Multibody Dynamic Analysis of a Planetary Belt-Coupled Linear

Mechanism using RecurDyn

by
Kyle Martin
An Engineering Project Submitted to the Graduate
Faculty of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ENGINEERING
Major Subject: MECHANICAL ENGINEERING







Approved:

_________________________________________
Ernesto Gutierrez-Miravete, Project Adviser





Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Hartford, Connecticut
August, 2012



ii

























Copyright 2012
by
Kyle Martin
All Rights Reserved

iii
CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ iv
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... v
LIST OF SYMBOLS ........................................................................................................ vi
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ................................................................................................. vii
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... viii
1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Kinematic Interests............................................................................................. 1
1.2 Slider-Crank Mechanism ................................................................................... 1
1.3 Mechanism Kinematics ...................................................................................... 2
1.4 Mechanism Dynamics ........................................................................................ 4
1.5 Previous Analyses .............................................................................................. 6
2. Methodology ................................................................................................................ 7
2.1 Timing Belt Properties ....................................................................................... 7
2.2 Sprocket Geometry............................................................................................. 8
2.3 Mechanism Assembly and Constraints .............................................................. 9
2.4 Mechanism Analysis Steps .............................................................................. 11
3. Results........................................................................................................................ 14
3.1 Analysis versus hand solution .......................................................................... 14
3.2 Effect of timing belt tooth form ....................................................................... 18
3.3 Mechanism Behavior with Different External Loads ...................................... 21
4. Conclusions................................................................................................................ 25
5. References .................................................................................................................. 27


iv
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Synchronous Belts Modeled .............................................................................. 7
Table 2 Timing Belt Sprocket Parameters Modeled ....................................................... 9
Table 3 Summary of Connections in Mechanism......................................................... 11


v
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Typical Slider-Crank Mechanism .................................................................... 1
Figure 2 Generic 3 Body Linkage .................................................................................. 2
Figure 3 2D Representation of Mechanism .................................................................... 3
Figure 4 Forces and Moments on Link 3 ........................................................................ 4
Figure 5 Forces and Moments on the Planet Sprocket ................................................... 5
Figure 6 Forces and Moments Acting on Link 2 ............................................................ 6
Figure 7 Typical Timing Belt Geometry ........................................................................ 7
Figure 8 Typical Timing Belt Sprocket Geometry Parameters ...................................... 8
Figure 9 Isometric View of the Mechanism as Assembled .......................................... 10
Figure 10 Motion Profile of Node B............................................................................. 14
Figure 11 Lag of Link Arm Relative to Drive Arm Position ....................................... 15
Figure 12 Tension of Tight Side of Timing Belt Relative to Drive Arm Position ....... 16
Figure 13 Sun Sprocket Reaction Torque during One Cycle ....................................... 17
Figure 14 Torque Input to the Mechanism ................................................................... 17
Figure 15 Backlash in Different Tooth Profiles ........................................................... 19
Figure 16 Drive Synchronization - Selected Profiles ................................................... 20
Figure 17 Torque Transmitted Through Torque Shaft - Selected Profiles ................... 21
Figure 18 Arm Synchronization for Studied Loads ...................................................... 22
Figure 19 Mechanism Performance Metrics for Studied Loads ................................... 23
Figure 20 Torque Shaft Torque for Studied Loads ....................................................... 24


vi
LIST OF SYMBOLS
Symbol Units Description

mm Length of carrier arm

mm Length of link arm

Degrees Angle of carrier arm relative to ground

Degrees Angle of link arm relative to ground

Teeth Tooth count of Sun Sprocket

Teeth Tooth count of Planet sprocket

Nmm Reaction torque of planet sprocket

Nmm Driving torque of mechanism

N External load applied to mechanism

N Reaction of carrier arm on link arm

N Tight-side tension in timing belt

N Reaction of carrier arm on planet sprocket

vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I owe a debt of gratitude to Victoria Thai for providing the necessary motivation and
encouragement to compel me to complete this project. I would also like to thank
Ernesto Gutierrez-Miravete for his support on this project. Finally, I would also like to
thank my family for providing lifelong support and encouragement, without which I
would not be where I am today.

viii
ABSTRACT
This document presents a study of the dynamics of a mechanism used to convert
continuous rotational input motion into reciprocating straight line output motion. This is
accomplished using a planetary arrangement of a timing belt drive and one additional
link body. The dynamics of the mechanism are studied to understand the influence of
specific elements of the mechanism and external loading.
The derivation of the ideal case is presented and used as a basis for comparison with
the simulation model created in RecurDyn. The procedure for constructing the
analytical model using RecurDyn is also detailed. Specifically, the following aspects are
considered in the analysis: the ideal case versus the baseline simulation, the influence of
the timing belt tooth profile and the effect of the magnitude of the external load on
mechanism performance. Further possible studies are proposed as well as conclusions
based on the overall modeling process and the outcome of the analyses.

1
1. Introduction
1.1 Kinematic Interests
The conversion of motion between rotation and translation has been a popular topic
in kinematics for some time. This is due in large part to its widespread use in converting
rotating sources of power into linear motion or vice versa. A large majority of devices
that use a rotary motor to convert electricity into motion will use some form of
kinematics to generate the desired output motion.
A second popular topic in the study of kinematics is the generation of straight line
motion using combinations of links and joints. Numerous linkages have been developed
to generate a straight line based on specific kinematic constructions. Some mechanisms
will generate an approximate straight line in theory, such as the Watt linkage while
others will generate a theoretically exact straight line, such as the Peaucellier
mechanism.
1

1.2 Slider-Crank Mechanism
Traditionally, conversion from rotation to linear motion has been accomplished with
a slider-crank mechanism as shown in Figure 1
2
O
3
A

Figure 1 Typical Slider-Crank Mechanism
The slider-crank mechanism consists of two link elements; link 2 and 3. The
uncoupled end of link 3, node A is also guided along a straight line by some external
means such as rollers within a track, a piston within a cylinder or some sort of linear
bearing. In practice, link 3 is made longer than link 2 to avoid any toggling of the
linkage. In this form, the linkage has a single degree of freedom. Motion is input as

1
(Mabie & Reinholtz, 1987)

2
rotation of link 2 about point O and the corresponding output is the displacement of node
A along its guided path. While this mechanism is simple, the performance of the
mechanism is degraded due to the external guidance. The resulting reaction force acting
on the guidance introduces friction opposite the motion. In addition, the motion profile
of node A can likely be undesirable due to the kinematics of the mechanism.
1.3 Mechanism Kinematics
Figure 2 shows a simple 2-D linkage where link 2 is connected to ground at node O
with a revolute joint, and link 3 is connected to link 2 at node A. The kinematics of any
point in the linkage can be solved with simple trigonometry.
2

y
x
2
O
A
3

21

31
B

Figure 2 Generic 3 Body Linkage
The displacement of node B from the origin in the X and Y direction can be found
with equations 1 and 2

[1]

[2]
The velocity of node B relative to the origin can be found by taking the time
derivative of the above equations. The acceleration can also be found by again taking
the time derivative of the velocity equations. As can be seen from the above equations,
the linkage has two degrees of freedom as the motion of node B is a function of angles

and

. Since the objective of the linkage is to transform a single input motion,

rotation of link 2, to a single output motion, translation of node B, the mechanism must
be further constrained to a single degree of freedom before it can perform its function.

2
(Mabie & Reinholtz, 1987)

3
To reduce the linkage to a single degree of freedom, link 3 is coupled to a timing
sprocket (body 4) at node A. A second timing sprocket is located centered about the
origin and coupled to ground. Those sprockets are then coupled with a timing belt and
the resulting mechanism is shown in Figure 3
2
O
B

21

31
A
4
3

Figure 3 2D Representation of Mechanism
With the addition of these elements, the relative rotation of link 2 and link 3 is now
given by the following relation

[3]
If the sprockets are chosen such that

, the relation between the two angles

becomes

[4]

Finally, if the mechanism was constructed such that link 2 and link 3 are equal length
and

, the position of node B is given by

[5]

[6]
As is an even function and is an odd function, the equations further simplify in
this case to

4

[7]

[8]
As can be seen from the above equations, rotational input motion,

, results in a
translational output motion,

, in the X direction only. Consequently, the velocity

and acceleration of node B are solely in the X direction and can be found by taking the
first and second time derivative of equation 7

[9]

[10]

1.4 Mechanism Dynamics
As the purpose of the mechanism being considered is to perform work along the
translation axis, it is necessary to include an external force acting upon the linkage. In
the case of the mechanism of interest, the force acts on node B in the X direction, as
shown in Figure 4
B

31
A
3
F
ext
F
32
M
34

Figure 4 Forces and Moments on Link 3
The hand calculations will assume that the linkage is mass-less and without friction.
The applied external force,

is resisted by a force acting on element 3 from element 2,

and a moment acting on element 3 from the planet sprocket,

[11]

[12]

5
The planet sprocket sees the equal and opposite moment acting on it from link 4,

, which is resisted by tension in the timing belt,

. The timing belt is connected to

the sun sprocket and ensures that there is no relative slip of the two sprockets due to its
positive engagement. As the timing belt is a tension member, it cannot develop any
compressive loads. Neglecting any pre-tension of the timing belt and assuming

is
always positive, then

will only act on one side of the timing belt span so as to resist
the imparted moment. The other span will be un-tensioned, and is shown in gray in
Figure 5.
A
M
43
F
41
F
41
r
p
,
p
la
n
e
t

42
F
42

41

Figure 5 Forces and Moments on the Planet Sprocket
The tension in the timing belt acts at a radius from the center of the sprocket defined
as the pitch radius of the planet sprocket,

which is a function of the sprocket

pitch and the number of teeth on the sprocket,

[13]
The magnitude of the tension in the timing belt acting opposite

can be found

[14]
The angle at which the tension acts is determined by the distance between the two
sprockets and their respective pitch counts

[15]
The angle of tension vector relative to ground can then be found

[16]

6
The X and Y components of this tension are resisted by the X and Y components of

.
Finally, by analyzing the forces and moments acting on link 2 it is then possible to
determine the input torque,

necessary to overcome the externally applied forces as

shown in Figure 6.
2
O

21
A
F
24
F
23
T
in
F
21

Figure 6 Forces and Moments Acting on Link 2
The input torque is found as the opposite of the sum of the moments resulting from

and

[17]
1.5 Previous Analyses
This specific mechanism described above has been analyzed in the past, with more
advanced techniques, accounting for the elasticity of the timing belt and using
differential equations.
3
This analysis was exhaustive within the assumptions considered,
however one of those assumptions was to neglect the non-ideal nature of the contact
between the timing belt teeth and the sprockets of the mechanism. Previous efforts have
demonstrated that RecurDyn is well suited for the analysis of both multi-body
mechanisms, as well as mechanisms that employ timing belts and sprockets.
4
In this
particular analysis, RecurDyn is employed specifically for its ability to accurately model
the interface between the timing belt and sprocket.

3
(Al-Dwairi & Al-Lubani, 2007)
4
(Zhanguo, Jiangming, & Jiaxing, 2010)

7
2. Methodology
2.1 Timing Belt Properties
In order to model the system in RecurDyn, it was necessary to accurately define the
geometry and properties of the timing belt used to synchronize rotation of the planet
sprocket about the sun sprocket. The timing belts and sprockets used in the analysis
were standard, commercially available designs. Figure 7 shows the typical timing belt
geometry parameters used to define a belt in RecurDyn and Table 1 lists the values of
those dimensions for the different timing belt profiles considered during the analysis.
A A
H
r
H
s
a
R
a
R
r
S
P
b

Figure 7 Typical Timing Belt Geometry
Table 1 Synchronous Belts Modeled
5

Symbol T20 AT20 XH Units
A 20 25 20
Hr 5 5 6.35 Mm
Hs 8.0 8 11.2 Mm
Pb 20 20 22.225 Mm
S 10.15 15.1 12.57 Mm
R
r
0.8 2.5 1.6 Mm
R
a
0.8 1.6 1.2 Mm
a 1.5 1.2 1.4 Mm
W 50 Mm
C
SP
37410 60692 37410 N/mm
C
p
1
93525 151732 84161 N/mm

In addition to the geometry, it was also necessary to define the mechanical behavior
of each belt. Table 1 lists the tensile stiffness properties of each timing belt. The

5
(SIT Spa, 2003), (Gates Mectrol GmbH, 2008)

8
specific stiffness of the T profile belts were found from a commercial catalog
6
, while the
AT, X and XH properties were found in a separate catalog
7
. All belts were modeled
using the stiffness values for steel cords. Specific stiffness, C
SP
is defined as the tensile
spring constant of a unit long, unit wide segment of belt
8
. This number is typically only
valid for belts being used inside of their working tension range as belts typically
exhibit non linear stress-strain behavior at extremely high or low tensions. As the
tensions observed in simulations were generally within the working range of the belts,
a linear elastic behavior assumption was reasonable. It was necessary to define the
stiffness of each tooth element

, according to the following

[18]

This was necessary because RecurDyn constructs a timing belt group by discretizing
a complete belt into individual tooth segments, each with a length equal one pitch of the
profile.
2.2 Sprocket Geometry
Similarly, it was necessary to define the sprocket geometry according to accepted
standards and in a form suitable for input to RecurDyn. Figure 8 shows the relevant
standard dimensions used to define a timing belt pulley in RecurDyn.
B
g
D
o
R
2
H
r
R
1
A

Figure 8 Typical Timing Belt Sprocket Geometry Parameters

6
(F.N. Sheppard & Co., 2000)
7
(Gates Mectrol GmbH, 2008)
8
(Gates Mectrol, Inc., 2006)

9
Table 2 lists parameters used for each different timing belt profile. Timing belts and
sprockets are intended to be used as a matched set so all analyses were done with
properly matched sprockets. The T20 belt profile did have two possible tooth forms: the
standard tooth form is known as T20, while the reduced backlash form is referred to as
T20SE. Both were analyzed and the effects are examined later in this document.
Table 2 Timing Belt Sprocket Parameters Modeled
Symbol T20 T20SE AT20 XH Units
A 25 25 20
Hr 6.0 5.2 4.65 6.88 mm
Bg 7.0 6.8 10.51 7.59 mm
R
1
0.8 1.5 2.01 mm
R
2
1.2 2.5 1.93 mm
Do, planet 111.75 111.7 117.47 mm
Do, sun 226.35 226.3 237.74 mm
Nplanet 18 18 17 -
Nsun 36 36 34 -
2.3 Mechanism Assembly and Constraints
With the timing belt and sprocket geometry defined, constructing the mechanism
from these components along with other standard kinematic elements was the next step.
The mechanism was constructed from eight individual bodies, a timing belt group and
nine joints in RecurDyn, the individual bodies of the mechanism are arranged in three
planar groups. The timing belt, (1) sun sprocket, (2) tensioner roller, (3) tensioner shaft
and (4) planet sprockets are all in the sprocket planes. The (5) drive arm is the only
item solely in the drive plane and the (6) link arm is the only body solely in the link
plane. The (7) torque shaft passes through all three planes; it serves to connect the link
arm to the planet sprocket. The drive arm acts as the carrier for the torque shaft,
providing axial and radial support, while allowing tangential rotation.
In the sprocket plane, the first body of the assembly was the sun sprocket which was
fixed to the ground body in all six degrees of freedom, as it is fixed in the practical
application. The planet sprocket was assembled at a radial distance from the axis of the
sun sprocket equal to the drive arm length,

. The torque shaft was assembled coaxial

with the planet sprocket and was rigidly connected to the planet sprocket. The tensioner
shaft was then located such that it would be at the approximate middle of the slack side

10
span of the timing belt. The tensioner roller was assembled coaxially with the tensioner
shaft in the sprocket plane using a revolute joint, representing the tensioner being fixed
to the shaft with rolling bearings. Lastly, the timing belt group was built around these
three bodies to complete the system. Figure 9 shows the completed assembly.

Figure 9 Isometric View of the Mechanism as Assembled

In the drive plane, the drive arm was represented by link element of length

and
located with the primary axis of the link passing through the sun sprocket axis and the
secondary axis passing through the planet sprocket axis. The arm was fixed to ground
using a revolute joint about the primary axis. The tensioner shaft described above was
6.) Link Arm
(Link 3)
7.) Torque Shaft
5.) Drive Arm
(Link 2)
2.) Tensioner Roller
1.) Sun Sprocket
4.) Planet Sprocket
3.) Tensioner Shaft
B
O
A
Tension Sensor Location

11
fixed to the drive arm using a translational joint perpendicular to the length of the drive
arm, which represents the direction in which the tensioner assembly moves to apply pre-
load to the timing belt. The torque shaft also described above was fixed to the secondary
axis of the drive arm using a revolute joint.
And finally in the link plane, the link arm was represented by link element of length

, it was assembled with the primary axis aligned with the secondary axis of the drive
arm and the secondary axis aligned with the primary axis of the drive arm. The arm was
rigidly connected to the torque shaft. Table 3 summarizes the connections of the
mechanism, as well as the directions in which the components are either constrained
(), or free to move ().
Table 3 Summary of Connections in Mechanism
Connection Body Fixed to Joint Target Csys
X Y Z
1 Drive Arm Ground Revolute
2 Tension Roller Tension Shaft Revolute
3 Tension Shaft Drive Arm Translational
4 Link Arm Torque Shaft Revolute
5 Sun Sprocket Ground Fixed
6 Torque Shaft Drive Arm Revolute
7 Planet Sprocket Torque Shaft Fixed

2.4 Mechanism Analysis Steps
In order to develop a stable solution, it was necessary to run the model in two steps.
The purpose of the first step was to bring the mechanism to equilibrium and establish
proper alignment of the components once the timing belt was pre-tensioned and seated
on each sprocket. The second step of the analysis was to simulate regular operation of
the mechanism where the external load was applied and the drive arm was rotated.
The first step of the analysis was important for several reasons. First, it allowed all
components to settle in their positions as gravity is abruptly applied at time t=0 in
RecurDyn. Second, during assembly the timing belt must be constructed from an integer
number of teeth elements at a pitch as defined in Table 2, constraining the pitch length of
the overall belt group to increments equal to one pitch length of the belt. At the same

12
time, the required pitch length of the sprockets changed based on the dimensions of the
sprocket teeth.
The analysis had to be conducted with the distance between the sun and planet
sprockets held constant throughout all cases of the study. Therefore, it was not possible
to get an exact match between the pitch length of the belt group and required pitch
length on the sprockets, while different teeth dimensions on both the sprocket and timing
belt were studied. Finding a one-size-fits-all center dimension to accommodate all
possible pitch lengths was not possible in this case. For similar reasons, as well as to aid
in assembly of the mechanism, a tensioner roller is used in the practical application of
the mechanism to take up the excessive pitch length of the belt and keep the teeth of the
belt properly engaged in the groves. In the first step of the analysis, a force was applied
to the tensioner shaft along the direction of the translational joint, fixing it to the drive
arm. This force acted through the revolute joint between the tensioner shaft and the
tensioner roller and finally onto the timing belt group. As the sun sprocket was fixed in
all directions, while the planet sprocket was free to rotate about the Z-axis, the link arm
would become misaligned from its starting position relative to the drive arm as a result
of this application of tension.
While applying this tension it was also necessary to apply a fixed external load at
node B. Where the tensioner roller force was used to seat the teeth in the grooves, this
second force was used to impart a torque on the planet sprocket and bring the flanks of
the timing belt teeth into contact with the flanks of the sprockets. The load was equal in
magnitude and direction to the load expected for the particular input angle of arm. Now
that the teeth were properly seated as expected, the final element of the first step of the
analysis was to realign the link arm to the drive arm before the mechanism was run in
step 2.
In step 2, relative rotation between the link arm and the torque shaft was prescribed
as zero in the input motion field for the revolute joint, fixing these 2 bodies together in
all directions. An external force was then applied to the link arm. The force was defined
as a fixed magnitude, acting in a direction along the X-axis, opposite to the X direction
component of the motion of node B. The drive arm was then rotated about the revolute
joint passing through the central axis of the sun sprocket. The rotation of the drive arm

13
was prescribed at the joint as a gradual acceleration up to a constant speed. The portion
of the analysis with constant speed rotation of the input arm was the main focus in
analyzing the results and drawing conclusions.

14
3. Results
3.1 Analysis versus hand solution
For the baseline result, the T20 profile timing belt was analyzed with the standard
T20 sprocket profile. The magnitude of the external applied force was 200N and
pretension of the timing belt was fixed at 1250N. All joints were modeled without
friction.
As can be seen in Figure 10, aspects of the simulation results vary from the ideal
case of the hand calculations presented earlier. The significant difference is in the Y
direction displacement of node B. The simple hand calculation predicts no vertical
displacement while the model shows a small displacement of node B in the Y direction.
As the simulation includes many more factors than the ideal case presented in the hand
calculations, this result is not entirely surprising.

Figure 10 Motion Profile of Node B
Looking further at the two link elements of the mechanism it becomes evident that
the synchronization is certainly not ideal between the two of them. The shape of the plot
in Figure 11 suggests that there are multiple components contributing to this
misalignment.
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
-550 -450 -350 -250 -150 -50 50 150 250 350 450 550
N
o
d
e

B

Y

D
i
s
p
l
a
c
e
m
e
n
t

[
m
m
]

Node B X Displacement [mm]
Displacement of Node B Over One Cycle
Simulation Results
Hand Calculations

15

Figure 11 Lag of Link Arm Relative to Drive Arm Position
The small periodic element of the lag is due to the meshing of the timing belt teeth
onto the sprockets. The red vertical lines in Figure 11 are spaced at 10 degree
increments and correspond with peak of each of these small variations. The 10 degree
increment is a result of the number of teeth on the sun sprocket. In this case 36 teeth are
engaged over 360 degrees of input motion, resulting in one mesh event every 10 degrees.
The large periodic element of the misalignment is due to the elastic behavior of the
timing belt, as its tension changes with position of the mechanism as is shown in Figure
12. Finally, there is an offset error of the alignment, where the absolute misalignment
ranges between -1 and 0.5 degrees. This is likely attributable to a static misalignment of
approximately 0.25 degrees.
Figure 12 shows the tension of the timing belt on the tight side, the side which
tension is developed in reaction to the applied load as the mechanism operates. The
location within the span where the tension is measured can be seen in the Figure 9.
Again, the engagement of each tooth of the timing belt is evident in this plot, with 36
distinct peaks showing up, corresponding to the number of teeth engaged over one
revolution of the mechanism. The peaks appear to shift the tension above the values
determined in the hand calculation. This would suggest that the tension peaks are
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
0 90 180 270 360
L
i
n
k

A
r
m

L
a
g

[
d
e
g
r
e
e
s
]

Drive Arm Position [degrees]
Link Arm Lag vs. Drive Arm Position
Simulation Results
Hand Calculations

16
additive to the theoretical tension that is required to maintain the kinematics of the
mechanism.

Figure 12 Tension of Tight Side of Timing Belt Relative to Drive Arm Position
A further area of interest is in the torque transmitted through the planet sprocket as
well as the torque required to be input to the mechanism to generate the constant speed
motion at the specified conditions. Figure 13 shows the torque transmitted through the
planet sprocket, which is a direct result of the tight side tension acting on the sprocket
through the pitch radius of the sprocket. Like the previous plots, the effects of the
engagement of each of the timing belt teeth can be readily observed while the overall
plot closely resembles the hand calculation in magnitude and shape. However, unlike
the previous plots, the variation in the torque begins to display random non-periodic
noise, which can be seen specifically around drive arm positions of 75 and 135
degrees.
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
0 90 180 270 360
T
i
m
i
n
g

B
e
l
t

T
e
n
s
i
o
n

[
N
]

Drive Arm Position [deg]
Timing Belt Tension vs. Drive Arm Position
Simulation Results
Hand Calculations

17

Figure 13 Sun Sprocket Reaction Torque during One Cycle
Coming to the torque input in Figure 14, we see similar noise as with the sprocket
torque in Figure 13, however there are many more locations of the drive arm showing
this noise.

Figure 14 Torque Input to the Mechanism
-80000
-70000
-60000
-50000
-40000
-30000
-20000
-10000
0
10000
0 90 180 270 360
P
l
a
n
e
t

S
p
r
o
c
k
e
t

R
e
a
c
t
i
o
n

T
o
r
q
u
e

[
N
m
m
]

Drive Arm Position [deg]
Planet Sprocket Reaction Torque vs. Drive Arm Position
Simulation Results
Hand Calculations
-100000
-50000
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
0 90 180 270 360
I
n
p
u
t

D
r
i
v
i
n
g

T
o
r
q
u
e

[
N
m
m
]

Drive Arm Position [deg]
Input Torque vs. Drive Arm Position
Simulation Results
Hand Calculations

18
The amplitude of the noise element appears greater while the shape and magnitude of the
overall plot agree with the hand calculation results. The source of this noise is not clear;
it was examined as other suspect parameters were varied but none of the parameters
varied was found to control it.
3.2 Effect of timing belt tooth form
There are many potential reasons for discrepancies between the hand calculation
and the results obtained from the simulation. One particular difference is the
characterization of the timing belt. In the hand calculation, the timing belt is assumed to
be inelastic, frictionless and without back lash, while in the simulation all of these things
are modeled to yield the final results. In the real implementation of this mechanism, all
of these things are present, so the simulation results will be closer to reality than the
hand calculations.
The teeth of timing belts are, generally speaking, smaller than the grooves on the
sprocket in which they sit. This is necessary for proper functioning of the system since
there should be no interference between the tip of the belt tooth and the flank of the
sprocket teeth as the belt comes engaged, conforming to the sprocket.
These things were considered when formulating standards for tooth profiles. Backlash is
the direct consequence of the fact that the fit of the timing belt tooth and the sprocket
groove cannot be line-to-line. The amount of displacement to move contact from one
flank to the other flank of the mating pair is the direct realization of backlash.
Timing belt designers have tried various steps to reduce the amount of backlash for
a given tooth profile standard. In the case of the T20 profile, the SE profile is used on
timing sprockets to reduce the amount of backlash in the belt/sprocket system. Figure 15
shows the difference between the normal metric T timing profile and the SE version of
the profile. The sprocket dimensions are modified to reduce the amount of backlash in
the teeth.

19

Figure 15 Backlash in Different Tooth Profiles
9

As part of the analysis, the geometry of the timing sprocket grooves were
constructed according to the T20SE profile, while all other simulation parameters were
held constant. In order to quantify the amount of backlash in the mechanism, the relative
position of the carrier arm (link 2) was compared to the position of the link arm (link 3)
throughout one revolution of the mechanism. As can be seen in Figure 16, the T20SE
profile did demonstrate better synchronization than the standard T20 profile, but not by a
large margin. Other profiles were also analyzed, including the AT20 profile and the XH
profile. The AT profile was developed as a refinement of the T profile specifically to
reduce backlash and allow use of a stiffer tension member for the same pitch.
10

Referring again to Figure 16, the AT profile does improve upon the performance of both
the standard T profile, as well as the SE version of the T profile. The XH profile was
also analyzed and exhibited better alignment than both variations of the T profile as well.

9
(ContiTech Antriebssysteme GmbH, 2008)
10
(ContiTech Antriebssysteme GmbH, 2008)

20

Figure 16 Drive Synchronization - Selected Profiles
Other results from the simulation were essentially unaffected by changes to the belt
and sprocket geometry. Looking at the torque transmitted through the timing shaft to
maintain alignment of the mechanism, shown in Figure 17, there is little variation in the
average torque transmitted. The comparison was based on a 10-point rolling average as
shown, since the noise element of each simulation result made for a congested figure.
Each of the tooth profiles seemed to exhibit similar amplitude of noise based on the
scatter of the data points around the moving average lines. This similarity in basic
performance is not surprising since the fundamental operation of the mechanism remains
unchanged.
-1
-0.8
-0.6
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
0 90 180 270 360
L
i
n
k

A
r
m

L
a
g

[
d
e
g
r
e
e
s
]

Drive Arm Position [degrees]
Link Arm Lag vs. Drive Arm Position
Selected Tooth Forms
AT20
XH
T20
T20SE

21

Figure 17 Torque Transmitted Through Torque Shaft - Selected Profiles
3.3 Mechanism Behavior with Different External Loads
Having demonstrated that modeling the mechanism with RecurDyn could produce
accurate results when compared to the hand calculations with the same mechanism
geometry and external load; the next step was to examine the effect of the magnitude of
the external load on the performance of the mechanism. For this analysis a T20 timing
belt was used with sprockets constructed according to the T20SE tooth form. All other
simulation variables were kept constant.
As with the previous study of different timing belt tooth shapes, the synchronization
accuracy of the timing belt was examined to understand how well the timing belt system
would respond to different external loads. Figure 18 shows the synchronization of the
mechanism with forces applied at node B ranging from zero load, up to 750N.
-10000
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
0 90 180 270 360
T
o
r
q
u
e

S
h
a
f
t

T
o
r
q
u
e

[
N
m
m
]

Drive Arm Position [degrees]
Torque Shaft Torque for Selected Teeth Profiles
10 Point Moving Average
AT20
XH
T20
T20SE

22

Figure 18 Arm Synchronization for Studied Loads
The tooth mesh events can be seen distinctly in each case, occurring with the same
frequency in all cases. This is expected since the number of teeth on the sprockets and
rotational speed of the input arm was constant in all cases. Overall, increasing the load
appears to produce a uniform change in the synchronization of the mechanism. The link
arm lags the driver arm throughout the full range of motion when no external load is
applied. However, the link arm begins to lead the driving arm as load is applied. In all
cases, the mechanism is well synchronized when the input arm is at 90 and 270 degrees,
while the synchronization is worst at 0, 180 and 360 degrees.
Another way to examine the synchronization is to compare the root mean squared
(RMS) value of the link arm synchronization over a full revolution of the input. The
RMS value of the Y displacement of Node B was also calculated and examined as a
second metric of mechanism performance. With both metrics, a smaller value indicated
better performance in generating a straight line. Figure 19 shows the comparison of
these metrics for various external loads.
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
0 90 180 270 360
L
i
n
k

A
r
m

L
a
g

[
d
e
g
r
e
e
s
]

Drive Arm Position [degrees]
Link Arm Lag vs. Drive Arm Position
Varied Loading
P=0
P=100
P=150
P=200
P=500
P=750

23

Figure 19 Mechanism Performance Metrics for Studied Loads
In general, it seems that the higher the RMS value of link arm lag, the higher the
RMS value of the Y displacement of node B. Interestingly, the 150N external load case
appeared to perform the best from the Y displacement standpoint. Whereas the 100N
case was slightly better from the synchronization standpoint. The no-load case
performed significantly worse than these two cases, on par with the 500N case for
synchronization and worse than the 750N case for Y displacement. The no-load case is
possibly due to the lack of a persistent torque on the timing belt mechanism. In the
previous analysis of tooth forms, Figure 17 showed that the torque transmitted through
the torque shaft did vary over one cycle of the mechanism. However, the torque was
always positive. As discussed previously, a torque was necessary to bring the flanks of
the timing belt teeth into contact with the flanks of the teeth in the timing sprockets.
Figure 20 shows that in the no-load case, the torque through the timing belt was
oscillating between 10,000 Nmm and -20,000 Nmm while an external load of just 100N
was enough to bring the torque up to a positive value through the complete cycle.
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0.35
0.4
0.45
0.5
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Y

D
i
s
p
l
a
c
e
m
e
n
t

o
f

N
o
d
e

B

[
m
m

R
M
S
]

L
i
n
k

A
r
m

L
a
g

[
D
e
g

R
M
S
]

External Force Applied [N]
Mechanism Performance Metrics
Varied Loading
Link Arm Lag [Deg RMS]
Y Displacement of Node B [mm RMS]

24

Figure 20 Torque Shaft Torque for Studied Loads
The degradation in performance as the external load was increased was expected
since it would require a greater torque to be transmitted by the timing belt system to
maintain alignment of the mechanism, as can be seen in Figure 20. This increased
torque led to increased belt tension, which increased elongation of the belt and adversely
affected the synchronization of the system. Along with timing belt tension, system
variables such as input torque, torque shaft revolute joint reaction forces and sun
sprocket reaction moment all increased proportionally to the magnitude of the applied
external load. This was demonstrated by the stability of the subject mechanism over a
range of input loads.
-50000
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
0 90 180 270 360
T
o
r
q
u
e

S
h
a
f
t

T
o
r
q
u
e

[
N
m
m
]

Drive Arm Position [degrees]
Torque Shaft Torque vs. Drive Arm Position
Varied loading
P=0
P=100
P=150
P=200
P=500
P=750

25
4. Conclusions
The results attained from the RecurDyn simulations compare favorably to those
determined with the hand calculations. Furthermore, the performance of the mechanism
responded proportionally and repeatably to the magnitude of the external load applied.
While corresponding measurements from the physical model of the mechanism
were not available from comparison, general observations of the operation, particularly
with regard to the motion of node B, show similar characteristics as those in the
RecurDyn model. A potential future extension of this analysis could include taking
physical measurements of performance metrics of the actual mechanism and comparing
them to the RecurDyn model.
The RecurDyn simulation software was very well suited for this task. The
RecurDyn software is extremely robust and powerful, providing detailed output and also
allowing great flexibility in formulating the model. The built-in timing belt modeling
functionality made constructing the mechanism relatively straight forward. Once the
mechanism was constructed it was a bit more challenging to configure the model to
deliver a reasonable result. While simple bodies like arms and shafts were easily
modeled, the more complex bodies required research and experimentation to determine
reasonable characteristic values.
A prime example of this difficultly was in characterizing the timing belt tensile
stiffness. When creating a new timing belt system in RecurDyn the belt stiffness and
damping properties are assigned default values, rather than prompting for entry by the
user. The tensile stiffness default value is 100N/mm, which is two orders of magnitude
less than the published values for the timing belts being modeled. During the initial
modeling phase of this project where feasibility was assessed, this default value caused
instability in solving the simulation. The input for tensile stiffness was found after
further research in the RecurDyn software. Once rectified, similar challenges with
damping and roller compliance were found and addressed to achieve a more stable and
accurate solution.
Based on the trends observed in the studies presented in this paper it would be
possible to achieve further improvement in the performance of the mechanism. This can
be done by improving one or more of the attributes of the timing belt. A belt with higher

26
tensile stiffness would decrease the elongation of the timing belt that results from the
external load and therefore maintain better synchronization accuracy. This could be
achieved with either a stiffer tension member, or simply a wider belt. Using a newer
involute in place timing belt profile, such as the STD profile
11
, in place of the trapezoidal
profile would also improve synchronization accuracy due to reduced backlash.
Even without the improvements suggested above the subject mechanism appears to
perform very well in translating node B in an approximate straight line without any
external guidance. In the case of the varied external loading, the RMS Y direction
displacement of Node B was found to range from a minimum of 0.2mm to a maximum
of 1mm over the analyzed load range of no load to 750N. Considering the total X
direction travel of Node B was 1070mm for each of the cases analyzed, this is excellent
performance.


11
(Perneder & Osborne, 2012)

27
5. References
1.) Al-Dwairi, A. F., & Al-Lubani, S. E. (2007). Modeling and Dynamic Analysis of a
Planetary Mechanism with an Elastic Belt. Mechanism and Machine Theory , 39, 343-
355.

2.) ContiTech Antriebssysteme GmbH. (2008, December). Conti Sychroflex Timing
Belts: Overall Catalog. Retrieved May 2, 2012, from ContiTech Antriebssysteme GmbH
Web site: http://www.contitech.de/pages/produkte/antriebsriemen/antrieb-
industrie/download/td_synchroflex_en.pdf

3.) F.N. Sheppard & Co. (2000). Belt Design Catalog. Erlanger, Kentucky.

4.) Gates Mectrol GmbH. (2008, May). Catalogue; Polyurethane Timing Belts.
Retrieved May 12, 2012, from Gates Mectrol Corporation Web site:
http://www.gatesmectrol.com/mectrol/downloads/download_common.cfm?file=GatesM
ectrol_Belt_Pulley_br_5_08.pdf&folder=brochure

5.) Gates Mectrol, Inc. (2006, October). Timing Belt Theory. Retrieved May 4, 2012,
from Gates Mectrol Corporation Web site:
http://www.gatesmectrol.com/mectrol/downloads/download_common.cfm?file=Belt_Th
eory06sm.pdf&folder=brochure

6.) Mabie, H. H., & Reinholtz, C. F. (1987). Mechanisms and Dynamics of Machinery.
New York: John Riley and Sons.

7.)Perneder, R., & Osborne, I. (2012). Handbook Timing Belts. Berlin Heidelberg:
Springer-Verlag.

8.) SIT Spa. (2003, September). Trasmissioni a cinghia dentata. Retrieved May 14,
2012, from SIT Spa Web site: http://www.sitspa.it/94.pdf

28
9.) Zhanguo, L., Jiangming, & Jiaxing, L. (2010). Analysis and Research of Automotive
Trapezoid Synchronus Belt's Fatigue Life based on RecurDyn. International Conference
on Computer, Mechantronics, Control and Electronic Engineering (pp. 193-195). IEEE.