Addis Ababa Science and Technology University

Mechanical Engineering Department

Mechanism of Machinery
MEng3071

Chapter 4
Cams and Followers

By: Nebyat Y.
November 2018
 4.1. Cams

• what is a cam?
• Uses of cam?
 Cam…
• A cam is a rotating machine element which gives reciprocating or oscillating motion to another element

known as follower.

• Cam – a mechanical device used to transmit motion to a follower by direct contact.

• The cam and the follower have a line contact and constitute a higher pair. The cams are usually rotated at

uniform speed by a shaft, but the follower motion is predetermined and will be according to the shape of

the cam.

• Cam – driver; Follower – driven

• In a cam-follower pair, the cam normally rotates while the follower may translate or oscillate.

• The cam and follower is one of the simplest as well as the most important mechanisms found in modern

machinery today.
Uses of Cams:
• Valve actuation in IC engines
• Motion control in machinery
• Force generation
• Precise positioning
• Event timing
Examples of cam action
 Classification of Followers
The followers may be classified as:

1. According to the surface in contact:- The followers, according to the surface in contact,

(a) Knife edge follower:- When the contacting end of the follower has a sharp knife edge, it is called a knife edge follower.

The sliding motion takes place between the contacting surfaces (i.e. the knife edge and the cam surface).

(b) Roller follower:- When the contacting end of the follower is a roller, it is called a roller follower. The rolling motion

takes place between the contacting surfaces (i.e. the roller and the cam), therefore the rate of wear is greatly reduced.

(c) Flat faced or mushroom follower:- When the contacting end of the follower is a perfectly flat face, it is called a flat-

faced follower. The flat faced followers are generally used where space is limited such as in cams which operate the

valves of automobile engines.

Note: When the flat faced follower is circular, it is then called a mushroom follower.

(d) Spherical faced follower:- When the contacting end of the follower is of spherical shape, it is called a spherical faced

follower.
Classification of Followers…

Figure 4.2 Classification of Followers

 Classification of Followers…
2. According to the motion of the follower:- The followers, according to its motion, are of
the following two types:

(a) Reciprocating or translating follower. When the follower reciprocates in guides as the
cam rotates uniformly, it is known as reciprocating or translating follower. The
followers as shown in Fig. 4.2 (a) to (d) are all reciprocating or translating followers.

(b) Oscillating or rotating follower. When the uniform rotary motion of the cam is
converted into predetermined oscillatory motion of the follower, it is called oscillating or
rotating follower. The follower, as shown in Fig 4.2 (e), is an oscillating or rotating
follower.
 Classification of Followers…
3. According to the path of motion of the follower:- The followers, according to its path of motion,
are of the following two types:

(a) Radial follower. When the motion of the follower is along an axis passing through the centre of
the cam, it is known as radial follower. The followers, as shown in Fig. 4.2 (a) to (e), are all
radial followers.

(b) Off-set follower:- When the motion of the follower is along an axis away from the axis of the
cam Centre, it is called off-set follower. The follower, as shown in Fig. 4.2 ( f ), is an off-set
follower.

Note : In all cases, the follower must be constrained to follow the cam. This may be done by springs,
gravity or hydraulic means. In some types of cams, the follower may ride in a groove.
 Classification of Cams
Cams may be classified in many ways but the following two types are important
from the subject point of view:
• a) Radial or disc cam:- In radial cams, the follower reciprocates or oscillates in
a direction perpendicular to the cam axis. Fig. 4.2 are all radial cams.

b) Cylindrical cam. In cylindrical cams, the follower reciprocates or oscillates in a

direction parallel to the cam axis. A cylindrical grooved cam with a reciprocating
and an oscillating follower is shown in Fig. 4.2 (a) and (b) respectively.

• Note: In actual practice, radial cams are widely used. Therefore, our discussion
will be only confined to radial cams.
 Cam Nomenclature
Fig. 4.3 shows a radial cam with reciprocating roller follower. The following terms are important in order to
draw the cam profile.
1. Base circle. It is the smallest circle that can be drawn to the cam profile.
2. Trace point. It is a reference point on the follower and is used to generate the pitch curve. In case of knife
edge follower, the knife edge represents the trace point and the pitch curve corresponds to the cam profile. In
a roller follower, the centre of the roller represents the trace point.
3. Pressure angle. It is the angle between the direction of the follower motion and a normal to the pitch
curve. This angle is very important in designing a cam profile. If the pressure angle is too large, a
reciprocating follower will jam in its bearings.
4. Pitch point. It is a point on the pitch curve having the maximum pressure angle.
5. Pitch circle. It is a circle drawn from the centre of the cam through the pitch points.
6. Pitch curve. It is the curve generated by the trace point as the follower moves relative to the cam. For a
knife edge follower, the pitch curve and the cam profile are same whereas for a roller follower, they are
separated by the radius of the roller.
7. Prime circle. It is the smallest circle that can be drawn from the centre of the cam and tangent to the pitch
curve. For a knife edge and a flat face follower, the prime circle and the base circle are identical. For a roller
follower, the prime circle is larger than the base circle by the radius of the roller.
8. Lift or stroke. It is the maximum travel of the follower from its lowest position to the topmost position.
Cam Nomenclature…
Motion of the Follower
The follower, during its travel, may have one of the following motions:
1. Uniform velocity
2. Simple harmonic motion
3. Uniform acceleration and retardation, and
4. Cycloidal motion.
Displacement, Velocity and Acceleration Diagrams

a) when the Follower Moves with Uniform Velocity

b) When the Follower Moves with Simple Harmonic Motion
c) When the Follower Moves with Uniform Acceleration and
Retardation
d) When the Follower Moves with Cycloidal Motion
a) Displacement, Velocity and Acceleration Diagrams when the Follower Moves
with Uniform Velocity
• The displacement, velocity and acceleration diagrams when a knife-edged follower
moves with uniform velocity are shown in Fig. 4.4 (a), (b) and (c) respectively. The
abscissa (base) represents the time (i.e. the number of seconds required for the cam to
complete one revolution) or it may represent the angular displacement of the cam in
degrees. The ordinate represents the displacement, or velocity or acceleration of the
follower.
• Since the follower moves with uniform velocity during its rise and return stroke,
therefore the slope of the displacement curves must be constant. In other words, AB1 and
C1D must be straight lines. A little consideration will show that the follower remains at
rest during part of the cam rotation. The periods during which the follower remains at
rest are known as dwell periods, as shown by lines B1C1 and DE in Fig. 4.4 (a). From
Fig. 4.4 (c), we see that the acceleration or retardation of the follower at the beginning
and at the end of each stroke is infinite. This is due to the fact that the follower is
required to start from rest and has to gain a velocity within no time. This is only possible
if the acceleration or retardation at the beginning and at the end of each stroke is infinite.
These conditions are however, impracticable.
… Uniform Velocity
 b) Displacement, Velocity and Acceleration Diagrams when the
Follower Moves with Simple Harmonic Motion
The displacement, velocity and acceleration diagrams when the follower moves with
simple harmonic motion are shown in Fig. 4.6 (a), (b) and (c) respectively. The
displacement diagram is drawn as follows :
1. Draw a semi-circle on the follower stroke as diameter.
2. Divide the semi-circle into any number of even equal parts (say eight).
3. Divide the angular displacements of the cam during out stroke and return stroke into
the same number of equal parts.
4. The displacement diagram is obtained by projecting the points as shown in Fig. 4.6 (a).
The velocity and acceleration diagrams are shown in Fig. 4.6 (b) and (c) respectively. Since
the follower moves with a simple harmonic motion, therefore velocity diagram consists
of a sine curve and the acceleration diagram is a cosine curve. We see from Fig. 4.6 (b)
that the velocity of the follower is zero at the beginning and at the end of its stroke and
increases gradually to a maximum at mid-stroke. On the other hand, the acceleration of
the follower is maximum at the beginning and at the ends of the stroke and diminishes to
zero at mid-stroke.
 … Simple Harmonic Motion

Fig. 4.6 S, V and a Diagram

Fig. 4.7 Motion of a Point
 c) Displacement, Velocity and Acceleration Diagrams when the
Follower Moves with Uniform Acceleration and Retardation
• The displacement, velocity and acceleration diagrams when the follower moves
with uniform acceleration and retardation are shown in Fig. 20.8 (a), (b) and (c)
respectively. We see that the displacement diagram consists of a parabolic curve
and may be drawn as discussed below :
1. Divide the angular displacement of the cam during outstroke ( θO ) into any
even number of equal parts (say eight) and draw vertical lines through these
points as shown in Fig. 4.8 (a).
2. Divide the stroke of the follower (S) into the same number of equal even parts.
3. Join Aa to intersect the vertical line through point 1 at B. Similarly, obtain the
other points C, D etc. as shown in Fig. 4.8 (a). Now join these points to obtain
the parabolic curve for the out stroke of the follower.
4. In the similar way as discussed above, the displacement diagram for the
follower during return stroke may be drawn.
 … uniform acceleration and retardation
Since the acceleration and retardation are uniform, therefore the velocity varies
directly with the time. The velocity diagram is shown in Fig. 4.8 (b).
Let S = Stroke of the follower,
… uniform acceleration and retardation

Figure 4.8 Displacement, velocity and acceleration diagrams when the follower moves with
uniform acceleration and retardation
… uniform acceleration and retardation
 d) Displacement, Velocity and Acceleration Diagrams when the
Follower Moves with Cycloidal Motion

• The displacement, velocity and acceleration diagrams when the follower moves with
cycloidal motion are shown in Fig. 4.9 (a), (b) and (c) respectively. We know that cycloid
is a curve traced by a point on a circle when the circle rolls without slipping on a straight
line.

• In case of cams, this straight line is a stroke of the follower which is translating and the
circumference of the rolling circle is equal to the stroke (S) of the follower. Therefore the
radius of the rolling circle is S/2π . The displacement diagram is drawn as discussed fig.
4.9 below:
 … Cycloidal Motion

1. Draw a circle of radius S / 2π with A as Centre.

2. Divide the circle into any number of equal even parts (say six). Project these
points horizontally on the vertical Centre line of the circle. These points are shown
by a′ and b′ in Fig. 4.9 (a).
3. Divide the angular displacement of the cam during outstroke into the same
number of equal even parts as the circle is divided. Draw vertical lines through
these points.
4. Join AB which intersects the vertical line through 3′ at c. From a′ draw a line
parallel to AB intersecting the vertical lines through 1′ and 2′ at a and b
respectively.
5. Similarly, from b′ draw a line parallel to AB intersecting the vertical lines through
4′ and 5′ at d and e respectively.
6. Join the points A a b c d e B by a smooth curve. This is the required cycloidal
curve for the follower during outstroke.
 … Cycloidal Motion

Fig. 4.9 Displacement, velocity and acceleration diagrams when the follower moves with cycloidal motion.
… Cycloidal Motion
… Cycloidal Motion
End of Ch.4