16-03-2020, 11:45 PM
As anybody reading my posts will have guessed, I am not an engineer. However, something about Tod's key seems wrong to me. A Woodruff key is a segment of a circle and the height of the flat surface of the key, or the chord of the segment, from the furthest edge of the circle is usually less than 1/3rd of the circle's diameter. If my maths is correct, at 5/16" high with a length of 1 3/4", Tod's segment would require a circle with a diameter of about 2 3/4", about nine times the height of the key. I.e it would be very long and thin, whereas a typical Woodruff key is short and fat.
I am at a loss to understand why a key would be designed in such a way, having very little penetration at both ends, and requiring a very large diameter but relatively thin keyway cutter to mill the shaft. Can any of the engineering sages on here explain please?
I apologise if this question appears arcane, but being virtually confined to barracks is making my mind latch onto anything vaguely engaging!
I am at a loss to understand why a key would be designed in such a way, having very little penetration at both ends, and requiring a very large diameter but relatively thin keyway cutter to mill the shaft. Can any of the engineering sages on here explain please?
I apologise if this question appears arcane, but being virtually confined to barracks is making my mind latch onto anything vaguely engaging!