Development of the torque accumulation method for a torsional vibration system

This paper presents a new method to accumulate the output of several torsional transducers together into one output. The torsional transducers are connected around the circumference of a thick metal disk (the accumulator) in which the fundamental torsional mode is excited. The torque of each transducer is transmitted to the accumulator, and the accumulated torque appears on both the top and the bottom surfaces of the accumulator. The authors discuss the torque accumulation and the transformation mechanism analytically by using an equivalent electrical circuit model and obtaining the analytic expression of the torque factor, which represents the maximum output torque per unit voltage applied to the electrical port. In an experimental study, four Langevin torsional transducers 30 mm in diameter attached to an accumulator 100 mm in diameter was used as a prototype. The measured torque factor is found to be proportional to the number of connected transducers, and the calculated torque factor agrees well with the experimentally determined one.