation) are for
as they started from a minimum value of the angular velocity because the motion
initiated when the first driving pin, see figure (3 a), was at its lower position. While the red
curve (theoretical) and the squared marks (simulation) are for
+
as they started from
a maximum value because the first driving pin was also at its lower position initially. Note

that the horizontal black curve at 2

is corresponding to the case when the
current modification is not used, i.e. zero offset.

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7.0 Conclusion
The present study introduces a sort of a new mechanism equipped to the well known
quick return mechanism, the shaper crank quick return mechanism. The effect of the offset on
the time ratio is apparent especially if a comparison is made between the time ratios at

,
and
. Thus, it was possible to double or to halve the time
ratio. Further conclusions are as follows:
1- It is possible to use yoke slot as coupling with a predetermined misalignment for
varying the time ratio and the speed ratio while keeping the shaper ram stroke and the
gearbox unchanged. Thus, a smaller gearbox with four speeds, for example, may be
required instead of five speeds if the current mechanism is equipped to the machine.
For the studied range and for this research, the shaft misalignment may be
advantageous and good from an economic perspective.
2- For a very short stroke and without the current modifications, the return time is
approximately equal to the cutting time. A noticeable increasing in the time ratio is
observed with further increase of the offset in the positive direction.
3- For a given speed ratio, the magnitude of the pre determined offset depends on the
distance ( 1), the stroke ( ) and the center distance of the flywheel ( ). This study
enables finding the magnitude of offset required for obtaining the desired time ratio or
speed of cutting. Furthermore, using shaft misalignment is expected to enhance
productivity of the shaper since it leads to quicker return mechanism than the
common used quick return mechanism.

References
[1] Youssef, Helmi A. and Hassan El-Hofy, Machining Technology: Machine tools and
Operations, CRC Press, 2008, pp (99,49).
[2] Rajender Singh, Introduction to Basic Manufacturing Processes and Workshop
Technology, New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers, 2006, pp (420).
[3] John Piotrowski, Shaft Alignment Handbook, CRC Press, 2007, pp (341, 343).
[4] McMillan, Robert B., Rotating machinery: Practical Solutions to Unbalance and
Misalignment, The Fairmont Press, Inc. and Marcel Dekker, INC., 2004, pp (99).
[5] Nenad D. Pavlovi, Analysis Of Mechanical Error In Quick-Return Shaper Mechanism,
12th IFToMM World Congress, Besanon (France), June18-21, 2007.
[6] Khurmi, R. S. and Gupta, J. K., Theory of Machines, S. Chand, 1997, pp (108,107).
[7] Norton, Robert L., Design OF Machinery: An Introduction To The Synthesis And
Analysis Of Mechanisms And Machines, McGraw-Hill Inc., 2004, pp (102-103).
[8] Wen-Hsiang Hsieh and Chia-Heng Tsai, A Study On A Novel Quick Return
Mechanism, Transactions of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 33, No.
3, 2009.
[9] H.A. DeSmidt, K.W. Wang and E.C. Smith, Stability Of A Segmented Supercritical
Driveline With Non-Constant Velocity Couplings Subjected To Misalignment And Torque,
Journal of Sound and Vibration Vol. 277, pp. 895918, 2004.
[10] Brian D. Hahn and Daniel T. Valentine, Essential MATLAB For Engineers And
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