On the design of rotating speed functions to improve the acceleration peak value of ball–screw transmission mechanism

The objective of this paper is to design a polynomial rotating speed function for the crank of a ball–screw transmission mechanism with the aim of lowering the peak acceleration value of the screw. For the purpose of analyzing the kinematic characteristics of the mechanism, the non-dimensional motion equations of the ball–screw transmission mechanism were derived. From the analysis, a set of design rules was devised and a polynomial rotating speed function of degree 6 was designed. It was revealed from computer analysis that as the rotating speed function was applied to the crank input, the peak acceleration value of the constant pitch screw, operated at a constant speed, was decreased by 20%. For comparison purpose, a computer-controlled test rig for characterizing the kinematics of a ball–screw transmission mechanism was also designed and manufactured. The results from the tests and the analytical model were comparable.