Material Selection for Axial Spring in a Prototype Cam-Follower Mechanism
Kunle Joseph Akinluwade *
Department of Engineering, Prototype Engineering Development Institute (PEDI), Ilesa, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, Nigeria. & Department of Materials Science and Engineering, African University of Science and Technology (AUST) Abuja, Nigeria.
G. E. Ogwu
Department of Engineering, Prototype Engineering Development Institute (PEDI), Ilesa, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, Nigeria.
O. T. Badamasi
Department of Engineering, Prototype Engineering Development Institute (PEDI), Ilesa, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, Nigeria.
A. T. Taiwo
Department of Engineering, Prototype Engineering Development Institute (PEDI), Ilesa, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, Nigeria.
A. R. Adetunji
Department of Engineering, Prototype Engineering Development Institute (PEDI), Ilesa, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, Nigeria. & Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
O. O. Adewoye
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, African University of Science and Technology (AUST) Abuja, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A prototype cam-follower mechanism was designed and assembled using Pro-Engineer (Pro-E) software. The mechanism is meant for application in a forth-and-back Mode II Operation of a tribotester rig. The mechanism was dynamically simulated in Pro-E to ascertain the dynamic loading status of integral parts. CES EduPack software was applied to select the best material for the spring using the Function-Objectives-Constraints approach. Candidate materials were first screened using design constraints after which shortlisted materials were ranked using design objectives. The final material choice made with reasonable trade-offs was found suitable for intended service environment requirements.
Keywords: Prototype, material selection, cam-follower, spring, dynamic simulation, Pro-E, objective, constraint