Experimental Study of the Behavior of Certain Connectors in a Vibratory Bowl Feeder

Abstract

Abstract The design and implementation of vibratory bowl feeders involves the analysis of the behavior of the parts as they are conveyed up the bowl track. This paper presents the results obtained in a series of experiments which study the effect of the vibration amplitude in the feeder on the dynamic orientations of a family of parts. The objective of the study is to investigate how complex parts behave in a vibratory bowl feeder and try to establish a relationship between the orientation of the parts and the vibration amplitude of the bowl feeder. The study consisted of experimenting with four types of connectors that were similar in shape but differ in proportions. By experimenting with a part family, we intend to establish and generalize in the near future a relationship between the tendency of the parts to fall in certain orientations, the amplitude of vibration in the feeder, and geometric features or mass properties. The acquired knowledge could then be incorporated in computer aided design programs, together with existing theory on feeder design, to specify orientation devices and operating parameters in the vibratory bowl feeder.