Steve Goddard

Mechanical Principles – Assignment 3

Power Transmission System Elements

1. A Belt drive is used to transmit power to a machine pulley. The belt

speed required is 2 m/s and the maximum allowable belt tension is
300N. The angle of lap of the belt over the pulley is 140° and the
coefficient of friction between the belt and pulley is 0.25.

Calculate the maximum power that can be transmitted using:

a flat belt

Belt Speed = 2 m s = V

T1 = 300 N
µ = 0.25

Angle Of Lap = (140 × 2π ) ÷ 360 = 2.44 rads

T1
= e µθ
T2

300
= e ( 0.25 ×2.44 )
T2

300
T2 = = 163 N
1.840

Power = (T1 −T2 )V

= ( 300 −163 ) × 2 = 274 Watts

V-Belt with groove angle of 40°

µθ
T1
= e sin α
T2

( 0.25×2.44 )
300
=e sin 20
T2

300 300
= 5.950 ∴ = T2 = 50.41
T2 5.950

Power = ( T1 − T2 )V
= ( 300 − 50.41) × 2 = 499 .18 Watts

2. A flat belt drive system consists of two parallel pulleys of diameter

150mm and 200mm with centres apart 600mm.

A motor at 24 rev/s rotates the smaller pulley. If the maximum belt tension
is 1 Kn, determine the coefficient of friction between belt and pulley that is
required to transmit 1 KW of power.
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Ø 200 mm

75
Ø 150 mm
25

24 rev/min

600 mm

600
25
B

T1 =1000
ω=
Power = 7000 W Angle of Lap = 180 – (2 x B)

= 175.22
25
= 0.0417
600 = 3.06 rads

−1
Sin 0.0417 = 2.39 °

24 rev / s × 2π = 150 .8 rad / s × 0.075 = 11 .31 m / s

Power = (T1 −T2 )v

7000 = (1000 −T2 ) ×11 .31

7000
= 1000 −T2
11 .31

618 .92 = 1000 − T2

T2 = 1000 − 618 .92 = 381 .08

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T1 µθ
e
T2

1000
ln = µθ
381 .08

= ln 2.624 = µ( 3.06 )

0.9647 = µ( 3.06 )

0.9647
= µ = 0.315
3.06

3. A flat belt drive system consists of two parallel pullets and is installed
with an initial tension of 500N.
Determine the tension in the belts when the system is operating if the
coefficient of friction between belt and pulley is 0.3 and angle of lap with
the smaller of the two pulleys is 165°.

T1 = 500 N

T2

If T1 =500 N
µ = 0.13

Find T2
θ =165 ° = 2.8797 rads

T1
= e µθ
T2

500
= e ( 0.3×2.8797 )
T2

500
= e ( 0.864 ) = 2.372
T2

500
T2 = = 210 .792 N
2.372

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4. A multiple disc clutch has four pairs of contact surfaces, each with an
inner radius of 120mm and an external radius of 240mm. Assuming the
uniform pressure condition, determine the force necessary to press the
contact surfaces together is a torque of 150 Nm is to be transmitted. The
coefficient of friction between the surfaces is 0.3.

2  r 3 − r1 3 
150 = µw  2 2 2 
×n
3  r2 − r1 

2  0.240 3 − 0.120 3 
150 = × 0.3 × w 2 
×4
0.240 − 0.120 
2
3

2
150 = × 0.3 × w × 0.28 × 4
3

150 = 0.224 w

150
w= = 669 .642 Watts
0.224

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5. A multi-plate disc clutch is required to transmit a torque of 320Nm. The
inner and outer radii of the contact surfaces are to be 50mm and 75mm
respectively.
Assuming a uniform pressure of 150kPa and a coefficient of friction
between the surfaces of 0.25, determine the end thrust and the number of
discs that will be required.

End Thrust W = 150 ×10 3 × π

(0.15 2
− 0.12)= 1472 .621 N
4

I found two ways of doing this:

3
(
T = 2 π ρ µro − ri N
3 3
)  r − ri
T = 2 µW  o 2
3 3

N
3 r −r 2 
 o i 
( ) (
320 = 2 × π × 150 ×10 3 × 0.25 × 0.075 3 − 0.05 3 × N
3
)
 0.075 3 − 0.05 3 
320 = 2 × π ×1472 .62 × 0.25 ×   × N
3
 0.075 − 0.05
2 2

320 = 2
3
( ) (
× π × 150 ×10 × 0.25 × 2.968 ×10 × N
3 −4
)
320 = 2 × π ×1472 .621 × 0.25 × 0.095 × N
3
320 = 23 .31 N

Rearranged 320 = 23 .31 N

320 320
=13 .72 ∴ 14 Surfaces ∴7 Discs =13 .72 ∴ 14 Surfaces ∴7 Discs
23 .31 23 .31

6. A conical friction clutch has a conical surface with an inner radius of

140mm and an outer radius of 160mm. The angle between the slope of the
conical surface and its axis is 15°. Assuming the uniform wear condition
with a maximum pressure of 70kPa, determine the end thrust and the
maximum torque that may be transmitted.
Take the coefficient of friction between surfaces as 0.3.

W = 2πρr ( ro − ri )

W = 2π × (70 ×10 3 ) × (140 ×10 −3 ) × (160 ×10 −3 −140 ×10 −3 )

W = 1231 .5 N

µW ( r + ri )
T = × o
Sin α 2

0.3 ×1231 .5 ( 0.160 + 0.140 )

= ×
Sin ×15 2

= 1427 .445 × 0.15

= 214 .116 Nm

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7. A simple gear train with a gear ratio of 10:1 has one gear wheel with 24
teeth rotating with an angular velocity of 30 rad/s. Find the:

7.1 angular velocity of the driven gear wheel

ω a = 30 rad / s

ω b = ω a × 1 = 3 rad / s
10
7.2 number of teeth on the driven gear wheel

Because I know the gear ratio is 10:1 and there is 24 teeth on the driver this means
there will be 240 teeth on the driven.

I can check this using the formula:

ω a tb
G= =
ωb t a

30 t b
= = ∴ t b = 240
3 24

The gear ratio is inversely proportional to the teeth ratio.

8. In the compound gear train shown below. A has 16 teeth, B has 32 teeth,
C has 21 teeth and D has 27 teeth.

Calculate:

8.1 the overall gear ratio

8.2 the angular velocity of the output shaft

If the input shaft has a clockwise angular velocity of 4 rad/s.

Output Shaft
D
A
Input Shaft

B C

8.1

B D
× =G
A C
Therefore the gear ratio = 2.57:1
32 27
× = 2.5714
16 21

8.2

4
= 1.555 rad / s
2.5710

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9. In the same compound gear arrangement as above, a now has 14 teeth, B
has 28 teeth, C has 12 teeth and D has 30 teeth. If the input shaft is driven
at 2000rpm, determine the angular velocity of the output shaft.

Firstly I worked out the gear ratio:

B D
× =G
A C

28 30
× =5
14 12

Gear ratio is 5:1

2000
ωD = = 400 rpm
5

10. A gearbox has a ratio of 2.2 and a mechanical efficiency of 85%.

Determine the output torque if the input torque is 100Nm.

To
G ×ζ =
Ti

So : G ×ζ ×Ti =To

2.2 ×0.85 ×100 =To =187 Nm

11. A simple epicyclic gear train as shown has 40 teeth on the sun wheel
and 90 teeth on the annulus.
The speed of the sun wheel is 900 rev/min.

11.1 Assuming the annulus is fixed at what speed the arm will rotate.

Ts T p
y= × x =0
T p TA
Speed of the sun is 900
revs/minutes
Equation 2
40
y= x =0
90 Y + x = 9000

y = 0.444 x = 0
Equation 1
Eq n
1 −Eq n
2

x −( −0.444 x ) =900

1.444 x =900

x = 623 .268

n
In Eq 2

y +623 .268 = 900

y = 276 .732
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Speed of arm B = 375 rev/min in same direction as the sun.

11.2 What will the fixing torque on the annulus if the input power to the
gear train is 8Kw and the mechanical efficiency can be taken as 95%?

Tin +T fix +Tout = 0

Tin +Tout = −T fix

I then converted 900 rev/min into rad/s

Power = Tω

∴8 =T ×94 .247

8
=T = 0.084 N
94 .247

Going back to the original equation:

0.084 + ( 0.084 ×0.95 ) = −T fix = −0.165 N

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 Steve Goddard

Bibliography
Lecture Notes

HNC/HND Book – Tooley & Dingle

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