INVESTIGATION ON THE DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE OF THE TRIPOD-BALL SLIDING JOINT WITH CLEARANCE IN A CRANK–SLIDER MECHANISM. PART 1. THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

Clearance is inevitable in the kinematic joints of mechanisms. In this paper, the dynamic behavior of a crank–slider mechanism with clearance in its tripod-ball sliding joint is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The mathematical model of this new-type of joint is established, and the new concepts of basal system and active system are put forward. Based on the mode-change criterion established in this paper, the consistent equations of motion in full-scale are derived by using Kane method. The experimental rig was set up to measure the effects of the clearance on the dynamic response. The dynamic responses including additional motion, input torque and acceleration have been obtained, and the effects of the clearance size and driving speed have also been investigated by both analytical and experimental means. Corresponding experimental studies verify the theoretical results satisfactorily.