Calculating the Shape of an Arc
Evening all. I'm not an engineer, so forgive any mis-applied labels.
I'm trying to design something that will depress two opposing spring-loaded pins simultaneously. So far, the idea I'm working with is a plate with grooves/arcs in which the pins sit (kind of like a ying/yang shape); when you rotate the plate, the pins slide along the arcs, pushing them together/compressing the spring. My question to you all is, if I need to depress the pins 1 inch, and the plate has a 3 inch diameter, how do I figure out the shape/curve for the arcs needed to move the pin over the length of the arc it travels.
Cheers - Seth