Abstract
Abstract
The energy barrier method, first proposed by Boothroyd and associates, can be used to determine the probabilities of the natural resting aspects of objects to be conveyed on and oriented by vibratory devices. However, for parts of uniform cross-section other than square or rectangular ones, the application of the method can be intractable. In such cases, Boothroyd and associates recommended circumscribing the part by a cylinder and using the energy barrier for the cylinder to approximate the probabilities of the natural resting aspects of the part. This approximation is understandably inexact although computationally expedient. This paper outlines the CAD (computer aided design) computation of the probabilities from the energy barriers for two objects: one, a triangular prism with equilateral sides (representing objects with adjacent faces that are not mutually perpendicular) and the second, an L-shaped prism with a virtual resting aspect. The significance of the centroid plane of the part in the determination of the probabilities is discussed. The CAD computations were carried out using the Graphical Interface Programming (GRIP) Language of McDonnell Douglas' UniGraphics II™ CAD system running on a DEC 9000 workstation.