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 11 kW motor running at 1440 rpm drives a pinion with 25 teeth, which meshes with a gear with 32 teeth. The gear pair has an efficiency of 95%. Find the output torque T2 on the gear shaft.
A 1.5 kW motor at 1450 rpm drives gear A (30 teeth), which meshes with gear B (32 teeth). Gear C (24 teeth) on the same shaft as B drives gear D (30 teeth) on the output shaft. Each gear mesh has an efficiency of 96%. Find the output torque Tout.
A stepped solid brass shaft is fixed at A. Segment AB has diameter 60 mm and length 1.2 m; segment BC has diameter 40 mm and length 1.2 m. A torque of 100 N·m acts at the free end C. Find the maximum shear stress τmax in the shaft.
A hollow shaft transmits 50 kW at 500 rpm. Find the maximum shear stress τmax in the shaft.
A point in a loaded part has σₓ = 90 MPa, σᵧ = 120 MPa and τₓᵧ = −10 MPa (tension positive). Find the maximum in-plane shear stress τmax.
A solid shaft of diameter 40 mm carries a bending moment of 200 N·m together with a torque of 400 N·m. At the top surface, where the bending stress is tensile and largest, find the largest principal stress σ1.
A bar is made of a steel segment (diameter 40 mm, length 600 mm, E = 200 GPa) joined end to end with a segment made of brass (diameter 60 mm, length 300 mm, E = 100 GPa). It is fixed at one end and pulled at the other. Find the axial load P that stretches it by 0.5 mm in total.
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 steel is fixed at both ends. Using Euler’s formula, find its critical buckling load Pcr.
A column of length L made of aluminium is pinned at both ends. Find its slenderness and the critical buckling stress σcr from Euler’s formula.
A 40 kg mass on a spring with a stiffness of 150 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 40 kg mass hangs from two springs connected end to end (in series): the upper spring has k₁ = 10 kN/m and the lower one k₂ = 12 kN/m. Ignore damping and the masses of the springs. Find the natural frequency fn of vertical vibration in Hz.
Answer: T2 = 88.7 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 = 12.14 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: τmax = 7.958 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.
Answer: τmax = 10.13 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.
Answer: τmax = 18.03 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: σ1 = 51.5 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: P = 145 kN
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: δ = 0.9389 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 = 157.9 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: σcr = 30.71 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 = 9.297 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 = 1.859 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.
Springs in series share the same force and add their deflections, so they combine as reciprocals: 1/k = 1/k1 + 1/k2.
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