Wheels, Pulleys and Gears

Wheels, pulleys and
gears
The Wheel
Possiblythe most important mechanical invention
ever made.
From the tiny gears in a watch to cars and computers,
nearly every machine constructed since the Industrial
Revolution (in the early nineteenth century) uses a
wheel in its design.
Earliest
known application was a potter’s wheel, used
in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) around 3500 BC.
Probably first used for transportation on chariots in
this region around 3200 BC.
Wheels can be levers
A wheel on an axle is actually a special kind of lever.
The wheel acts as a lever and the pivot is the centre
of the axle.
Wheels can act as force multipliers or speed
multipliers.
◦ Steering wheels are force multipliers, the larger the
steering wheel, the easier the axle will be to turn.
◦ Car wheels operate as speed multipliers in the opposite
manner to the steering wheel. A large force is supplied to
the axle of the wheel by the motor which makes the wheel
move faster.
Pulleys
A pulley is like a wheel with
a groove around it into
which a cable or rope can fit.
It also acts like a lever, with
its axle as the pivot.
Simple pulleys allow us to
lift upwards by pulling
downwards.
They do not alter the size of
the force applied, just the
direction.
Pulleys
To increase the size of the force, we
need to use a system involving more
than one pulley.
We need to apply a force over a
greater distance, but multiple pulleys
allow us to lift large loads with
minimal effort. They act as a force
multiplier.
The multiple pulley system shown in
the picture is called a ‘block and
tackle’.
The ‘block’ is the outer casing around
the pulley wheels, and the ‘tackle’ is
the cable or rope connecting them.
Using pulleys
To calculate the effort
required to lift the load we
divide the load by the
number of ropes (do not
count the rope that goes to
the effort).
The image on the right
shows a four pulley system.
The person lifting the
200kg load experiences a
pull equal to only 50kg
(200kg/4).
Pulley question 1
What is the maximum
load that can be lifted with
this system?
For every 2 metres the

rope is pulled through
what height does the load
rise off the ground?
What is the mechanical

advantage?
Pulley question 2
What is the minimum
effort that must be
applied to lift the load?

what height does the
load rise off the ground?

advantage?
Pulley question 3
What is the maximum
load that can be lifted with
this system?

what height does the load
rise off the ground?

advantage?
Gears
Gears or cogs are like wheels with teeth
that mesh together.
When one gear turns, the one it interlocks
with also turns, but in the opposite
direction.
Sometimes gears are joined by a chain,
such as in a bicycle or the overhead cam
shaft in some car engines.
Driving and Driven Gears
The cog that turns first is
called the driving gear.
Gears that are made to turn by
this are called driven gears.
Ifthe driving gear is smaller
than the driven gear, the
system acts as a force
multiplier.
Ifthe driving gear is larger
than the driven gear, then the
system acts as a speed
multiplier.
Idler Gears
An idler gear can be
used in a gear
combination to make
the driving and
driven gears rotate in
the same direction.
Bevelled Gears
Bevelled gear wheels
are positioned at
right angles to each
other
This changes the
plane of rotation.
Used in hand-drills
and in many other
machines.
Rack and pinion gears
Rack and pinion gears
are made up of a row
of teeth (called the
rack), and a gear wheel
that rolls on top of this.
One use of this type of
system is to stop
mountain trains
slipping on steep
slopes.
Bicycle Gears
 A bike with twenty-one gears gives us
a choice of twenty-one possible
gearing combinations.
 The front chain wheel has three
sprockets and the rear wheel has
seven.
 To select the lowest gear, we use the
largest rear sprocket and the smallest
chain wheel sprocket.
 This combination of gears makes it
easier to go up hills.
 To select the highest gear, we use the
largest chain wheel sprocket and
smallest rear wheel sprocket.
 The combination of a large front
sprocket and a small rear sprocket
makes the bike go faster.
Bicycle Gears
The gears used in a
bicycle are called
sprockets.
The pedal and crank are
attached to a gear
sprocket called the chain
wheel.
A chain connects this to
the rear sprocket.
Pedalling turns the chain
wheel, which turns the
rear wheel, via the chain.
Gear Ratios
Are calculated by
dividing the number GR = teeth on driver
of teeth on the teeth on driven gear
driving sprocket by
the number of teeth Example:
on the driven  If the driving gear has 9
sprocket. teeth and the driven gear
has 3
 GR=9/3=3
Gear ratio question 1
Gear "B" has 36 teeth
and gear "A" has 12.
Calculate the gear

ratio of this gear train
if "B" is the driver.
Gear ratio question 2
Look at the image on
the right. Gear "B"
has 12 teeth and gear
"A" has 24.
Calculate the gear

ratio of this gear train
if "B" is the driver.

Wheels, Pulleys and Gears

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Wheels, Pulleys and Gears

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Wheels, Pulleys and Gears

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Wheels, pulleys and

For every 2 metres the

What is the mechanical

For every 2 metres the

What is the mechanical

For every 2 metres the

What is the mechanical

Calculate the gear

Calculate the gear

You might also like