Abstract:
A mechanical wedge mechanism comprising base member, output member, and movable wedge member in which frictional connections between mutually movable mechanical members are replaced with shear deformations in elastomeric shims connecting respective surfaces of the members, thus effectively reducing frictional losses in the mechanism

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to force- and motion-transformation mechanisms.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Wedge mechanisms are widely used in mechanical devices. The most important applications of the wedge mechanisms are as force amplifiers Thus, the wedge mechanisms and their analogs are universally used in clamping mechanisms wherein relatively small forces applied manually or by means of relatively small and low power motors/actuators can be transformed into much larger clamping forces. The basic conventional wedge mechanism (the Prior Art) in FIG. 1 comprises base member  1 , movable wedge member  2 , and output member  3 . These members have sliding frictional contacts along flat or curved conformal surfaces  4  between members  1  and  2  and along flat or curved conformal surfaces  5  between members  2  and  3 . Usually the respective contact surfaces of members  1  and  2  and of members  2  and  3  are separated by a thinner or thicker layer of a lubricating material (e.g., oil). Output member  3  may apply the output force and/or motion to work organ  6 , or may have itself the role of the work organ. If the former is true, there is contact surface  7  between output member  3  and work organ  6 . The motion of output member  3  or work organ  6  is constrained/guided by guideways  8  of various embodiments. Application of input force F i  to wedge member  2  initiates movement of this wedge member along the contact surfaces  4  and  5  after the static friction force in the frictional contacts  4  and  5  are overcome. If there is no friction in contacts  4  and  5  (friction coefficient f=0), application of input force F i  results in development of output force F o  acting on output member  3 , 
             F   o   =F   i /tan α,  (1) 
           [0003]    and also of reaction force N normal to contact surfaces  4  and acting on base member  1 , 
             N=F   i /tan α.  (2) 
           [0004]    Thus, for α&lt;45°, F o &gt;F i , the output force is greater than the input force. For small angles α, the effect is increasing so that F o &gt;&gt;F i . The displacement Δ i  of wedge member  2  is causing displacement Δ o  of output member  3  guided by guideways  8 . If the vertical displacement of member  3  is allowed as shown in FIG. 1, then 
           Δ o =Δ i  tan α.  (3) 
           [0005]    For α&lt;45°, Δ o &lt;Δ i , and for small α, Δ o &lt;&lt;Δ I ; F i  Δ i =F o Δ o  for f=0. 
           [0006]    When the friction coefficient f&gt;0, the equation (1) is changing and becomes  
                 F   o     =       F   i       tan        (     α   +   ρ     )           ,           (   4   )                               
 
           [0007]    where ρ=tan −1  f is the friction angle. Equation (3) is not influenced by presence of friction, but if displacement Δ i  of moving wedge member  2  is very small and angle α is small (such combination is typical for clamping devices), the very small displacement Δ o  is not physically occurring and Δ o  is accommodated by elastic deformations in the mechanism.  
           [0008]    Usually, for lubricated steel contact surfaces f=0.1-0.2, or ρ=5.7-11.3°. As a result, for small wedge angles α the ideal large magnitude of the mechanical advantage per (1) does not materialize, and actual mechanical advantage F o /F i  for a given f deteriorates to a larger and larger degree the more the wedge angle α is reduced. For α=10° the mechanism with f=0 would deliver the output force F o =F i /tan 10°=5.7 F i . However, for ρ=7° (f=0.12), from (4) F o =F i /tan 17°=3.3 F i , 40% less than the ideal mechanical advantage 5.7. For α=5°, the ideal mechanism described by (1) would deliver the output force F o =F i /tan 5°=11.4 F i , more than ten times force amplification. However, for ρ=7°, f=0.12, from (4) F o =F i /tan 12°=4.7 F i , 60% less than the ideal mechanical advantage. Even worse deterioration from the ideal efficiency/mechanical advantage would develop for more realistic larger values of f. As a result, wedge angles smaller than α&lt;−5° are seldom used in practical designs and relatively high driving (input) forces should be used, thus increasing size and weight of the mechanisms, requiring two-stage mechanisms, etc. The noted above lack of mobility in the mechanism at small displacements due to static friction forces, leads to a need to increase stiffness of the mechanism and thus further increase its size, weight, and cost of the devices employing wedge mechanisms.  
           [0009]    Since conventional (prior art) wedge mechanisms benefit from low friction and higher stiffness, usually their structural parts, such as members  1 ,  2 ,  3  in FIG. 1 are made from steel subjected to heat treatment for increasing hardness, the contact surfaces have to be made with high geometric accuracy and high surface finish. The contact surfaces have to be well lubricated and well protected since any scratches would result in increased friction and reduced efficiency. Since the sliding friction coefficients between conforming surfaces depend on vibratory environment, presence of vibrations can change the effective friction coefficients and the mechanical advantage of the mechanism. Consequently, the rated values of the mechanical advantage (clamping force) may change significantly depending on the vibratory environment, thus reducing consistency and reliability of these important mechanisms.  
           [0010]    The friction coefficient in the contact areas can be reduced and its consistency can be enhanced by using rolling bodies (balls, rollers, etc.) between the contact surfaces of the constituting mechanical members. However, such designs require even better materials and heat treatment, higher accuracies, and are more bulky and more expensive. better materials and heat treatment, higher accuracies, and are more bulky and more expensive.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    The present invention addresses the inadequacies of the prior art by providing a wedge mechanism having mechanical advantage close to the same for an ideal wedge mechanism without friction.  
           [0012]    The present invention further improves on the prior art by providing a wedge mechanism which has high mechanical advantage while not requiring lubrication.  
           [0013]    The present invention further improves the prior art by providing a wedge mechanism which is constructed as a solid-state mechanical device insensitive to external shocks, vibrations, and requires only a minimal maintenance.  
           [0014]    The present invention improves and simplifies the devices employing wedge mechanisms by making the wedge mechanism largely insensitive to contamination by environmental contaminants such as water and other fluids, dirt, abrasive particles, etc.  
           [0015]    The present invention further improves the devices employing wedge mechanisms by eliminating the need for making contact surfaces in wedge mechanism with high hardness and high geometrical accuracy of their contact surfaces, and by allowing use of light materials for structural parts of the wedge mechanisms. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    The present invention can be best understood with reference to the following detailed description and drawings, in which:  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a sketch of a basic conventional (prior art) force and motion transforming wedge mechanism.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 illustrates the deformation pattern of a rubber cylinder in axial compression.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 illustrates the deformation pattern in compression of the rubber cylinder of FIG. 3 divided in the middle.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 is a cross section of another embodiment of the present invention wherein the contact surfaces between the constitutive members are curvilinear and both contacts are realized through elastomeric layers.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 shows partial cross section of the  6 - 6  view in FIG. 5.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 illustrates yet another embodiment of the wedge mechanism according to the present invention wherein the contact surfaces between the constitutive mechanical members are flat but only one contact is realized through elastomeric shim.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8 illustrates yet another embodiment of the wedge mechanism according to the present invention wherein one contact area between the constitutive mechanical members is shaped as a helical thread. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]    Referring to FIG. 2, the shown wedge mechanism comprises the same basic mechanical members as the prior art wedge mechanism depicted in FIG. 1, namely base member  1 , movable wedge member  2 , and output member  3  which can be interacting via surface contact  7  with work organ  6  and whose motion can be constrained by guideways  8 . The wedge mechanism in FIG. 2 differs from the prior art wedge mechanism in FIG. 1 by designs of surface contact area  10  between base member  1  and movable wedge member  2  and of surface contact area  11  between movable wedge member  2  and output member  3 . Instead of lubricant filling the surface contact areas in the design in FIG. 1, the conforming surfaces of the above respective mechanical members are separated by thin uniform thickness shims (layers)  12  and  13  made of an elastomeric (rubber-like) material.  
         [0025]    Since the elastomeric materials have their Poisson&#39;s ratios μ very close to 0.5, usually in the range of μ=0.49-0.499, they can be considered as volumetric-incompressible materials. Thus, compression of an elastomeric specimen involves only redistribution of the specimen&#39;s volume (e.g., by bulging at the non-loaded surfaces). FIG. 3 shows a cylindrical specimen  30  comprising rubber cylinder  31  bonded to upper  32  and lower  33  covers, and subjected to axial compression force P z ; height h—diameter d ratio of this rubber cylinder is h/d=−1.13. Since the volume does not change, compression deformation is accompanied by bulging of rubber on the free (not loaded by forces) surfaces, thus creating convex bulges  34 . The deformed conditions of the specimens in FIGS. 3 and 4 are shown by broken lines. Effective compression modulus E of the specimen having hardness H 30  (soft rubber) is 
           E ≈3 G (1 +S   2 ),  (5) 
         [0026]    e.g., see  E. I. Rivin, Stiffness and Damping in Mechanical Design, Marcel Dekker, Inc ., 1999. Here G is the shear modulus (not dependent on the specimen geometry), and S is the “shape factor” equal to ratio between the surface area A l  of the loaded surface (A l =πd 2 /4 for the FIG. 3 cylindrical specimen) to the surface area of the free-to-bulge area A f  (A f =πdh for the FIG. 3 cylindrical specimen). Thus, for the specimen in FIG. 3 
           S=A   l   /A   f =(π d   2 /4)/(π dh )= d /4 h ≈0.22 , E ≈3.15 G.   (6) 
         [0027]    If an intermediate rigid plate  45  is bonded at the mid-height of the specimen in FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. 4, thus resulting in two identical shorter cylinders  41  bonded to upper  42 , lower  43  and intermediate  45  plates, respectively (h′=h/2), the bulging is constrained to smaller bulges  44 , thus obviously increasing the compression stiffness. This statement can be quantified by computing the shape factor and the effective compression modulus for the specimen in FIG. 4 as 
           S′=A   l   /A′   f =(π d   2 /4)/[π d ( h /2)]= d /2 h ≈0.44 , E ≈3.6 G.   (7) 
         [0028]    Thus, the compression stiffness of the specimen has increased by −15% by dividing its height. This process of “division” can be continued thus resulting in a progressive increase of compression stiffness. With eight intermediate plates (resulting in height of each layer h″=h/9 and d/h″=−10), E=−22G, or compression stiffness becoming many times greater than the shear stiffness. The shear deformation (and stiffness) of the specimen, related to the shear force P x , is not associated the volume change and does not change after the specimen is divided. While FIGS. 3 and 4 depict a cylindrical specimen, the same effects can be observed in specimens of other shapes, e.g. in a parallelepiped [width w, length l, height t, A l =wl, A f =2wt+2lt, and S=wl/(2wt+2lt)]. For w&gt;10t, l&gt;10t, E&gt;22G. If the specimen does not have a rectangular cross section, width w and length l represent dimensions of the smallest rectangle surrounding the actual cross section, thus representing the outline dimensions of the cross section.  
         [0029]    The increasing compression stiffness with reduction of thickness of elastomeric specimens and increase in shape factor S are accompanied with increasing tolerance for the compression forces. It is shown in  E. I. Rivin, “Properties and Prospective Applications of Ultra Thin Layered Rubber-Metal Laminates for Limited Travel Bearings,” Tribology International , 1983, Vol.16, No. 1, pp.17-25, that thin rubber layers (thickness in the order of −1 mm) bonded to rigid (e.g., metal) surfaces can endure specific compressive forces up to 250 MPa (−37,000 psi) while maintaining low shear stiffness. It was recently demonstrated that even higher compression forces can be allowed for properly designed bonded thin elastomeric layers.  
         [0030]    These unique characteristics of thin elastomeric layers are utilized in the design shown in FIG. 2 wherein elastomeric shims  12  and  13  comprising thin elastomeric layers are inserted into contact area  10  between base member  1  and movable wedge  2  and into contact area  11  between movable wedge member  2  and output member  3 , respectively. These elastomeric shims can be bonded to the appropriate contact surfaces, glued, held by friction or by other known means. Application of input force F i  to movable wedge member  2  causes shear deformations in thin elastomeric layers  12  and  13  and a corresponding displacement Δ i  of member  2 . This displacement also results in generation of output force F o  applied to output member  3  and reaction force N applied to base member  1 . Although these forces can be much larger than F i , they induce only minimal compression deformations of layers  12  and  13  if w, l&gt;−10t, and geometry of the mechanism does not change noticeably.  
         [0031]    In some cases, the condition w, l&gt;−10t can be too stringent and lower aspect ratios can be beneficially used.  
         [0032]    Since it is desirable for better functioning of the wedge mechanism in FIG. 2 to have as low shear stiffness as possible, and since the allowable compression loads on thin elastomeric layers (up to and exceeding 250 MPa) are very high, elastomeric layers  12  and/or  13  in FIG. 2 may be designed with surface areas less than the total surface contact area between members  1  and  2 ,  2  and  3 , respectively. The preferred, but not the only, way to achieve such area reduction is by using two or more elastomeric shims satisfying the above stated aspect ratio condition to be inserted into the surface contact areas between the interacting members  1  and  2 ,  2  and  3  in FIG. 2. The total surface area of these shim segments may be much less than the total contact surface area between the respective members.  
         [0033]    It is shown in above quoted paper by Rivin that increase of the compression force applied to thin elastomeric layers does not lead to increasing resistance to the shear deformation.  
         [0034]    Since wedge mechanisms like ones shown in FIGS. 1, 2, as well as described below in reference to FIGS. 5, 7,  8  are usually working in the range of very small displacements of movable wedge member  2  in FIGS. 1, 2 or its equivalents in FIGS. 5, 7,  8 , and shear resistance of rubber layers for small deformations is very low, the wedge mechanism in FIG. 2 can be considered as a mechanism with reduced friction and zero static friction. This statement was confirmed by comparative testing of wedge mechanisms of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 designs which demonstrated −35% increase in mechanical advantage for mechanism per FIG. 2 having same geometry as mechanism in FIG. 1.  
         [0035]    It is apparent that mechanism in FIG. 2 is not sensitive to contamination of the contact surfaces, and its performance is not influenced by external vibrations and shocks.  
         [0036]    The wedge mechanism in FIG. 2 is a basic embodiment per the present invention. The embodiments illustrated below as depicted in FIGS. 5, 7,  8  illustrate some important design modifications possible within the confines of the present invention.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 5 depicts a clamping device for rotating tools (collet chuck) utilizing a modification of wedge mechanism per the present invention. Tool  51  (end mill is shown) has to be clamped in toolholder  52  while assuring precise concentricity (coaxiality) between the tool and the toolholder. The clamping wedge mechanism comprises base member  53  which is a segment of toolholder  52 , movable wedge  54  and output member  55  contacting work organ (rotating tool)  51 . Contact surfaces between members  53  and  54  are conforming cylindrical surfaces  56  and  57 , respectively, separated by elastomeric shim  58 . Contact surfaces between members  54  and  55  are conforming conical surfaces  59 ,  60 , respectively, separated by elastomeric shim  61 . Although output member  55  is physically connected to toolholder/base member  52 / 53  in area  62  in order to insure high concentricity, output member  55  can be considered as a free moving component of the wedge mechanism since the performance displacement of the output member in this mechanism is its small radial deformation not noticeably affected by connection  62 . The external surface of output member  55  in its area  62  can be made cylindrical in order to provide guidance for and concentricity with movable wedge member  54 .  
         [0038]    While elastomeric shims  58  and  61  are shown as integral in FIG. 5 because of the relatively small scale of the drawing, their actual design is shown in the enlarged partial cross section  6 - 6  in FIG. 6. It can be seen in FIG. 6 that each shim  58  and  61  are comprised from two thin elastomeric layers  58   a  and  58   b  and  61   a  and  61   b , respectively, bonded to thin intermediate rigid (e.g., metal) layer  65 ,  66 , respectively, thus increasing shape factors of the shims. Such construction allows enhancing of compression (normal to contact surfaces  56 ,  57  and  59 ,  60 , respectively) stiffness of the respective shims  58  and  61 , which is important for performance of the clamped tool, while maintaining low shear stiffness, which is important for operation of the clamping wedge mechanism.  
         [0039]    The high clamping force necessary for the required performance of the collet chuck in FIG. 5 is maintained by spring  63  (Belleville spring is shown), while release of the chuck is effected by axial displacement of movable wedge member  54  against spring  63 . The force exerted by spring  63  onto movable wedge member  54  is amplified by the wedge mechanism (using conical surfaces of movable wedge  54  and output member  55  interacting via elastomeric shim  61  instead of flat wedge surfaces in FIG. 2) and applies uniformly distributed radial compression force on sleeve-shaped output member  55  causing its radial shrinkage and clamping action on tool  51 . While solid sleeves  54 ,  55  are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, axially slotted sleeves (one or both) can be used, as is the case in standard collet chucks.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the present invention as incorporated into clamping device for a flat object (e.g., saw blade for a hand-held reciprocating saw). In FIG. 7, saw blade  83  plays the role of the output member directly, by contacting along contact surface  86  with movable wedge member  82  which, in its turn, has contact via elastomeric shim  84  with base member  81 . The clamping device is assembled inside housing  85 . Use of the elastomeric shim only in one surface contact area allows to establish better directional stability for saw blade  83 . While using the elastomeric shim only on one contact surface of movable wedge member  82  increases motion resistance as compared with the mechanism in FIG. 2 due to presence of sliding friction between contact surfaces  86 , the friction influence is reduced and the mechanical advantage is increased in comparison with conventional clamps in which all contacts in the wedge clamping mechanism are frictional contacts.  
         [0041]    The clamping device is “normally locked” by spring  87  and can be manually (e.g., by finger  88 )released by pushing movable wedge  82  against spring  87 .  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 8 illustrates yet another embodiment of the wedge mechanism per the present invention. In FIG. 8, a device for coaxial connection between shaft  91  and external component  92 , such as a pulley or a gear, is shown. The device comprises thin internal ring  93  with double-tapered outside surface, which initially is snugly but without interference fit on shaft  91 ; external ring  94  with double-tapered internal surface, which is snugly but without interference fit into coaxial cavity in external component  92 ; two clamping rings  95  and  96  having oppositely tapered surfaces on the internal and on the external surfaces; actuating bolts  99  connecting clamping rings  95  and  96  and uniformly distributed around their circumference. External tapered surfaces of clamping rings  95  and  96  have identical taper angles with internal tapered surfaces of ring  94 , thus their tapered surfaces conform with each other; internal tapered surfaces of clamping rings  95  and  96  have identical taper angles with external tapered surfaces of ring  93 , thus their tapered surfaces conform with each other. Elastomeric shims  97   a ,  97   b  separate external tapered surfaces of ring  93  and internal tapered surfaces of clamping rings  95  and  96 ; elastomeric shims  98   a ,  98   b  separate internal tapered surfaces of ring  94  and external tapered surfaces of clamping rings  95  and  96 .  
         [0043]    This device constitutes a balanced (double-acting) modification of the wedge mechanism per the present invention. Clamping rings  95  and  96  represent movable wedge members; internal  93  and external  94  rings represent output members in the wedge mechanism; bolts  99  serve both as base members (contacting movable wedge member  95  via washer  100  and movable wedge member  96  along the threaded surface) and as actuators.  
         [0044]    Tightening bolts  99  causes displacements (mutual approach and movement along the bolt) of two movable wedge members/clamping rings  95  and  96 , and these displacements initiate wedge actions in surface contacts between tapered surfaces of rings  95 ,  96  and  93 , and between tapered surfaces of rings  95 ,  96  and  94 . These wedge actions are causing uniform expansion of external ring  94  and uniform contaraction of internal ring  93 , thus commencing interference fits between ring  93  and shaft  91  and between ring  94  and pulley  92 . These interference fits create gripping action with the respective connected components, and torque can be transmitted from  91  to  92  via these gripping contacts and via circumferential shear deformation of elastomeric shims  97  and  98 .  
         [0045]    It is readily apparent that the components of the wedge mechanism disclosed herein may take a variety of configurations. Thus, the embodiments and exemplifications shown and described herein are meant for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, the true scope of which is limited solely by the claims appended thereto.