Pine cone reacts to rotary cam

Problem: . The swashball consists of an oblate spheroidal disk mounted on a shaft but inclined to it at an angle. Rotating the shaft causes the edge of the swashball to reciprocate along the direction of the shaft axis. In the original concept, invented by engineer David Chinnery, the edge of the ball is grooved, interacting with a second grooved element. Contact area in the original concept is small, however, and there is likely to be a substantial wear problem. Solution: Developer and promoter, Richard Vere-Compton, has, however, now come up with a better mechanism for translating the central shaft rotation to reciprocating motion in parallel shafts. Instead of being grooved, the swashball is now round, acting on 'pine cones' of steel spring elements on the parallel shafts. The pine cones consist of piles of cup shape disks, cut and formed from initially flat disks so as to yield rings of fingers. In order that the swashball exert no lateral loads on the fingers, the parallel shafts are rotated by gearing to lock the central shaft rotation with those of the parallel shafts. The parallel shafts thus rotate and reciprocate at the same time. The pine cones offer a significant degree of compliance so as to accommodate wear and mismatch between central swashball and driven (or driving) elements on the parallel shafts. Applications: Vere-Compton has devised the mechanism to convert rotary motion to combined reciprocating and rotary motion on parallel shafts for a novel pump he is trying to develop, or vice versa for an engine based on similar principles. In both cases he envisages having dimpled balls, 'flying' inside cylinders on the same principles as golf balls, instead of pistons, hence their need to spin as well as reciprocate. TS Dualeffort