Pneumatic motor with torque calculation

-Submitted by Abhishek Raj(2009me20652) and Vaibhaw Chaturvedy(2009me20685)

A pneumatic motor or compressed air engine is a type of motor which does mechanical work by expanding compressed air. Pneumatic motors generally convert the compressed air to mechanical work through either linear or rotary motion. Linear motion can come from either a diaphragm or piston actuator, while rotary motion is supplied by either a vane type air motor or piston air motor. Pneumatic motors have existed in many forms over the past two centuries, ranging in size from hand held turbines to engines of up to several hundred horsepower. Some types rely on pistons and cylinders, others use turbines. Many compressed air engines improve their performance by heating the incoming air, or the engine itself. Pneumatic motors have found widespread success in the hand-held tool industry and continual attempts are being made to expand their use to the transportation industry. However, pneumatic motors must overcome inefficiencies before being

The purpose of a rotary motor is to convert fluid power into shaft power by forcing the shaft to rotate. Pressure is converted into torque and flow rate is converted into speed. In other words, the faster you push the fluid through the motor, the faster it goes and the harder it is to turn the shaft, the higher the pressure needed to make it go round. SYMBOLS

The basic symbol is a circle with a triangular arrow pointing inwards indicating the direction of flow. Pneumatic symbols have white arrow and hydraulic symbols have black arrows.

TYPES OF MOTORS 1. Gear Motors: Fluid is pumped into the motor inlet (P) where it has two courses to follow around the outside in the space between the teeth to the exit at (T). 2. Vane Motors: Flow from the pump enters the inlet, forces the rotor and vanes to rotate and passes out through the outlet. Rotation of the rotor causes the output shaft to rotate. 3. Rotary Piston Type: The oil forces the piston to move in a similar way to a hydraulic ram. The piston has studs on it with 45o splines that mate with fixed splines on one side. This makes the piston and shaft rotate as it moves. 4. Parallel Piston Type: The two pistons move parallel to each other. One piston rotates the shaft one way and the other piston rotates it the other. The rotation is about 100o. This design is commonly used for the pneumatic operation of pipe line valves.

5. Rack and Pinion Type: The construction is basically two single acting cylinders with a single connecting rod in the form of a rack. The rack engages with a pinion gear that is part of the output shaft. The pistons are moved either right to left or left to right producing clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation. Adjusting the piston stroke can set the degree of rotation. The design is typical for a pneumatic actuator. 6. Radial Piston Motors: There are many designs for radial piston motors. They are typically used for applications requiring a large torque and slow speed such as with winches. The design is common for hydraulic and pneumatic motors. THEORY Air is a very compressible substance and the theory for air motors is more complicated than for hydraulic motors. The volume of hydraulic fluids is considered constant in the theory. In other words, the volume is unaffected by the pressure. POWER AND EFFICIENCY FLUID POWER is defined as F.P. = Q p Q is the flow rate in m3/s and p is the difference between the inlet and outlet pressure in N/m2. The output power is the shaft power is given by the formula S.P. = 2NT = T N is the speed in rev/s. T is the shaft torque in Nm and is the shaft speed in radian/s. The output power is reduced because of friction and internal slippage of fluid. This gives the overall efficiency for the motor and this is defined as follows. Overall Efficiency = o = Output/Input = Shaft Power/Fluid Power It must be remembered that in the case of gas as the working fluid, the volume depends upon the pressure. SPEED - FLOW RELATIONSHIP The basic relationship between flow rate and speed is F l o w Rate = Q = Kq x Speed Kq is the nominal displacement of the motor usually expressed in units of cm3/rev. TORQUE - PRESSURE RELATIONSHIP In fluid power, shaft speed is normally given in rev/min or rev/s. The formula for shaft power is given by the well known formula SP = 2NT. If the motor is 100% efficient, the shaft power is equal to the fluid power so equating we get the following. 2NT = Q p Rearrange to make T the subject. T = (Q/N) p/2 T = kqp/2

p is the difference in pressure between the inlet and outlet of the motor. Kq is the nominal displacement in m3/s.

In control theory it is more usual to use radians/s for shaft speed in which case:

Rearrange to make T the subject.

T = Q p T = (Q/) p T = kqp

Kq is the nominal displacement in m3/radian. The operating characteristics of an ideal motor may be summed up by the two equations: Flow rate = Kq N T = Kq p

APPLICATIONS A widespread application of small pneumatic motors is in hand-held tools, power ratchet wrenches, drills, sanders, grinders, cutters, and so on. Though overall energy efficiency of pneumatics tools is low and they require access to a compressed-air source, there are several advantages over electric tools. They offer greater power density (a smaller pneumatic motor can provide the same amount of power as a larger electric motor), do not require an axillary speed controller (adding to its compactness), generate less heat, and can be used in more volatile atmospheres as they do not require electric power.

FAQ 1. How is pneumatic motor different from electrical motors? 2. How to achieve linear motion using pneumatic actuators? 3. How to calculate efficiency of pneumatic motors? 4. What are the applications of pneumatic motors?