Scribd
Upload
28 views

levers

The document explains mechanisms, specifically focusing on levers, linkages, and their mechanical advantages. It details the three classes of levers, their configurations, and how to calculate mechanical advantage and velocity ratio. Additionally, it describes linkages and their role in directing force and motion, including a specific type called reverse-motion linkage.

Uploaded by

Maciej Gostyński
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
28 views

levers

The document explains mechanisms, specifically focusing on levers, linkages, and their mechanical advantages. It details the three classes of levers, their configurations, and how to calculate mechanical advantage and velocity ratio. Additionally, it describes linkages and their role in directing force and motion, including a specific type called reverse-motion linkage.

Uploaded by

Maciej Gostyński
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Mechanisms

A mechanism is simply a device which takes an input motion and force, and outputs a different motion and force.
The point of a mechanism is to make the job easier to do. The mechanisms most commonly used in mechanical
systems are levers, linkages, cams, gears, and and pulleys.

Levers: 1
You need to know how to calculate the mechanical advantage obtained by using levers, the velocity ratio in levers
and pulley systems, and gear ratio and output speed when using gears.
A lever is the simplest kind of mechanism. There are three different types of lever. Common examples of each type
are the crowbar, the wheelbarrow and the pair of tweezers.
All levers are one of three types, usually called classes. The class of a lever depends on the relative position of
the load, effort and fulcrum:
The load is the object you are trying to move.
The effort is the force applied to move the load.
The fulcrum (or pivot) is the point where the load is pivoted.
Class 1 levers
A class 1 lever has the load and the effort on opposite sides of the fulcrum, like a seesaw. Examples of a class-
one lever are a pair of pliers and a crowbar.
For example, it would take a force of 500N to lift the load in the animation below. But using a lever - a rod with the
fulcrum placed closer to the load than the point of effort - it only requires a force of 100N.

Class 2 levers
A class 2 lever has the load and the effort on the same side of the fulcrum, with the load nearer the fulcrum.
Examples of a class-two lever are a pair of nutcrackers or a wheelbarrow.
In the diagram below, the wheel or fulcrum on the wheelbarrow is helping to share the weight of the load. This
means that it takes less effort to move a load in a wheelbarrow than to carry it.

Class 2 lever
Mechanical advantage and velocity ratio
Class 1 and class 2 levers both provide mechanical advantage. This means that they allow you to move a large
output load with a small effort. Load and effort are forces and are measured in Newtons (N). Mechanical
advantage is calculated as follows:
Mechanical advantage = load ÷ effort
In the example above, where the load=500N and the effort=100N, the mechanical advantage would be:
500N ÷ 100N = 5
Velocity ratio
The mechanical advantage gained with class-one levers and class-two levers makes it seem like you are getting
something for nothing: moving a large load with a small effort. The catch is that to make the effort smaller, you
have to move a greater distance. In the first diagram the trade-off is that you need to push the lever down further
to move the load up a smaller distance. This trade-off is calculated by the velocity ratio:
Velocity ratio = distance moved by effort ÷ distance moved by load
Levers: 2
A class 3 lever does not have the mechanical advantage of class-one levers and class-two levers, so examples are
less common. The effort and the load are both on the same side of the fulcrum, but the effort is closer to the
fulcrum than the load, so more force is put in the effort than is applied to the load. These levers are good for
grabbing something small, fiddly or dirty, or picking up something that could be squashed or broken if too much
pressure is applied. The common example of class 3 levers is a pair of barbeque tongs or a pair of tweezers.
The latter are shown in the diagram below.

Class 3 lever

Linkages
Linkages are mechanisms which allow force or motion to be directed where it is needed. Linkages can be used to
change:
The direction of motion
The type of motion
The size of a force
A linkage consists of a system of rods or other rigid materials connected by joints or pivots. The ability of each rod
to move will be limited by moving and fixed pivots. The input at one end of the mechanical linkages will be
different from the output, in place, speed, direction and other ways.
Reverse-motion linkage
A reverse-motion linkage changes the direction of motion. In the diagram below, note how the linkage looks a little
like a "Z". See how the central rod moves around a central fixed pivot. By pulling (or pushing) the linkage in one
direction, it creates an exact opposite motion in the other direction. If the fixed pivot was not central, it would
create a larger or smaller motion in the opposite direction.

You might also like