Mat'k MadJ. 7 ' ~ VoL 27, No. 4, pp. 373-389o 1992 0094-114X/92 S&00+0.

00
Printed in Great Britain.AUrishts rwerved CopyrishtC~ 1992INqlsmoa PromLid

THE EFFECTS OF THE G E N E R A T I N G PIN

SIZE A N D PLACEMENT ON THE C U R V A T U R E
A N D DISPLACEMENT OF EPITROCHOIDAL
GEROTORS

J. E. BEARDt
ME-EM Department. Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, U.S.A.

D. W. YANNITELL
Mechanical Engineering Department, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, U.S.A.

G. R. P E N N O C K
School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayatte, IN 47907, U.S.A.

(Received 14 June 1991;receitwdfor publication 26 July 1991)

Almract--Gerotor$ do not have auxiliary gears in general, therefore the motion of one lobed gear mletive
to the other lobed gear b produced by the forces between the two contactin8 lohet The contact forces,
however, result in wear in one or both lobed Bears which, in turn. reduces the life of the mechanbm. As
• gerotor cannot he adjusted to compensate for the wear. it is important that the contact f m be kept
to • minimum, it it well known that the wear rate can be red,_~.ced__by deere~nlg the curvature (or ira:reran8
thc radius of curvature) of the lobes. The curvature is a function of the size and the placement of the pins
which generetc the lobe shape. In this paper, relationships are derived which show the influence of the
trochoid ratio, the pin size ratio, and the radius of the generating pin on the curvature of the epitrochoidul
gerntor. The relationships provide geometric insisht into the design of gerotors which can save time and
effort in the manufacturing process, in addition, the results are combined with previously published
formulae for the pocket displacement to obtain design charts. These charts can he easily used by the
designer to predict the effect of the geometry on the performance of a gerotor. An example it presented,
which shows how a commercially available gerotor can be modified to give a 48.7% increase in the
minimum radius of curvature with only a 3.2% decrease in the displacement and no change in the overall
size of the gerotor.

NOMENCLATURE
X, O, )',---Cartesian reference frame attached to the m i l e r P--Pole of the two pitch circles (coincident with the
pitch circle (resarded as stationary, or fixed, in instant center)
tl.s paper) 4t---Input anlgle (position of the crank mletive to the
X202 g~-.Ca~_~ reference frame attached to the larger x, -am)
pitch circle (the pitch circle that contains the ~----Crank angle (position of the crank reletive to the
generating pins) X24x/s)
Or--Center of the smaller pitch circle ,k--Angle between the X,-axis and the X2-uis
O2--Center of the larger pitch circle g--Angle between the X,-axis and the line PC'
r,--Radim of the m i l e r pitch circle Oc---Center of curvature of the epitrochoidal path of
r:---Radius of the larger (or generating) pitch circle point C
T--Number of generatinlg lobes on the larger pitch Of--Center of curvature of the generated path of point
circle q
T - I--Number of generated lobes on the m i l e r pitch Ps--Centcr of curvature of the generated path of point
circle H
C--Center of the generatins pin (or arc) pc--Radius of curvature of the epitrochoidal path
r---Radius of the generetinlg pin of point ¢
~--Internal point of contact between the generating pQ--Radius of curvature of the generated path of
pin and the genamted shape point Q
H--Extcmal point of contact between the generatinlg pw--Radiux of curvature of the generated path of
pin and the generated shape point H
rc--Rndius 02C of the epilrochoidal path of point /~---T~ ratio
C ,t--Pin ~ ratio
e--Trochoid eccentricity - length of the crank O, 02 6A--Crms-sectional pocket area

1'Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed.

373
374 J . E . BEAgDeta/.

1. INTRODUCTION
A 8erotor is a planar mechanism consisting of a pair of lobed gears one of which encloses the
other. The number of lobes (or teeth) on the smaller gear is one less than the number of lobes
on the larger gear. It is commonly accepted that the first practical gerotor was invented by
Hill [I]. In his design, the gear lobes were generated by circular arcs whose centers traveled on
epitrochoidal paths. A trochoid is defined as the path of a point fixed in a circle that rolls on a
stationary plane (regarded here as a circle). If the point lies on, outside, or inside the
circumference of the rolling circle then the trochoid is classified as ordinary, curtate, or prolate,
respectively. The trocoid is called an epitrochoid if the rolling circle is outside the fixed circle,
a hypotrochoid if the rolling circle is inside the fixed circle, and a cycloid if the fixed circle
has an infinite radius of curvature, i.e. is a straight line. The epitrochoidal geometry is the
most common design in rotary engines and pumps although an engine based on the hypo-
trochoidai geometry is known to exist [2]. The displacement between the inner and outer gear lobes
provides a graudally changing volume which can be utilized for fluid moving properties (e.g.
in a gear pump) or for a gas compression effect (e.g. in a compressor, or an internal combustion
engine). The best-known example of a gerotor mechanism used as an engine is the Wankel rotary
engine [3-5].
The basic geometry of the gerotor mechanism is, for the most part, well known and can be found,
for example, in Refs [2, 6-10]. A major contribution of this paper is to show the effect of the
size and the placement of the lobe generating pins (or arcs) on the curvature of the lobe surface
and the volumetric displacement of the mechanism. The pins generate two shapes, commonly
referred to as the inner envelope and the outer envelope [I, ! I]. The innermost envelope is produced
by the internal point of contact between the pin and the generated shape, and the outermost
envelope is produced by the external point of contact [for examples of the two envelopes, see
Figs 4(a) and 4(b) below]. The paper also shows how the minimum radius of curvature of
the epitrochoidal path can be substantially increased with little or no decrease in the pocket
displacement. The authors believe that the equations and design charts presented here provide
geometric insight into the design of gerotors which will save considerable time and effort before
the manufacturing process.

2. BASIC GEOMETRY OF THE EPITROCHOIDAL GEROTOR

The two lobed gears in most practical gerotors rotate; however, in a kinematic analysis, one of
the two gears may be regarded as stationary (or fixed). In this paper, the smaller pitch circle is
considered fixed and the larger pitch circle is regarded as the generating pitch circle. Figure I
illustrates the basic geometry of the epitrochoidal gerotor. The cartesian reference frame attached
to the center of the fixed pitch circle is denoted as X~O, Yt and the cartesian reference frame
attached to the center of the generating pitch circle is denoted as X2O2 Y2. The distance from the
center of the fixed pitch circle, Oj, to the center of the generating pitch circle, O 2, is referred to
as the crank, or the trochoid eccentricity, and is written as
e = r~ - r,, (I)

where r 2 and r t are the radii of the generating and fixed pitch circles, respectively. For con-
tinuous contact between the generating pins and the generated surface, Hill [1] presented the
relation
r2 T
- = (2)
rl T - I'
where T is the number of lobes on the generating pitch circle and T - I is the number of lobes
on the fixed-pitch circle. Substituting equation (2) into equation (I), the trochoid eccentricity can
be written as
r2
e = -- (3)
T"
 Curvaturcanddisplammcntofepitrochoidalwrown 375
$enerote4 thepe
, ~ (xternelCentect

(pltrocholdel Path
of Point C.

Y2
Generate4 $ h e p e - - ~
Internal Contact
x
,

Xz
/ - ' J,/~or. V ~ L. I \ I A_-~z T
e
Oz • _ XI

'Generating Pin of rndlus

r and center point C.

~_ ~ Fixed pitch circle

Rolling pitch circle
Fig. !. Epitrochoidal path of the center of the generatingpin C. A portion of the generatedshape for
internal contact and external contact is also shown.

The constraint for rolling contact between the two pitch circles is
r , # = r2(~) - ~), (4)
where 4) is the input angle and ~ is the angle between the fixed Xl-axis and the moving Xz-axis.
Substituting equation (2) into equation (4), the relationship between the two angles may be
written as

= ~4,
. (5)
It is convenient to choose the Xl-axis such that in the initialposition (i.e.when the input angle
= 0 ~) the centers O, and 02, the pole P of the rollingpitchcircle,and the center of the generating
pin, point C, are all aligned (see Fig. 2). It should be noted that point C is always located on
the X2-axis, as shown in Fig. I. The coordinates of point C, expressed in the fixed cartesian
reference frame, are

Cx= - e cos ~ + re cos (;) and Cr = - e sin 4) + re sin ~(°) , (6a)

where rc is the radius of the epitrochoidal path of point C. Equations (6a) may be written as

-co.. and C r = - ~ { - s i n ~ +/~Tsin(--OT)}, (6b)

where the ratio

rc
= - (7)
r2
376 J. ]~ I~utD et an.

Fill. 2. A pnerating pin in the initial position (i.e. the input angle h - 0° and ~ - 0°). The example is
for an internal content epitrochoidal gerotor with 1"/(7" - I) - 3/4.

is used consistently throughout this paper and is referred to as the trochoid ratio. The coordinates
of point Q, i.e. the internal point of contact between thc generating pin and the gcncrated shape,
may be expressed in the fixed cartesian reference frame as

,cos0

Similarly, the coordinates of point H, i.e. the external point of contact between the generating pin
and the generated shape, may be expressed in the fixed cartesian reference frame as

Hx=-~{-cos~ +pTcos ( ~ ) } + r c o s 0 and Hr= r2{-sin~+pTsin(~)}+rsinO, (9)

where
,[ -sin ~ + p sin(O/T)'~
0 = tan- \ ~ + P~ , /
is the angle between the XI-axis and the line connecting P to C, as shown in Fig. I. The generated
shape of the paths of points Q and H depend on the epitrochoidal path traced by point C.
Therefore, the radius of curvature of the epitrochoidal path is examined first.

3. R A D I U S OF CURVATURE OF THE EPITROCHOIDAL PATH

The radius of curvature of the epitrochoidal path traced by point C, at a specified input position
4~, may be written as
f' (lo)
Pc ffi fxf'r -f'xfr'
where
dCx dCr
fx==--~., fr=,--~ -, and f=-i.V(fI+ffr) (11)

are referred to as the first-order kinematic coefficients, and

d2Cx d2Cr
f ~ = - ~ ' T and f~'=d~b' (12)
 Curvature and displacementof epitrochoidalgerotors 37"/

are referred to as the second-order kinematic ~gfllcients; see Hall [12]. Taking the first- and
second-order derivatives of equations (6b), with respect to ~, the kinematic coefficients may be
written as

fx=e{sin¢~-/~ sin(~)}, f r = e { - c o s ¢ ~ +• c o s ( ~ ) } (13)

f ~ . = e { c o s ¢ ~ - ~ c o s ( ~ )¢~} and f ~ - - e _{sin ¢~ - y P sin(-~)}. (14)

Then substituting equations (13) and (14) into equation (10), the radius of curvature of the
epitrochoidal path may be written as
r 2 ~ 2 -- (2 COS 0{)~ -'J- I] 3/2
Pc--/~2_ [(T + l)cos ~]/~ + T' (15)
where

is the angle between the crank O~ O2 and the moving X2-axis, as shown in Fig. I. It should be noted
that the relative crank angle ~, henceforth referred to simply as the crank angle, is related to the
input angle by a constant (i.e. the ratio of the number of lobes or the ratio of the radii of the two
pitch circles). Also, if equation (15) yields a positive value for the radius of curvature of the path,
then the location of the center of curvature, Oc, is to the left of the path as the generating pin
travels counter-clockwise around the generated shape.
Two further points should be noted on the radius of curvature of the epitrochoidai path:
(i) it is a quadratic in the trochoid ratio and depends on cosct; and (2) it tends to infinity (i.e.
an inflection point occurs in the path) when the denominator in equation (15) tends to zero.
The location of inflection points in the path is discussed in some detail in Section 4.2. First,
we determine the values of the crank angle where the curvature of the epitrochoidal path is
stationary.

4. STATIONARY CURVATURE OF E P I T R O C H O I D A L PATH

The extrema of the radius of curvature of the epitrochoidal path will occur when point C lies
on the cubic of stationary curvature; see Beard et al. [13]. Points on this curve have the property
that their paths have stationary curvature at that instant. That is, the rate of change of the radius
of curvature of the point path, with respect to distance along the path, is momentarily zero for
all points of the path. For the rolling of one circle on another circle (as is the case for the
epitrochoidal gerotor), the cubic of stationary curvature degenerates to a straight line and a
circle [14]. The straight-line portion is coincident with the pole normal, shown in Fig. 3, and the
diameter of the circle (denoted as M) may be expressed in terms of the inflection circle diameter
(denoted as PJ) and the radius of the fixed or moving circle; see Hall [15]. As the diameter of the
inflection circle does not change with the motion, then the diameter of the circle portion of the
cubic is the same for all positions of the rolling pitch circle.
The values of the crank angle which correspond to stationary curvature in the path of point C
are obtained by differentiating equation (15), with respect to ~, and setting the result equal to zero.
After rearranging, the equation is observed to he of the form
E × F × G =0 (17a)
where
E=sin~,, F=/~2-(2cos~t)/~ + I (ITo)
and
G = 3{/~2 - [(T + I)cos ~,~ + T} - [p2 _ (2 cos ~,)/~ + I](T + 1). (17c)
378 J.E. ~ era/.

~ ole Normal YI

Inflection Circle

~ u u i q p vw ~ •u ~.vww~w ~ ,mp~w u ~ ~lww ii~

Fig. 3. The extrema of the epitrochoidalpath of point C occur when point C is on the cubic of stationary
curvature. The cubic is a circleof constant diameter and a straiight line (i.e. the pole normal). The figure
shows the generated shape for internal contact only and the ratio T/(T- I)- 4/3.

It is clear from equation (17a) that there are three distinct cases where stationary curvature in the
epitrochoidal path could occur; namely, when E = 0, and/or F = 0, and/or G = 0. As it is important
to understand each case, they are presented now in some detail.

4. I. Examining the possible values of the crank angle for stationary curvature
Case l. Consider E = 0; i.e. sin ~ = 0. The values o f the crank angle which satisfy this con-
dition are at - - 0 ° or ~t = :~. Substituting ~ - - 0 ~ into equation (15) and simplifying, the first local
extremum is
r2(/z - I) 2
Pc,= /~-T (18)

The crank angle is 0 ° when the input angle is 0 ° [see equation (16)], which is defined as the initial
position o f the gerotor. The moving Xz-axis and the fixed X0-axis are coincident in the initial
position [see equation (5)] and point C lies on both axes (see Fig. 2). Therefore, the first local
extremum is the radius o f curvature of the initial generated point which is referred to as the bottom
o f the lobe for internal contact or the top o f the lobe for external contact.
Substituting ~t = n into equation (15) and simplifying, the second local extremum is
r2 (p + I)2
Pc2= /z+T (19)

Although sin • = 0 will occur every mc(n = 1, 2, 3 . . . . ), one half of the symmetric lobe is generated
in the range 0 ° ~< ~t ~ ~. Therefore, as the function is cyclic, only this range o f the crank angle need
be considered. The second local extremum occurs at the top of the lobe for internal contact or at
the bottom o f the lobe for external contact.
Case 2. Consider F=O; i.e. the second term in equation (17b) may be written as
/~2- (2 cos~t)/~ + 1 = 0 . (20)
 Curvature and d i ~ _ ~ of epitrochoidal lerotors 379

For equation (20) to be a possible solution, the relationship between the trochoid ratio and the
crank angle is
/~ = cos • 4- ~/(cos20c - 1). (21)

As the trochoid ratio is a positive, real value, and cos 2 ~, ~ + I, then the only value of the crank
angle which will satisfy these conditions is • t 0 °. Substituting this value into equation (21) gives
a trochoid ratio equal to one. Then substituting/~ = 1 into equation (I 8), we see that the first local
extremum Pc, = O. This defines a cusp in the path o f point C and is a special case which may not
be a practical solution.
Case 3. Consider J --0; i.e. equation (17c) may be written as
3{/t 2 - [(T + l)cos 0c~ + T} - ~2 _ (2 cos ~)/~ + l](T + I) = 0. (22a)
Rearranging, the equation can be written as
2T - 1 -/~2(T - 2)
cos 0c = (22b)
/ z ( T + I)
As - I ~<cos = ~ + I, a third local extremum can occur when the trochoid ratio is
2T- !
+1 </~ < T ~ - 2 " (23)

This equation is the most general result for the trochoid ratio of a practical gerotor. Substituting
equation (23) into equation (! 5) and simplifying, the third local extrernum is
/ 3 \3/2
~ r

This is a very important result and was first presented by Hall [6]. if the trochoid ratio satisfies
equation (23) then all three local extrema, i.e. equations (18), (19) and (24), will occur on the path.
However, if the trochoid ratio
2T-I
I> 2"-----2" (25)

then only the firstand second local extrema can occur on the path.
The following subsection presents the general conditions that are necessary for an inflectionpoint
to occur on the epitrochoidai path, i.e. the conditions for the radius of curvature of the path to
be infinite.

4.2. Inflection point in the generated path of point C

An inflection point will occur in the path of point C for all values of the trochoid ratio if the
number of generating lobes is two [see equations (23) and (25)]. This value of T, however, is a
special case and will not be considered further in this paper. Suffice to say that the cubic of
stationary curvature degenerates to two lines; one line is coincident with the pole normal and the
other line is coincident with the pole tangent.
By definition, an inflection point will occur in the epitrochoidai path when the denominator in
equation (15) is zero; i.e.
/~2 _ [(T + l)cos ~]/z + T = 0. (26a)
Rearranging, the equation can be written as
/z2+T
cos ~, /z(T + l)" (26b)

As T and/~ are positive, real values, then cos • > 0, i.e. 0 ° ~< • < 90 °. Therefore, an inflection point
will occur when
/~2+T
0< (T+i)~I. (27)
 380 J.E. ~ eta/.

It should be noted that ff

/~2+ T
> + 1, (28)
~(T + t)
then the radius of curvature of the epitrochoidal path must be a positive, finite value, for all values
of the crank angle.
As 0 < cos ~, < + !, then using equations (26) it can be shown that an inflection point will occur
when

/~ ~< 7". (29)

It should be noted for T = 3, then
2T-I
> T. (30a)
T-2
Therefore, the trochoid ratio must satisfy both
2T- I
< T-----2" and /~ < T (30b)

for the third local extremum to exist. It should also be noted that, for the case ~ - T, the first local
extremum is infinite [see equation (18)], as shown in Fig. 5(c).
A complete discussion of the plots of the radius of curvature of the epitrochoidal path of
point C against the crank angle, for all ranges of the trochoid ratio, is presented in Section 7.1.
The next section presents the local extrema of the generated shape of the paths of points Q
and H.

5. THE LOCAL EXTREMA FOR INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CONTACT

As the generating pin is circular and points Q and H always lie on the line that passes
through P and C, as shown in Fig. I, then the curves generated by Q and H are concentric with
the epitrochoidai path generated by point C. Therefore, the relationship between the radii of
curvature may be written as

PO = P c - r and P . = P c + r, (3 !)

where P c is as given by equation (I 5) and r is the radius of the generating pin. The relations state
that the local extrema of the path of point Q and the path of point H occur at the same values
of the crank angle as the local extrema of the epitrochoidal path of point C.
To simplify the expressions for the local extrema of the generated paths of points Q and H, and
provide geometric insight, we define the parameter

r
~.-- --, (32)
rc

henceforth referred to as the pin size ratio. From equation (7), the radius of the epitrochoidal
path of point C is r c = ~ 2 . Substituting this equation into equation (32) and rearranging, the radius
of the generating pin may be expressed as
r : r2~. (33)

Then substituting this result into equation (31), the radius of curvature of the generated paths of
points Q and H may be written, respectively,as

PQ = P c - - r21~A and P,s = P c + r d ~ . (34)

 Curvaturu and disiflacemeatof q~trochoidal I~rOtors 3tll

Finally, substituting equations (18), (19) and (24) into equations (~1), the local extrma of the
generated shape for both internal and external contact are

- 1)~ - ~t} (35)

pc~ = r2 + 7" ~ ' p'' = r 2 { - - ~ - - - + (36)

f/' 3 ¥/2 }
(37a)

and
r~ 3 \3/2 }
(37b)

Plots of the radius of curvature of the local extrema of the generated shape for internal contact
against the crank angle, for several ranges of the trochoid ratio, are presented in Section 7.1.

6. THE POCKET DISPLACEMENT

As a gerotor has a constant cross-section, the volume contained in any one pocket is the
cross-sectional area multiplied by the depth of that pocket [8, 13, 16]. The cross-sectional pocket
areas for internal contact and external contact, respectively, are
AA, = r~i~K, and &A,: = r~I~Ke, (38a)
where the constants
4 . it 4 . n
(38b)

and
t(T+ I \
r
= -(2cos=), + i]-,/{,.- [a co . - + I})dO. (38c)

where the crank angle is as given by equation (16). From equations (38b) we note that as the pin
size ratio approaches zero, K~ approaches Ke, in which case, the cross-sectional pocket area for
internal contact approaches the cross-sectional pocket area for external contact. We also note that
the integral given by equation (38c) is (I) a function of only T,/~ and =; and (2) a normal elliptic
integral of the second type and does not have an explicit solution[17]. In this paper, the
cross-sectional pocket area is obtained using a numerical technique; namely, the Gauss quadrature
method.
It should be recalled that a major goal of the paper is to present the results in a manner that
will allow a designer to make direct correlations between gerotors with different trochoid ratios
and pin size ratios. Therefore, the equations for the radii of curvature and the displacement will
now be normalized by scaling the gerotor to fit inside a unit circle. The containment radii for
internal and external contact, respectively, are
2rl r2
rl = -~" + rc - • and re = -~ + rc + r, (39)

and are shown in Figs 4(a) and 4(b). Rearranging the equations, the radius of the generating pitch
circle may be written in terms of the internal containment radius and the external containment
radius, respectively, as
Trl Trl
r2 = 2 +/~T(I - ~.) and r2 = 1 + pT(I + ,t)" (40)
 382 J.E. Brua~ at al.

GeneratedShapet GeneratedShape
ConjugateShape ConjugateShape
L_ r [
(a) (b)
Fig. 4. Epitrochoidal generation plus the containment radii. (a) Internal contact. (b) External contact.

Equations (40) provide the designer with the freedom to choose 7",/t, ,l and either r, (for internal
contact) or re (for external contact), and solve directly for the radius o f the generating pitch circle.
This is illustrated in Section 8 by an example o f a commercially available gerotor.

7. P L O T S OF T H E RADIUS O F C U R V A T U R E AND T H E D E S I G N C H A R T S
7. I. Radius of curvature of the epitrochoidal path and the generated path of point Q.
For illustrative purposes, we consider a gerotor with four lobes on the generating pitch circle
and three lobes on the fixed pitch circle. Figures 5(a)-5(d) present plots of the radii o f curvature
o f the epitrochoidal path of point C against the crank angle, for 0 ° ~< a ~< n, when:
(I) The trochoid ratio satisfies equation (23) [see Fig. 5(a)]. For purpose o f illustration we choose
/~ = 1.5. The radius of curvature is negative at the first local extremum and increases
asymptotically to - oo as the crank angle approaches the inflection point; i.e. = = 33.5 °. As
the crank angle continues to increase, the radius of curvature decreases from + o0 to the third
local extremum at • = 70.53 °. Then as the crank angle continues to increase, the radius o f
curvature increases until it reaches the second local extremum at • -- n.
(2) The trochoid ratio satisfies equation (25) [see Fig. 5(b)]. For purpose o f illustration we choose
= 3.6. The radius o f curvature is negative at the first local extremum and increases
asymptotically to - ~ as the crank angle approaches the inflection point; i.e. ~, = 19.57 °.
As the crank angle continues to increase, the radius of curvature decreases from + o0 to the
second local extremum at • --- n. Consistent with the statement made after equation (25), the
third local extremum does not occur on the path.
(3) The trochoid ratio satisfies equation (29). First, we consider the case/~ = T = 4, shown in
Fig. 5(c). The first local extremum is + ~ at • = O' and decreases to the second local extremum
at • = a. We next consider the case/~ > 7", shown in Fig. 5(d). For purpose of illustration
we choose/~ = 5. The first local extremum is a positive, finite value at ~ -- 0 ° and decreases
to the second local extremum at • = n. Figures 5(c) and 5(d) agree with an earlier statement
that, for this range o f the trochoid ratio, the radius of curvature is positive for all values o f
the crank angle.
As the majority o f gerotors are o f the internal contact type, we consider a gerotor o f this type with
T = 5, r z -- I,/~ = 1.8 and R = 0.3. Figure 6 is a plot o f the radius o f curvature o f the generated
shape o f point Q against the crank angle. For the sake o f completeness, the radius o f curvature
o f the epitrochoidal path o f point C is also shown. At the initial position, the local extremum from
equation (35) is po, = -0.740. The radius o f curvature tends asymptotically to - 0 o as the crank
angle approaches the inflection point; i.e. • = 40.27 ° from equation (26b). As the crank angle
continues to increase, the radius o f curvature decreases from + ~ to the third local extremum
at ~, = 93.82 ° from equation (22b). The value o f the local extremum, from equation (37a), is
 Curvature and displacement of e p i t r o ~ o i d a l gerotors 383

I
I *ee
I~ °"
1.0
20.0 -
I I
I I
I I +__
I I ~o 0.0 i~'~ C(°
90
i I
I 90 180

I
-20.0

2T-I 2T-I
(a) ÷ 1 < tt < ---~-~--, sec Equation (23) (b) T - 2 < I~ < T, see Equation (25)

12.0
I~I,00 IS.O

8.0" I0.0 --

4.0- S.0-

o.o I I ~ co° o.o I I ~ a°

90 180 gO 180
(c) ~t = T. see Equation (29) (d) ~t > T. see Equation (29)

Fig. 5. Plots of the radius of curvature of the epitroehoidal path of point C against the crank angle ,,.
The four possible ranges of p are plotted for 7" - 4.

Po~ = +0.518. Then, as the crank angle¢ontinues to increase, the radius of curvature increases until
it reaches the second local extremum at ~, = x. The value of the local extremum, from equation
(36), is P02 = +0.613.

7.2. Design charts for the epitrochoidal gerotor

The trochoid ratio for all known commercially available gerotors will have a value that satisfies
equation (23); i.e. the local extremum given by equation (24) is the most common minimum radius
of curvature [ 13, ! 8]. Therefore, the design charts presented in this section are for this extremum
only. It should be noted that the absolute value of the first local extremum may be smaller than
the absolute value of the third local extremum; however, the pressure angle (which has the same
definition as for involute gears) is 90 ° at the initial position. Therefore, wear is less critical at
the initial position. For a rigorous analysis, however, the value of the first local extremum should
be checked, as a small negative value could present machining difficulties. It should also be noted
that for some practical gerotors it is possible for the second local extremum to be the minimum
radius of curvature.
Figure 7 shows a set of design charts for internal contact gerotors with T - 4, 5, 6 and 7.
The charts illustrate the dependence of the third local extremum and the displacement on the
trochoid ratio and the pin size ratio. As noted above, the gerotors are scaled to fit inside a unit
circle. Two consistent trends are noteworthy: (I) the radius of curvature increases as the trochoid
384 J. E,. B ~ et aL

t +O0

3.0 m

2.0 g

|
1.0
(top of lobe)

I
I
o o.o I
I
I 1 I
120 lilO e

-,.o
(bottom or lobe)

o2.0

Fill. 6. Plots of the radii of curvaturePc and pQ apinst the crank angle. The infection point occursin
the path when ,, = 40.27°.

ratio increases (for all values of Tand ~.), and decreases as the pin size ratio increases (for all values
of T and/A), and (2) the displacement decreases as the trochoid ratio increases (for all values of
Tand ,t), and increases as the pin size ratio increases (for all values of Tand/~). The design charts
can be used by a designer to improve a particular gerotor design by choosing the best combination
of trochoid ratio and pin size ratio. It is obviously desirable to increase the minimum radius of
curvature as much as possible without any significant decrease in the pocket displacement. The next
section illustrates the importance of the design charts by presenting an example of a commerc/ally
available gerotor. The goal is to show how the minimum radius of curvature can be increased while
maintaining the same pocket displacement.

8. A P P L I C A T I O N OF THE DESIGN CHARTS TO A COMMEBCIALLY

AVAILABLE GEI|OTOR
We consider the commercially available internal contact gerotor shown in Fig. 8. The number
of generating lobes is five and the values of r, vc and v2 are as ~ t e d in the first row of Table 1.
The truchoid ratio and the pin size ratio are calculated from equations (7) and (32), respe~vely.
Then the three local extrema P~,, P~ and O~ are calculated from equations (35) (36) and
(37a), respectively. Finally, the pocket displacement for internal contact is obtained from
equations (38).
As the number of generating lobes is five, the design chart that is used in this particular example
is Fill. 7(b). Two stratesies will be presented: (I) increase both the trochoid ratio and the pin
size ratio; and (2) decrease both the trochoid ratio and the pin size ratio. The gm'otor for the first
strategy will be referred to as the Type 1 and the llerotor for the second strategy will be referred
to as the Type 2. To make a direct comparison between the Type I and Type 2 p r o t o n and the
 Curvtture and ditpbteem~t of epiL,ochoidal lerotors

Z.O0 , '", "' , O.t4

(i)

KEY : I : ~
I.~ SO %%% AAI 0.12

Q~ .38 "...
%%
%%
% %
• %% %,• ~.
1.00 ".14 %% %% ~'% 010 I"

•OZ ",, "'., "'', "''..

% %%, %-- %% ~" ~. I&l

0.00 = " ""'-....,. -"'- .... - 006.

- 0.50 , , i 0.04
LO0 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.0(

(b) ~.00 '1 , , , O. 18

X
KEY : PQs
1.50 50 %%,% a A~
0.16

,, 3 8 %% ~.%%

lEO0 i 26 "" • '~ "" "~", 0 14 d

<

!.,4 ,%" %% " %'% "

%% . b .~

e,4 ;02"-.'-,'-.,"-, ~ [

~ o.oo " "', "-,. "-... -'-... Jo.lo :

. --.. -... --...j

- o.eo "'-._ "-_ 1 o.oe

- I.O0 (106
1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50
Is
FiB. 7(a,b,~ Caption ooerleaf.
386 J. E. BEAm>et ~.

(c) 1.00 , , 0. i2

I KEY : PQs
080 " 0.10
)L ,~ A l

,,I .50,,
4(
•38,, •",. ,4
0.60 ".26 ~' ~",, •~'~. 0.00
Z
w
Ld
(,)
,4
.J
0.40 • " ~'~' ~" 0.06 o,.
¢/)
r "" 3

0.20 . 14 :0.04

0.00 i I I 0.02
i. O0 i.50 200 2.50 300
p,

(d)
0.80 0.70

• 50 ~ KEY :
%
0 . 6 0 -. :38 \ %% A AI 0,60
%
26 % %~ <[

0.50 ~--
14

I-
S.~,~~~,, -~-- I- Z

~o,o ,,//~............. % %% %%% • 0.40

Ld
~
.J

o
i
0.~
,<> "-'G 030

r
.0.201 i i i 0.20
I.O0 i.50 2.00 2..50 3.00
/a.
Fill. 7. The relative pocket disp[aa~ncn¢ and the minimum llenera~d radius of curvature allainsl the
trochoid ratio p for various values of the pin size ratio ~. (for inlernal contact 8erotor). Design chart (a),
T = 4. Design chart (b), T = 5. Design chart (c), T = 6. Design chart (d), T = 7.
 Curvature and displacen~t of e l m ~ Seroton 387

/' "\

,c, .. . . . . . . / /

Fig. 8. A commerciallyavailable gerotor with T - 5,/~ - 1.6761 and J. - 0.4779.

commercial unit, we choose the internal containment radius r~ := !; i.e. the three gerotors are scaled
to fit inside a unit circle.
Strategy l. Increase both the trochoid ratio and the pin size ratio, e.g. p = !.875 and
~. = 0.50.
From equations (40), the radius of the generating pitch circle is 0.7477. Substituting this value
and the given /~ and ,1. into equation (33), the radius of the generating pin is 0.7009. Then
substituting this result and ,I. into equation (32), the radius of the epitrochoidai path of point C
is !.4018. Substituting the results into equation (37a) and comparing the answer for the local
extrema Pq3 with that of the commercial unit shows a 16.9% increase in the minimum radius of
curvature. Similarly, substituting the results into equations (38) and comparing the answer for the
pocket displacement with that of the commercial unit shows a 3.0% decrease in the pocket
displacement. For convenience, the results are listed in the second row of Table I and the gerotor
is shown in Fig. 9(a).
Strategy 2. Decrease both the trocboid ratio and the pin size ratio, e.g. /l = 1.45 and
,t. = 0.35.
From equations (40), the radius of the generating pitch circle is 0.7448. Substituting this value
and the given p and ,l into equation (33), the radius of the generating pin is 0.3780. Then
substituting this result and ~ into equation (32), the radius of the epitrochoidal path of point C
is 1.0801. Substituting the results into equations (35)--(37a) and comparing the answer for the local
extrema pQ~ with that of the commercial unit shows a 48.7% increase in the minimum radius of
curvature. Similarly, substituting the results into equations (38) and comparing the answer for the
pocket displacement with that of the commercial unit shows a 3.2% decrease in the displacement
(and no change in the overall size of the gerotor). For convenience, the results are listed in the third
row of Table I and the gerotor is shown in Fig. 9(b).
The Type 2 gerotor is obviously preferred over Type I and is a significant improvement on the
commercially available unit. The pocket displacement of the Type 2 gerotor, however, is smaller
than that of the commercial unit. The displacement can be easily recovered by scaling up the entire
gerotor. The procedure is to use equation (38a) to write the radius of the generating pitch circle,
which will generate the same pocket displacement as the commercial unit, as

"" (4,)

Table I. Specified data and calculations for the commercially available 8erotor, the Type I gerotor, and Type 2 gm'otor
and the u:aled-up Type 2 Ipm04or
, ,: ,2 ~ ~ p~ pc, p~ :~,
Co~aercial unit 0.6283 i.3146 0.7843 1.6761 0.4779 -0.7361 0.2131 0.1178 0.10308
Type ! Ilerotor 0.7009 1.4018 0.7477 1.875 0.50 -0.8840 0.1980 0.1377 0..Of'~...
Type 2 lerotor 0.3780 !.0801 0.7448 1.45 0.35 -0.4206 0.3151 0.1752 0.09982
Type 2 scaled up 0.3841 !.0976 0.7569 1.45 0.35 -0.4274 0.3202 0.1781 0.10308

MMT 27/4-4
388 J.E. BF.ARDetal.

t /iii
,~/ "\\
W t
! ! I
I t
! I I
t I
, /

(a) (b)
Fig. 9. The two modificationsof the commerciallyavailablegerotor (with T - 5). (a) The Type I gerotor
with/t ~- !.875 and ~. - 0.50. (b) The Type 2 gerotor with # - 1.45 and ~. - 0.35.

where AAt is the pocket displacement of the commercial unit and &At is the actual pocket
displacement of the Type 2 gerotor. Substituting the values of Table I into equation (41) gives
[0.10308\ 2
~:I-- ~ ) 0 . 7 4 4 8 = 0.5730, (42)

i.e. the radius of the generating pitch circle is 0.7569. Therefore, the full displacement can be
recovered by scaling up the Type 2 gerotor by a factor of 0.7569/0.7448 = 1.0162, which is a
negligible increase of 1.62% in the overall size of the gerotor.
As the local extremum Pe, is a linear function of the radius of the generating pitch circle [see
equation (37a)] the increase is

Pe,/ =~0.1178/1.0162 = 1.5114. (43)

Therefore, the percentage increase in Pe3 is 51.14%. For convenience, the results for the scaled-up
Type 2 gerotor are presented in the fourth row of Table !.

9. C O N C L U S I O N
No attempt has been made in this paper to optimize the gerotor design in terms of the
radius of curvature and the pocket displacement. The reason is that several other properties may
need to be considered for a particular application. The importance of the example presented in
Section 8 is to demonstrate that significant changes in the curvature (and, therefore, the rate of
wear) can be obtained simply by adjusting the size and placement of the generating pin. Also,
it should be noted that these changes can be accomplished with little, if any, effect on the pocket
displacement.

REFERENCES
i. M. F. Hill, The Kinematics of Machinery. Dover, New York (1921).
2. J. E. Beard, A. S. Hall, Jr and W. Soedel, 13th Atmual ASME Des. Aurora Conf. Vol. 10-2, pp. 355--362(1987).
3. F. Wankel, Rotary Pisto~ F,nglm#, tramdated by R. F. Amdale. Iliffe Booka, London (1965).
4. R. F. Ansdale with • special contribution by D. J. Lockley, ?'he Wankel RC Engine: Design and Performance.
A. S. Barnes, Cranbury, NJ (1969).
5. K. Ysltutmoto, Rotary Eng/ne. Toyo Kolgyo,Japan (1981).
6. A. S. Hall, Jr. Proc. ASME Meck. Conf., Atlanta, GA (1968).
7. C. P. Schell' General Motors F,ngng ./. (July--~t.) 53, 54 (1969).
8. J. R. Coibourne, Trans. Can. ~oc. Meck. ENgng 3(4), 215--223 (1975).
9. IL S. Leemhius and W. ~edel, ASM£ Pa~r ~-Det.19~ (1978).
10. J. P. Sndler and D. E. Nelle, Trans. ASM£, .l. Meek. Des. 101, 99-107 (1979).
I 1. L Wydra, Proc. 19861nt. C ~ F,agM Conf.,Purdue University,West Lafayette,IN, Vol. !, pp. 282-291 (1986).
12. A. S. Hall, Jr, Notes of Machoniml Aaalysit. Wave,land Press, Prospect Heillhts, IL (1986).
13. J. E. Beard, O. R. Pennockand M. M. Stani~c, Trans. ~ c . Aurora. bgrs, J. Comm. Vehicles, Section2 M, 217-228,
,$AE Tegh. Paper 891831 (1989).
14. E. A. Dijksman, Motion O~metry of Mechonim~. Cambridge Univenity Pt'en, Cambridge (1976).
15. A. S. Hall, Jr, Kinematics and l.~kage Design. Waveland Press, Prmpect Height,, IL (1986).
 Curvature and displacement of epitruchoidal 8eroto. 389

16. J. It. Colboume, Mtc-k. Mac.A. 77wory 9, 421-435 (19/4).

iT. e. F. Byrd tad m. D. Friedman, H ~ o[ ~ t ~ ~ , ~ ]'or F . ~ s m~ ~ 7 ~ a u , p. 8. Splinter-VegaS, krUn
(1954).
18. J. R. Colbourne, Trmu. ASME+, ,I. Ind. F~flal 1296-1300 (1986).

DER EINFLUSS DER GROSSE UND POSITION DES GI~NERIERENDEN

KLEINEN KREISF.~ AUF DIg IKROMMI~G UND DIE AUSLENKUNG
DER EPITROCHOIDEN GEROTOR
Zmammeugamuag--Oerotor haben in alljumeineu keine aunltTdichgn Zahnrider. Die Bewesunlg des
einen I ~ k ~ Zahnn~ mlatief zum and~-n IDucl~ht dutch KnthkontakL ~ Kontaktkrt~
verschleissen die Zahm'Jder und verrinf~-rn die Lebenserwartunfg. D8 ein Gerotor nicht fur Yerghleiss
kompemiert werden lumn, mCmen die gontaktkrifte klein gehalteawerden, zum Beiapielindem aura
die ]gJ'tlmmunll verrinllert. Die Kr0mmun 8 ist eine Funktion der Cmr~meund Position des Ideineu
der die Form des Rotors I~eneriert.Die Gleichungendie den Einlluu der verghiedenenZusammeuluinlie
m i e n sind in dieter Arbeit entwickelt. Sic eisnen sich fur schnelle Anwendunlg und k6nnen such f ~ die
maschinelle Fertisun8 yon Nutzen ran. Auch enthalten sind Formeln die for die Volumenbegeclmunlg
entwickelt worden sind und Diawamme. ~ Diagranu~ k6nneu leicht yon Konstrukteuren ffir die
Berechnun8 tier Leistun8 yon O e r o t o ~ n i s m e n benuzt werdcn. ,*,IsBeispiel ist JeaeiSt wie ein bereits
produzierter Oerotormechanismus verbessert werden kann. Es war m681ich, den kleinsten Kt~mmunss-
radius um 48.7% zu erh6hen ohne das Voimen t.n mehr ads 3.2% zu verrinfgern. Die Oesamtsn31e des
Oerotor blieb dabei gleich.