Gears & gear trains
- Meshing gears
- n1·N1 = n2·N2
- Torque
- T2 = T1·(N2/N1)·η
- Power
- P = T·ω, ω = 2π·n/60
- Compound train
- total ratio = product of the stage ratios
Formula sheets, the key method steps for every topic and 12 practice problems, with full solutions at the back.
A 3 kW motor running at 960 rpm drives a pinion with 32 teeth, which meshes with a gear with 40 teeth. The gear pair has an efficiency of 98%. Find the torque T1 on the motor shaft.
An 11 kW motor at 1440 rpm drives gear A (40 teeth), which meshes with gear B (72 teeth). Gear C (20 teeth) on the same shaft as B drives gear D (36 teeth) on the output shaft. Each gear mesh has an efficiency of 97%. Find the output torque Tout.
A solid steel shaft is fixed at the wall and twisted by a torque T at its free end. Find the angle of twist φ of the free end, in degrees.
A solid steel shaft of diameter 25 mm is fixed to rigid walls at both ends A and B. A torque of 200 N·m is applied at C, 3 m from A and 2 m from B. Find the reaction torque TA at wall A.
A point has σₓ = −40 MPa, σᵧ = 0 MPa and τₓᵧ = 30 MPa (tension positive). Find the angle θs, between −90° and 90°, from the x-axis to the normal of the plane on which the shear stress has its maximum positive value +R (shear positive in the same sense as τₓᵧ).
A point in a loaded part has σₓ = 110 MPa, σᵧ = −80 MPa and τₓᵧ = −30 MPa (tension positive). Find the normal stress σθ on a plane whose normal is rotated 40° counter-clockwise from the x-axis.
Find the elongation δ of the brass bar under the axial load.
A steel segment (diameter 40 mm, length 400 mm, E = 200 GPa) and a segment made of bronze (diameter 60 mm, length 500 mm, E = 110 GPa) are joined end to end and fixed between two rigid walls. An axial load of 20 kN acts at the joint, towards segment 2. Find the magnitude of the stress σ2 in segment 2.
A column of length L made of aluminium is fixed at the base and free at the top. Using Euler’s formula, find its critical buckling load Pcr.
A column of length L made of aluminium is fixed at both ends. Find its slenderness and the critical buckling stress σcr from Euler’s formula.
A 15 kg mass on a spring with a stiffness of 8 kN/m has a viscous damper giving a damping ratio of 0.3. Find the damped natural frequency fd of its free vibration in Hz.
A 100 kg mass hangs from spring k₃ = 30 kN/m. The top of k₃ is attached to a rigid bar that hangs from two springs side by side, k₁ = 80 kN/m and k₂ = 20 kN/m; the bar stays level. Ignore damping and the masses of the springs and bar. Find the natural frequency fn of vertical vibration in Hz.
Answer: T1 = 29.84 N·m
Gear trains: meshing gears have the same speed at the teeth, so n₁·N₁ = n₂·N₂: the gear with fewer teeth turns faster. Gears on one shaft turn at the same speed. Power is passed on (minus losses), so torque goes up when speed goes down: T₂ = T₁·(N₂/N₁)·η, and P = T·ω with ω = 2π·n/60.
Answer: Tout = 222.4 N·m
Gear trains: meshing gears have the same speed at the teeth, so n₁·N₁ = n₂·N₂: the gear with fewer teeth turns faster. Gears on one shaft turn at the same speed. Power is passed on (minus losses), so torque goes up when speed goes down: T₂ = T₁·(N₂/N₁)·η, and P = T·ω with ω = 2π·n/60.
Answer: φ = 1.069 °
Torsion of circular shafts: shear stress grows linearly from zero at the centre to τmax = T·r/J at the surface, with J = πd⁴/32 for a solid shaft and J = π(do⁴ − di⁴)/32 for a hollow one. The angle of twist is φ = TL/(GJ) in radians. Power and torque are linked by P = T·ω.
Answer: TA = 80 N·m
Torsion of circular shafts: shear stress grows linearly from zero at the centre to τmax = T·r/J at the surface, with J = πd⁴/32 for a solid shaft and J = π(do⁴ − di⁴)/32 for a hollow one. The angle of twist is φ = TL/(GJ) in radians. Power and torque are linked by P = T·ω. When both ends are fixed, statics alone gives only TA + TB = T₀; the second equation is compatibility (equal twist of both parts at the loaded section).
Answer: θs = 16.85 °
Plane stress transformation: on a plane rotated by θ, σ = (σₓ + σᵧ)/2 + (σₓ − σᵧ)/2·cos 2θ + τₓᵧ·sin 2θ. Mohr’s circle shows all planes at once: its centre is at C = (σₓ + σᵧ)/2 and its radius is R = √(((σₓ − σᵧ)/2)² + τₓᵧ²). The principal stresses are C ± R, and the largest in-plane shear stress is R.
On Mohr’s circle the top point (+R) is 90° from the principal point σ₁; on the element that is 45°.
Positive angles are counter-clockwise.
Answer: σθ = 1.952 MPa
Plane stress transformation: on a plane rotated by θ, σ = (σₓ + σᵧ)/2 + (σₓ − σᵧ)/2·cos 2θ + τₓᵧ·sin 2θ. Mohr’s circle shows all planes at once: its centre is at C = (σₓ + σᵧ)/2 and its radius is R = √(((σₓ − σᵧ)/2)² + τₓᵧ²). The principal stresses are C ± R, and the largest in-plane shear stress is R.
Answer: δ = 40.11 mm
Hooke’s law: within the elastic range σ = E·ε. Combining with σ = P/A and ε = δ/L gives δ = PL/(AE).
E for brass = 100 GPa = 100000 MPa.
Answer: σ2 = 3.519 MPa
Two materials: in series (one after the other) every segment carries the same force and the elongations add: δ = P·Σ L/(E·A). In parallel (side by side between rigid plates) both parts shorten by the same amount, so their strains are equal: the stiffer part takes the larger share, Pi = P·EiAi/ΣEA, and σi = Ei·ε. A bar held between two rigid walls with a load at the junction is statically indeterminate: the two segments share the load in proportion to their stiffness k = EA/L.
Answer: Pcr = 3.312 kN
Euler buckling: a slender column becomes unstable at Pcr = π²EI/(KL)², where KL is the effective length: K = 1 for pinned–pinned, 2 for fixed–free, 0.7 for fixed–pinned and 0.5 for fixed–fixed. It buckles about the axis with the smallest I. The formula holds for slender columns, whose critical stress stays below the yield stress.
A round section has the same I about every axis.
Answer: σcr = 47.98 MPa
Euler buckling: a slender column becomes unstable at Pcr = π²EI/(KL)², where KL is the effective length: K = 1 for pinned–pinned, 2 for fixed–free, 0.7 for fixed–pinned and 0.5 for fixed–fixed. It buckles about the axis with the smallest I. The formula holds for slender columns, whose critical stress stays below the yield stress.
A round section has the same I about every axis.
Answer: fd = 3.506 Hz
Free vibration of a mass–spring system: the undamped natural frequency is ωn = √(k/m) in rad/s, and fn = ωn/(2π) in Hz. A viscous damper c gives the damping ratio ζ = c/cc, with critical damping cc = 2·√(k·m) = 2·m·ωn. An underdamped system (ζ < 1) oscillates at ωd = ωn·√(1 − ζ²). Springs in parallel add, k = k₁ + k₂; springs in series add as reciprocals, 1/k = 1/k₁ + 1/k₂.
Answer: fn = 2.418 Hz
Free vibration of a mass–spring system: the undamped natural frequency is ωn = √(k/m) in rad/s, and fn = ωn/(2π) in Hz. A viscous damper c gives the damping ratio ζ = c/cc, with critical damping cc = 2·√(k·m) = 2·m·ωn. An underdamped system (ζ < 1) oscillates at ωd = ωn·√(1 − ζ²). Springs in parallel add, k = k₁ + k₂; springs in series add as reciprocals, 1/k = 1/k₁ + 1/k₂.
Only k1 and k2 are in parallel. That pair is in series with k3, so combine them as reciprocals.
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