S1102-1-6 Three-dimensional Finite Element Analysis Considering Contact and Friction on the Mechanical Behavior of Screw Type Tensioner

Abstract

Screw type tensioner is one of the elements that sustain the tension of the timing belt or chain. Applied vibration is transformed into rotational motion by mating thread and induced torque is transmitted between an external screw and a torsion spring. Internal screw moves in the axial direction according to the rotation of external screw and reacts to the belt or chain. In order to realize the stable operation, the stable slip behavior on the contacting thread surface is of critical importance. This study aims to clarify the contact behavior on the surface and investigate the mechanism of the tensioner by applying the three-dimensional FEM for the mechanical behavior of bolted joint subjected to axial loading. We found that the external screw proceeds with rotation in the case that after the thread part rotates in the loading process, the bottom part also rotates in the unloading process. We also observed this behavior in the experiment and confirmed that FE analysis qualitatively well reproduces the experiment.