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.
An 80 mm pulley at 1450 rpm drives a 250 mm pulley by a belt with 4 % slip. Find the speed n2 of the driven pulley.
In a compound gear train, gear A (40 teeth) on the input shaft turning at 1450 rpm drives gear B (48 teeth). Gear C (25 teeth) is fixed to the same shaft as B and drives gear D (40 teeth) on the output shaft. Find the output speed nout.
A solid aluminium 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 brass shaft of diameter 25 mm is fixed at A. A torque of 250 N·m acts at B, 0.8 m from A, and a torque of 500 N·m in the same direction acts at the free end C, a further 2 m along. Find the maximum shear stress τmax in the shaft.
A point in a loaded part has σₓ = 80 MPa, σᵧ = 100 MPa and τₓᵧ = 40 MPa (tension positive). Find the maximum in-plane shear stress τmax.
A point in a loaded part has σₓ = 60 MPa, σᵧ = −50 MPa and τₓᵧ = 30 MPa (tension positive). Find the shear stress τθ on a plane whose normal is rotated 15° counter-clockwise from the x-axis (positive in the same sense as τₓᵧ).
Find the axial strain ε in the aluminium bar, in microstrain (µε = 10⁻⁶).
The stepped bar is fixed at the wall and loaded at its free end. Find the total elongation δ.
A column of length L made of aluminium is pinned at both ends. Using Euler’s formula, find its critical buckling load Pcr.
A solid round column of length L made of steel is pinned at both ends. It must carry 15 kN with a factor of safety of 2 against buckling. Find the smallest diameter d.
In a free-vibration test of a damped mass–spring system, a displacement peak of 12 mm is followed one cycle later by a peak of 10.6 mm. Find the damping ratio ζ.
A 10 kg mass hangs from spring k₃ = 100 kN/m. The top of k₃ is attached to a rigid bar that hangs from two springs side by side, k₁ = 100 kN/m and k₂ = 40 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: n2 = 445.4 rpm
Belt drives: without slip, both pulleys have the same rim speed v = π·d·n/60, so n₁·d₁ = n₂·d₂ and the speed ratio is d₂/d₁. Slip s makes the driven pulley a little slower: n₂ = n₁·(d₁/d₂)·(1 − s). The power transmitted is P = (T₁ − T₂)·v, with T₁ the tension on the tight side and T₂ on the slack side. Friction limits the ratio of the tensions: T₁/T₂ = eμθ, where θ is the angle of wrap in radians on the smaller pulley; for an open belt θ = π − 2·asin((d₂ − d₁)/(2C)) with centre distance C.
Answer: nout = 755.2 rpm
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.
total ratio = 1.92 : 1
Answer: φ = 1.347 °
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: τmax = 244.5 MPa
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.
Sense of TC taken as positive.
The segment with the largest internal torque has the largest stress (same diameter).
Answer: τmax = 41.23 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: τθ = −1.519 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: ε = 2728 µε
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 aluminium = 70 GPa = 70000 MPa.
Answer: δ = 22.14 mm
Axially loaded members: each prismatic segment obeys δ = PL/(AE). For members in series the elongations add.
The free end carries P, so every section of the bar carries the same axial force P. Only the areas and materials change.
Answer: Pcr = 2.879 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 rectangle buckles about its weak axis, using the smaller dimension cubed.
Answer: d = 57.78 mm
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.
Check: the slenderness KL/r is 415.4, so the column is slender and Euler applies.
Answer: ζ = 0.01974
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 = 12.16 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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