Page 20 - Mechatronic Components Roadmap to Design

Chapter 3

Calculation for Mechanical

Properties

ABSTRACT
During the design process, the machines work with basic principles of motion. When there
is a motion, there is always friction and the phenomenon needs to be handled: (1) by
reducing it as much as possible by using different kinds of bearings, mentioned in the
mechanical element chapter, and (2) by calculating the required additional energy to over-
come the frictional losses. The center of gravity can be calculated via the design software
very easily, but the mechatronic designer should understand the concept and have a sense
of its location during the design process. The center of gravity can determine how some
forces, such as centrifugal forces, will form during the motion of the system. The moment
of inertia is the resistance of the part to rotation and can be calculated depending on the
geometry of the part. Without using more material, it is possible to have a part that has a
higher moment of inertia. Thus, the designer can have a lightweight design with a higher
strength. The Reynolds Number defines the flow characteristic: laminar or turbulent. The
flow rate can be important if the designer would like to calculate the energy lost due to the
friction inside a pipe. It is very important to understand the calculation formulas for these
different kinds of properties, because the designer can understand the correlation between
the design parameters by studying these formulas and thus make a correct decision to
change the necessary parameters. It should be also kept in mind that for a given part, more
than one property can be important and the parameters might be optimized at the same
time. For example, changing the geometry of the part can change both the moment of
inertia and the center of gravity.

Mechatronic Components. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814126-7.00003-7
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