.Wednesday, April 30, 2008 ' 4:00 PM Y
design&technology!
An eccentric cam is a disc with its centre of rotation positioned ‘off centre’. This means as the cam rotates the flat follower rises and falls at a constant rate. This type of cam is the easiest to make and yet it is one of the most useful.
A mechanical toy based on a series of eccentric cams is seen below. As the handle is turned the shaft and the cams fixed to it rotate. Placed above the cams are a number of segments representing a ‘snake’. As the cams rotate some of the flat followers are pushed upwards whilst others drop down. This gives the impression that the snake is moving.