Kinematic and dynamic analysis of mechanisms with cams

We present a formulation for describing cam/follower devices in the three-dimensional analysis of flexible mechanisms. The set of holonomic constraint equations that defines the behaviour of cams is developed. Cam and follower are treated indistinctly, leading to a general formulation that allows to model almost any shape of components. The cams shape can be expressed in either local cartesian or cylindrical coordinates. Contact between cam and follower may be intermittent, allowing to predict jump phenomena. Coulomb friction forces due to relative sliding motion is also considered.