Lesson goal
Calculate the forces in a real mechanism to size motors and springs.
2 videos
1 exercise
Intermediate
Prerequisite: Lesson 1
1. Watch the videos
Dassault Systèmes videos hosted on MySolidWorks: they open in a new tab and a free account is enough. Watch them in order.
Introduction to SOLIDWORKS MotionSimulate the weight of a vehicle on a jack and calculate the torque and power needed to lift it.↗ Creating Contacts, Springs and DampersA catapult with contact between bodies, a spring and friction: loading torque and projectile trajectory.↗
2. Key takeaways
SOLIDWORKS Motion is a virtual prototyping tool: it calculates the physical behavior of the assembly in motion.
A force represents the load (here the weight of the vehicle); the motor imposes the motion and SOLIDWORKS Motion derives the torque and power.
Solid body contact prevents parts from passing through each other and transmits the forces.
Friction on a contact changes the result: compare with and without it to measure its effect.
Tip
Plot the motor torque over the full stroke: it is the maximum value, not the average, that you use to select the motor.
3. Do the exercise
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