Service Life Assessment of the Cam Mechanisms

Currently, there are higher requirements on the cam mechanisms. Part of the design is a determination of the service life of a cam surface. This paper deals with wear mechanisms at cam mechanisms in its first part, then describes factors affecting the life and the last part deals with a methodology of durability testing. Hertz's contact theory is the basis for the pressure determination in the contact patch. By means of its value we get the relationship between surface hardness and required lifetime of the cam surface. This information is heading to determination of the materials suitable for the cam mechanisms production, and it is necessary taking into account the working conditions.