Machine Design

UET, Taxila

“Power Screw & Gears”

 What are Power Screws
 A power screw is a drive used in
machinery to convert a rotary motion
into a linear motion for power
transmission.
 They find use in machines such as lead

screw for lathes & machine tools,

automotive jacks, vices, micrometers,
Presses and C-clamps.
The mechanical advantage in the screw
is to produce large axial forces in
response to small torques.
Two principal categories of power screws
are machine screws and re-circulating
ball screws.
The screw threads are typically formed
by thread rolling, which results in high
surface hardness, high strength, and
superior surface finish. Since high
thread friction can cause self-locking
when the applied torque is removed,
protective brakes or stops to hold the
load are usually not required.
Three thread forms that are often used
are the:

 Acme thread
(Perfection or highest point)
 Square thread,
 Buttress thread.
 Acme Thread
 Acme threads have a 29° thread angle,
which is easier to machine than square
threads. The Acme thread is stronger
than the square thread because of the
larger thread width at the root or minor
diameter.
 They are not as efficient as square
threads because there is an increased
friction induced by the thread angle.
 Square Thread

Square threads are named after their square

geometry. They are the most efficient power
screw, but also the most difficult to machine, thus
the most expensive.
As shown in last Figures, the Acme
thread and the square thread exhibit
symmetric leading and trailing flank
angles, and consequently equal
strength in raising and lowering.
 Buttress Thread
Buttress threads are of a triangular
shape. It combines the advantages of
the square and acme thread forms with
only one difference, it only works in one
direction.
 Power screw requirements

• The thread forms used in power

screws.
• Torque required to raise and lower a
load in a power screw.
• Efficiency of a power screw and
condition for self locking.
 There are different series of this thread
form and some nominal diameters,
corresponding pitch and dimensions a
and b are shown in special tables.
Dimensions of three different series of square
thread form.
 The square thread is designated by its
nominal diameter and pitch, as for
example, SQ 10 x 2 designates a
thread form of nominal diameter 10
mm and pitch 2 mm.
 Some details for screw thread

 The proportions in terms of pitch are:

h1= 0.5 p; h2 = (0.5 p – b); H = (0.5 p + a);
e = 0.5 p
 a and b are different for different series of

threads.
 Some details of an Acme
(Trapezoidal) thread form.
 A metric Acme (trapezoidal) thread form is
shown in last Figure and different proportions
of the thread form in terms of the pitch are
as follows: Included angle = 29-30o ; H1=
0.5 p
 z = 0.25 p + (H1)/2 ; H3 = h3 = H1+ ac =
0.5 p + ac
 ac is different for different pitch, for example
ac = 0.15 mm for p = 1.5 mm ; ac = 0.25
mm for p = 2 to 5 mm; ac = 0.5 mm for p =
6 to 12 mm ; ac = 1 mm for p = 14 to 44
mm.
Dimensions of an Acme trapezoidal thread
form:
 According to the design standard,
trapezoidal threads may be designated
as, for example, Tr 50 x 8 which
indicates a nominal diameter of 50 mm
and a pitch of 8 mm.
 Multiple power drives
 When a large linear motion of a power
screw is required two or more parallel
threads are used. These are called
multiple start power drives.
 Efficiency of a power screw

 A square thread power screw with a

single start is shown in next figure.
Here p is the pitch, α the helix angle, dm
the mean diameter of thread and F is
the axial load.
A square thread Development of
power screw a single thread
 A developed single thread is also shown
in last figure, where L = n p for a
multi-start drive, n being the number
of starts.
 In order to analyze the mechanics of
the power screw we need to consider
two cases:
 (a) Raising the load
 (b) Lowering the load.
 Raising the load
 This requires an axial force P as shown
in the figure below. Here N is the
normal reaction and μN is the frictional
force. For equilibrium

Forces at the contact

surface for raising the load.
Divide the numerator and the denominator by cos α
Lowering the load
Divide the numerator and the denominator by cos α
Comparison:
 The above analysis is for square thread
and for trapezoidal thread some
modification is required.
 However, for sake of simplicity, the
above equations could be used in both
cases.
 Condition for self locking

The load would lower itself without any

external force if μπdm < L
and some external force is required to
lower the load if
μπdm ≥ L
This is therefore the condition for self
locking.
 Efficiency of the power screw is
given by
 Bursting effect on the nut

 Bursting effect on the nut is caused by

the horizontal component of the axial
load F on the screw and this is given by
( as shown in next figure)
 Fx = F tan φ
 For an ISO metric nut 2φ = 60o
 and Fx = 0.5777 F.
 Collar friction
 If collar friction μc is considered then
another term μFdc/2 must be added to
torque expression. Here dc is the
effective friction diameter of the collar.
Therefore we may write the torque
required to raise the load as
 Example (1)
 The C-clamp shown in next figure uses
a 10 mm Acme (Trapezoidal) screw
with a pitch of 2 mm. The frictional
coefficient is 0.15 for both the threads
and the collar. The collar has a
frictional diameter of 16 mm. The
handle is made of steel with allowable
bending stress of 165 MPa. The
capacity of the clamp is 700 N.
Consider ac = 0.25 mm.
 Required:
 (a) Find the torque required to tighten
the clamp to full capacity.
 (b) Specify the length and diameter of
the handle such that it will not bend
unless the rated capacity of the clamp
is exceeded. Use 15 N as the handle
force.
C- clamp
Remember that root diameter d3 = (d nominal – 2h3),
Pitch dia, d2= (dn-2z), h3= (0.5p+ac ), z = ( 0.5 pc),
Given: ac=0.25 mm.
Example (2)
Answer (2)
Gears
Spur Gears
Hypoid Gear in car differential
 Spur gears
Spur have teeth parallel to the axis of
rotation and are used to transmit
motion from one shaft to another
parallel shaft.
Of all types, the spur gear is the simplest
and, for this reason, will be used to
develop the primary kinematic
relationships of the tooth form.
Spur Gear Schematic Representation
 Helical gears
Helical Hears shown in next Figure have teeth
inclined to the axis of rotation. Helical gears
can be used for the same applications as
spur gears and, when so used, are not as
noisy, because of the gradual engagement of
the teeth during meshing.
The inclined tooth also develops thrust loads
and bending couples, which are not present
with spur gearing.
Sometimes helical gears are used to transmit
motion between nonparallel shafts.
Helical Gears
 Bevel gears
Bevel gears, shown in next Figure, have teeth
formed on conical surfaces and are used
mostly for transmitting motion between
intersecting shafts.
The figure actually illustrates straight-tooth
bevel gears.
Spiral bevel gears are cut so the tooth is no
longer straight, but forms a circular arc.
Hypoid gears are quite similar to spiral bevel
gears except that the shafts are offset and
nonintersecting.
Bevel Gears
 Worms and worm gears
 Worms and worm gears, shown in next
Fig. represent the fourth basic gear
type.
As shown, the worm resembles a screw.
The direction of rotation of the worm
gear, also called the worm wheel,
depends upon the direction of rotation of
the worm and upon whether the worm
teeth are cut right-hand or left-hand.
Worm-gear sets are mostly used when the
speed ratios of the two shafts are quite
high, say, 3 or more.
 Spur Gears Nomenclature

The terminology of spur-gear teeth is

illustrated in Next Figure. The pitch
circle is a theoretical circle upon which
all calculations are usually based; its
diameter is the pitch diameter.
 Two gears meshing together
The pitch circles of a pair of mating gears
are tangent to each other.
A pinion is the smaller of two mating
gears. The larger is often called the
gear.
The circular pitch (p) is the distance,
measured on the pitch circle, for similar
point in two successive teeth. Thus the
circular pitch is equal to the sum of the
tooth thickness and the width of space.
 The module (m) is the ratio of the
pitch diameter to the number of
teeth.
 The customary unit of length used
is the millimeter.
 The module is the index of tooth
size in SI.
The diametral pitch P is the
ratio of the number of teeth
on the gear to the pitch
Diameter.

Thus, it is the reciprocal of the

module. Since diametral
pitch is used only with U.S.
units, it is expressed as teeth
per inch.
The addendum a is the radial
distance between the top land and
the pitch circle.
The dedendum b is the radial
distance from the bottom land to
the pitch circle.
The whole depth ht is the sum of
the addendum and the dedendum.
 The clearance circle is a circle that is
tangent to the addendum circle of the
mating gear. The clearance c is the
amount by which the dedendum in a
given gear exceeds the addendum of
its mating gear.
 The backlash is the amount by which
the width of a tooth space exceeds the
thickness of the engaging tooth
measured on the pitch circles.
P = Diametral Pitch (teeth/inch),
= t/D
m = module (mm)
m = D/t
Note that P is the reciprocal of m
p = circular pitch (mm)
= π D/t = π m
Involute curve :Line de is moving tangent to
the circle without sliding
 Fundamentals
When two gears are in mesh, their pitch
circles roll on one another without
slipping. The pitch radii as r1 and r2
and the angular velocities as ω1 and
ω2, respectively.
Then the pitch-line velocity is:
 Example 1
Suppose now we wish to design a speed
reducer such that the input speed is
1800 rev/min and the output speed is
1200 rev/min. This is a ratio of 3:2;
the gear pitch diameters would be in
the same ratio, for example, a 4-in
pinion driving a 6-in gear.
 Example 2
The various dimensions found in gearing
are always based on the pitch circles.
Suppose we specify that an 18-tooth
pinion is to mesh with a 30-tooth gear
and that the diametral pitch of the gear
set is to be 2 teeth per inch.
 Then the pitch diameters of the pinion and
gear are:

Diameter of gear (t) = Number of teeth /

Diametral pitch
D1 = t1 / P
= 18 / 2 = 9 in.

D2 = t2 / P
=30 / 2 = 15 in
 Gear Train
A gear train is two or more gear working
together by meshing their teeth and
turning each other in a system to
generate power and speed. To create
large gear ratio, gears are connected
together to form gear trains. They
often consist of multiple gears in the
train.
The most common of the gear train is
the gear pair connecting parallel shafts.
The teeth of this type can be spur,
helical or herringbone.
The angular velocity is simply the
reverse of the tooth ratio.
 Simple Gear Trains
v
v

ωA ωB ωC

GEAR 'A' GEAR 'B' GEAR 'C'

(Idler gear)

The typical spur gears as shown in diagram. The

direction of rotation is reversed from one gear to
another. The only function of the idler gear is to
change the direction of rotation.
The teeth on the gears must all be the
same size so if gear A advances one
tooth, so does B and C.
 Diameter could be d or D
Number of teeth could be N or t
t = number of teeth on the gear,
D = Pitch circle diameter, N = speed in rpm
D
m = module =
t
and
module must be the same for all
gears otherwise they would not mesh.
 DA DB DC
m= = =
tA tB tC
DA = m t A; DB = m t B and DC = m tC
ω = angular velocity.
D
v = linear velocity on the circle. v = ω = ω r
2
 DA DB DC
v = ωA = ωB = ωC
2 2 2
ω A DA = ω B DB = ωC DC
ω A m t A = ω B m t B = ωC m t C
ω A t A = ω B t B = ωC t C
or in terms of rev / min
N A t A = N B t B = N C tC
 Gear Ratio:

Input speed
The gear ratio is defined as GR =
Output speed
If gear A is the input and gear C is the output;
N A tC
GR = = also called as Speed ratio/Speed value
NC t A
N C Speed of driven gear
If = is called the Train value
N A Speed of driver gear
 Application:

 a) to connect gears where a large

center distance is required

 b) to obtain desired direction of motion

of the driven gear ( CW or CCW)

 c) to obtain high speed ratio

 Torque & Efficiency

The power transmitted

by a torque T (N.m) 2π N T
applied to a shaft
rotating at N rev/min P=
is given by: 60
In an ideal gear box, the input and output
powers are the same so;
2π N1 T1 2π N 2 T2
P= =
60 60
T2 N1
N1 T1 = N 2 T2 ⇒ = = GR
T1 N2
 It follows that if the speed is reduced, the torque
is increased and vice versa. In a real gear box,
power is lost through friction and the power
output is smaller than the power input. The
efficiency is defined as:
Power out 2π × N 2 T2 × 60 N 2 T2
η= = =
Power In 2π × N 1 T1 × 60 N 1 T1
Because the torque in and out is different, a gear
box has to be clamped in order to stop the case
or body rotating. A holding torque T3 must be
applied to the body through the clamps.
 The total torque must add up to zero.
 T1 + T2 + T3 = 0
 If we use a convention that anti-
clockwise is positive and clockwise is
negative we can determine the holding
torque. The direction of rotation of the
output shaft depends on the design of
the gear box.
 Problem 1

 A gear box has an input speed of 1500

rev/min clockwise and an output speed
of 300 rev/min anticlockwise. The input
power is 20 kW and the efficiency is
70%. Determine the following.
 i. The gear ratio;
 ii. The input torque.;
 iii. The output power.;
 iv. v. The holding torque.
Solution :
Input speed N1 1500
G.R or VR = = = =5
Output speed N 2 300
2π × N1T1 60 × Input Power
Input Power = ⇒ T1 =
60 2π × N1
 60 × 20000
∴ Input torque = T1 = = 127.3 N m
2π ×1500
( Negative − clockwise)

Output power
η=0.7 =
Inpu power
Power Output =0.7 ×20 =14 kW

60 ×14000
∴ Output torque = T2 = = 445.6 N m
2π × 300
( Positive − unticlockwise )
⇒ T1 + T2 + T3 = 0
−127.3 + 445.6 + T3 = 0
T3 = 127.3 − 445.6 = −318.3 N m
−Clockwise
 Compound gears
Compound gears are simply a chain of
simple gear trains with the input of the
second being the output of the first. A
chain of two pairs is shown below. Gear B
is the output of the first pair and gear C
is the input of the second pair. Gears B
and C are locked to the same shaft and
revolve at the same speed.
For large velocities ratios, compound gear
train arrangement is preferred.
 Input

B
D

A Output
C

Compound Gears
GEAR 'B'

GEAR 'A'
GEAR 'D'

GEAR 'C'

For large velocities ratios, compound gear train

arrangement is preferred.
The velocity of each tooth on A and B are the same so:
ω A tA = ω B tB -as they are simple gears. Likewise for C and D,
ω C tC = ω D tD.