Kinematic Analysis of Flexible Geneva Mechanisms

The deformation of Geneva wheels resulting from a unit normal unit force applied at the point of contact between the driving pin and the wheel is determined using the finite element method. The dynamic and static forces driving the Geneva wheel, and wheel deformations are computed. The output of the flexible Geneva wheel is determined with the help of an interpolating polynomial. An interactive process is used to update the dynamic component of the force based on the computed wheel acceleration values. Results indicate that the output of high speed flexible Geneva wheels is different from that obtained for Geneva mechanism having non-deforming links.