Machinery Chain Tutorial 29
Machinery Chain Tutorial
This tutorial teaches you how to create roller chain system using the 2D links modeling method. The
Adams/Machinery Chain module supports multiple combinations of chain system type and modeling
methodology options.
This chapter includes the following sections:
• What You Will Create
• Creating Roller Chain System
• Simulation
• Adams/PostProcessor Results
30 Getting Started Using Adams/Machinery
What You Will Create
What You Will Create
During this tutorial, you will model a roller chain system consisting of 2 sprockets and one guide with a
tensioning device. Both sprockets will be constrained via revolute joints. One of the sprockets will be
actuated with a motion. Contact forces including friction between the discrete chain segments and the
sprockets convey the motion.
The figure shows the roller chain system using 2D links method that you are going to create.
Figure 1 Roller Chain System
Machinery Chain Tutorial 31
Creating Roller Chain System
Creating Roller Chain System
In this section, you will create a chain system.
1. Click the Machinery tab on the Adams/View ribbon.
2. From the Chain container, click the icon for Create Sprockets.
3. The sprocket creation wizard will launch. On the first page (Type) select Roller Sprocket from
the Type option menu and click Next.
4. On the next page (Method) select 2D Links from the Method option menu and click Next.
32 Getting Started Using Adams/Machinery
Creating Roller Chain System
5. On the next page (Geometry-Sprocket) enter "2" in the Number of Pulley field and fill out the
two tabs defining each pulley's geometry as shown below and then click Next:
Note: After you enter the number of teeth = 19, default values for the Profile will appear.
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Creating Roller Chain System
34 Getting Started Using Adams/Machinery
Creating Roller Chain System
6. The next page (Material-Sprocket) defines the material properties to be used for the mass
property calculations for each sprocket. Accept the defaults and move on by clicking Next.
7. On the next page (Connection-Sprocket) you define how each sprocket is to be connected to the
rest of the model. For this example, accept the defaults which mount each pulley to ground via
revolute joints and click Next.
8. On the next page (Output-Sprocket) you can optionally reduce the amount of post-processing
information about the sprockets to be made available as Adams Requests. For this example,
accept the defaults (to get all information) and click Next.
9. The next page (Completion-Sprocket) informs you that all the information required for the roller
sprockets has been entered. Click Next to proceed to the guide definition.
10. On this page (Geometry - Guide) enter "1" in the Number of Guides field and fill out the tab
defining the guide as shown below and then click Next:
Machinery Chain Tutorial 35
Creating Roller Chain System
11. The next page (Material-Guide) defines the material properties to be used for the mass property
calculations for the guide. Accept the defaults and move on by clicking Next.
12. On the next page (Output-Guide) you can optionally reduce the amount of post-processing
information about the guide to be made available as Adams Requests. For this example, accept
the defaults (to get all information) and click Next.
13. The next page (Completion) informs you that all the information required for the sprocket set has
been entered. Optionally save the content of the entire wizard to a file for re-use later by clicking
the Save icon. Click Finish to create the sprocket set.
36 Getting Started Using Adams/Machinery
Creating Roller Chain System
Machinery Chain Tutorial 37
Creating Roller Chain System
14. From the Ribbon go to the Machinery tab's Chain container and click the icon for Create Chain.
15. The Chain Creation wizard is launched. In the Name field enter the name of the sprocket set you
just created (right-mouse-click in the field and use Pick or Guesses to quickly select) and then
click Next.
16. The next page (Method) defaults to the method you chose when creating the sprocket set. Accept
zthis default by clicking Next.
17. The next page (Compliance) defines the model to be used for the chain's link-to-link compliance.
Accept the default, Linear, and click Next.
38 Getting Started Using Adams/Machinery
Creating Roller Chain System
18. The next page (Geometry) is for specification of the Chain geometry. Accept the default values.
In the Geometry Settings ensure that Detailed is selected from the Chain Link option menu and
that Enable is selected from the Force Graphics menu; then click OK. Then click Next to move
on.
19. The next page (Mass) defines the mass properties for the chain links. Accept the defaults and click
Next.
20. On the next page (Wrapping Order) the chain routing is defined. Right-click in the field and use
the Guesses menu to first pick the driver, then the guide and finally the follower so that the field
is populated as such: "sprocketset_1_driver, sprocketset_1guide_press,
sprocketset_1_follower" …then click Next.
Machinery Chain Tutorial 39
Creating Roller Chain System
21. When prompted about the chain number of links, tension and strain; click OK to continue. A
warning message will be displayed informing you that the 2D parts for the links are unique to the
Adams/Solver C++ executable (the default mode).
22. Now you will be on the Output Request page. Create a Link Request and populate the Link Parts
field (for example, via right-click Pick) with a link near the bottom of the follower sprocket. This
will create output requests to track the forces on that link as the chain runs around the sprockets.
You may want to toggle the icon display off to better see the chain (one way to do this is to click
inside the graphics window and press the "v" key on your keyboard). Click Next.
40 Getting Started Using Adams/Machinery
Creating Roller Chain System
23. From the Ribbon go to the Machinery tab's Chain container and click the icon for Chain
Actuation Input.
Machinery Chain Tutorial 41
Creating Roller Chain System
24. The Actuate Chain wizard is launched. In the Sprocket Set Name field enter the name of the
sprocket set you just created (right-mouse-click in the field and use Pick or Guesses to quickly
select). In the Actuator Sprocket field enter the name of the driver sprocket (right-mouse-click in
the field and use Pick or Guesses to quickly select). Then click Next.
25. On the next page (Type) select Motion and click Next
26. Complete the next page (Function) as shown below:
42 Getting Started Using Adams/Machinery
Creating Roller Chain System
27. On the next page (Output) you can optionally reduce the amount of post-processing information
about the actuator to be made available as Adams Requests. For this example, accept the defaults
(to get all information) and click Next.
28. The next page (Completion) informs you that all the information required for the actuation has
been entered. Optionally save the content of the entire wizard to a file for re-use later by clicking
the Save icon. Click Finish to create the actuator.
29. Now we are ready to simulate the model. The preferred integrator for such Chain systems is HHT.
From the main text menu select: Settings-Solver-Dynamics and ensure that HHT is selected from
the Integrator option menu.
Machinery Chain Tutorial 43
Simulation
Simulation
Simulate your model for 2 seconds at 2000 steps by clicking the Interactive Simulation icon from the
Simulate container on the Simulation tab, entering the values shown below and clicking the Start
Simulation button.
44 Getting Started Using Adams/Machinery
Adams/PostProcessor Results
Adams/PostProcessor Results
Explore the results in Adams/PostProcessor.