MECHANISMS FOR THE EQUAL DIVISION OF THE ELLIPSE

The division of the ellipse into a given number of equal arcs is a cla ssical problem of elliptical gear milling and of ornamental turning. I t cannot be solved in closed form but easily numerically. Since it has practical relevance for the ornamentation of elliptical turned pieces ingenious mechanisms have been invented by lathe makers and used sinc e the beginning of the last century. The paper presents the geometrica l base for the division of the ellipse by means of the standard divisi on plate and those compensating mechanisms, shows their aberration and optimum adjustment and proposes new types of mechanisms acid mechanic al devices giving better approximation and having simpler technical la yout. The design draft of the compensating linkage for a modern dynami cally balanced elliptical lathe is given.