SIMPLE MACHINES

A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction, distance or

magnitude of a force.
In general, they can be defined as the simplest mechanisms that use mechanical
advantage (also called leverage) to multiply force.
The ratio of the output to the applied force is called the mechanical advantage.
A simple machine uses a single applied force to do work against a single load force.
Ignoring friction losses.
Usually the term refers to the six classical simple machines.

1.Lever arm
2.Wheel and axle
3.Pulley
4.Inclined plane
5.Wedge
6. Screw
7. Gears

1. LEVERS
A lever or is a machine consisting of a beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge, or
fulcrum.
It helps us to do works more easily.

THREE CLASSES
In this case the fulcrum is located between the force and Resistance. A seesaw is a
good example of a first-class lever.

First-class lever

Second-class lever
A second-class lever is set-up so that the load is between the force and fulcrum. A
wheelbarrow is a second-class lever.

Third-class lever
In the case of a third-class lever, the force is between the load and the fulcrum. A
fishing pole is a good example.

The mechanical advantage of a lever can be determined by considering the balance of moments
or torque, T, about the fulcrum,

where M1 is the input force to the lever and M2 is the output force. The distances a and b are the
perpendicular distances between the forces and the fulcrum.
The mechanical advantage of the lever is the ratio of output force to input force,

2.Wheel and axle

The wheel and axle is one of six simple machines identified by Renaissance
scientists drawing from Greek texts on technology. The wheel and axle is generally
considered to be a wheel attached to an axle so that these two parts rotate together
in which a force is transferred from one to the other. In this configuration a hinge, or
bearing, supports the rotation of the axle.

The mechanical advantage of a simple machine like the wheel and axle is computed
as the ratio of the resistance to the effort.

(Mechanical Advantage)

3.Pulley
A pulley is a wheel on an axle that is designed
to support movement and change of direction
of a cable or belt along its circumference.
Pulleys are used in a variety of ways to lift
loads, apply forces, and to transmit power. In
nautical contexts, the assembly of wheel, axle,
and supporting shell is referred to as a "block."
There are 3 types of pulleys.

a) Fixed ; A fixed pulley has an axle mounted in bearings attached to a supporting

structure. A fixed pulley changes the direction of the force on a rope or belt that
moves along its circumference. Mechanical advantage is gained combining

a fixed pulley with a movable pulley or another fixed pulley of a different diameter.
B) Movable ; A movable pulley has an axle in a movable block. A single movable
pulley is supported by two parts of the same rope and has a mechanical advantage
of two.

C) Compound ; A combination of fixed and a movable pulleys forms a block and

tackle. A block and tackle can have several pulleys mounted on the fixed and
moving axles, further increasing the mechanical advantage.

4.Inclined plane

An inclined plane is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle, with one end
higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load.
Inclined planes are widely used to move heavy loads over vertical obstacles;
examples vary from a ramp used to load goods into a truck, to a person walking up
a pedestrian ramp, to an automobile or railroad train climbing a grade.

The mechanical advantage MA of a simple machine is defined as the ratio of

output force exerted on the load to the input force applied. For the
inclined plane the output load force is just the gravitational force of
load object on the plane, its weight Fw. The input force is the
force Fi exerted on the object, parallel to the plane, to
move it up the plane. The mechanical advantage is

the
the

Due to conservation of energy, for a frictionless

inclined plane the work done on the load lifting it, Wout, is equal to the work done by the input
force, Win

NOTE: The MA of an ideal inclined plane without friction is sometimes called ideal
mechanical advantage (IMA) while the MA when friction is included is called the
actual mechanical advantage (AMA)
5.Wedge
A wedge is a triangular shaped tool, a compound and portable inclined plane. It can
be used to separate two objects or portions of an object, lift up an object, or hold an
object in place.

The mechanical advantage of a wedge is given by the ratio of the length of its slope
to its width.
Although a short wedge with a wide angle may do a job faster, it requires more
force than a long wedge with a narrow angle.

Consider a block that is to be lifted by a wedge. As the wedge slides under the
block, the block slides up the sloped side of a wedge. This lifts the weight FB of the
block. The horizontal force FA needed to lift the block is obtained by considering the
velocity of the wedge vA and the velocity of the block vB. If we assume the wedge
does not dissipate or store energy, then the power into the wedge equals the power
out, so

or

Thus, the smaller the angle the greater the ratio of the lifting force to the applied
force on the wedge. This is the mechanical advantage of the wedge. This formula
for mechanical advantage applies to cutting edges and splitting operations as well
as to lifting.

The mechanical advantage of a wedge can be calculated by dividing the length of the slope by
the wedge's width:

6.Screw
A screw is a mechanism that converts rotational motion to linear
motion and a torque (rotational force) to a linear force.
When a screw is turned once, it advances by the distance
between adjacent screw threads. This distance is commonly
called the "pitch" of the thread. As depicted in the illustration,
the handle also adds a lever. Analyzed from the point of view of
work, the handled is moved one circumference 2L to lift the load
by the amount P. So the ideal mechanical advantage is 2L/P.

A screw is one of the most commonly used mechanical devices in the world. It is
machine that converts rotational motion into linear motion.
A screw has a long and thin metal shaft with threads spiraling along its length. It
also had a turning head with a groove where a screwdriver can be used to rotate the
screw.
The strength of a screws hold depends on the width of the threads and the distance
between them. The closer and wider the threads, the stronger the hold will be.
However, more threads require more rotations to attach the screw and wider
threads require more force in the rotations.

7.Gears
Gears are wheels with teeth. Gears mesh together and make things turn. Gears are
used to transfer motion or power from used to transfer motion or power from one
moving part to another.

Gears The Purpose

Gears are generally used for one of four
different reasons:
To reverse the direction of rotation
To increase or decrease the speed of rotation
To increase or decrease the speed of rotation
To move rotational motion to a different axis
To keep the rotation of two axis synchronized

Spur gears
are gears in the same plane that move opposite of each other because they are
meshed together. GearA is called the driver because this is turned by a motor. As
gear A turns it meshes with gear Band it begins to turn as well. Gear B iscalled
gear B and it begins to turn as well. Gear B is
called the driven gear.
VELOCITY RATIO OF GEAR DRIVE

2 N 2 d 1

1 N 1 d 2

= Diameter of the wheel

N = Speed of the wheel

= Angular speed

Gear Systems

So far you have learned about driver gears, driven gears and gear trains. An
idler gear is another
important gear.
In the example opposite gear A turns in
an anticlockwise direction and also gear C
turns in an anticlockwise direction.
The idler gear is used so that the rotation
of the two important
idler gear is used so that the rotation of
the two important gears is the same.

But WHAT does this mean?

It means that the DRIVEN gear makes TWO rotations for every ONE rotation of the Driving
Gear

What does this mean?

For every 3 rotations of the driving gear, the driven gear makes one rotation.

The
gear
three
revolves

diagram shows a
train composed of
gears. Gear A
at 60 revs/min in a
clockwise direction

What is the output in revolutions per

minute at Gear C? ( 120 revs/min)
In what direction does Gear C revolve? (CW)

TRY THIS ONE

What is the revs/min at gear D and what is its direction?

Gear B 4 X 100 = 400 rpm
Gear C 2 X 100 = 200 rpm
Gear D 2/3 X 100 = 66.7 rpm (CCW)