I'm hoping some of you monkeys can help give me some ideas for a project I'm working on -- I'm basically making a tiny four-bar linkage that will be used as a hinge. Think of the hinges used on the trunk or hood of some cars.
What I'm getting hung up on is how to make the pivots be both smooth and solid as possible, emphasis on the solid part... every linkage I've ever fudged together has had play like crazy and I want to eliminate it at the pivots as much as I can. The pivots don't need to be free spinning (it's okay if there is some drag), but they need to feel smooth. Nothing has been bought or fabricated yet so there is plenty of leeway with the design.
As it stands, the links have a .125"x.5" cross section. I can maybe bump them up to .25" thick but I'd rather keep them as thin as possible. I was originally thinking about using thrust bearings/bushings since that would give a slightly larger contact area at the pivot to help reduce play. I'm still thinking that may be a good way to go, but I'm open to any ideas. My trouble with the thrust bearings is: I've never actually used them before and am having a tough time imagining how to bolt everything together so the fastener won't back itself out. Maybe some Locite would be sufficient?
The other option would be to make the links thicker and press in a standard bearing.
Thoughts?
What I'm getting hung up on is how to make the pivots be both smooth and solid as possible, emphasis on the solid part... every linkage I've ever fudged together has had play like crazy and I want to eliminate it at the pivots as much as I can. The pivots don't need to be free spinning (it's okay if there is some drag), but they need to feel smooth. Nothing has been bought or fabricated yet so there is plenty of leeway with the design.
As it stands, the links have a .125"x.5" cross section. I can maybe bump them up to .25" thick but I'd rather keep them as thin as possible. I was originally thinking about using thrust bearings/bushings since that would give a slightly larger contact area at the pivot to help reduce play. I'm still thinking that may be a good way to go, but I'm open to any ideas. My trouble with the thrust bearings is: I've never actually used them before and am having a tough time imagining how to bolt everything together so the fastener won't back itself out. Maybe some Locite would be sufficient?
The other option would be to make the links thicker and press in a standard bearing.
Thoughts?
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