OPTIMUM BALANCING DESIGNS OF THE DRAG-LINK DRIVE OF MECHANICAL PRESSES FOR PRECISION CUTTING

Proposing optimum designs by adding disk counterweights to reduce the shaking force and shaking moment of the drag-link drive of mechanical presses is the main subject of this study. The two-phase optimization technique is proposed for the multi-objective optimization. The effect s of implementing the designs on the flywheel and brake of the machine are also evaluated. Regarding the two-phase optimization technique pr oposed, it starts with an initial estimate but generates a few feasibl e designs. It is found that the results obtained with the technique ar e usually better than those starting with the criterion value as the o bjective function. The optimum designs with or without the tangent con straints, which insure the contours of the added counterweights on the links with fixed pivots that are tangent to the pivot centers, are in vestigated. It is found that the results with the tangent constraints are more cost-effective. Subject to the very strict space constraints, the shaking effects can be reduced by almost a half, using the propos ed design. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.