Determining the Effective Spring Rate of Air Cylinders Used to Close Cam-Follower Joints

Cam-follower systems in industrial machinery often use air cylinders to close the cam-follower joint. These cylinders provide a nonlinear spring characteristic to the system. This study experimentally determines the thermodynamic behavior of an air cylinder in this application and shows it to be an essentially isothermal device. Information is presented to allow the designer to properly size an air cylinder for a particular application considering valving, connections, and accumulator size.