DME II SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

MODULE 1
1. What is critical speed of a shaft?

Critical or whirling or whipping speed is the speed at which a rotating

shaft tends to vibrate violently in the transverse direction if the shaft rotates
in the horizontal direction. In other words, the whirling or critical speed is
the speed at which resonance occurs.

2. What are the causes of failure in shafts?

The following stresses are the causes of failure in shafts:

a) Shear stresses due to the transmission of torque (i.e. due to torsional load).
b) Bending stresses (tensile or compressive) due to the forces acting upon
machine elements like gears, pulleys etc. as well as due to the weight of
the shaft itself.
c) Stresses due to combined torsional and bending loads.

3. Differentiate between torsional rigidity and lateral rigidity of shaft.

Torsional Rigidity is the resistance to the angular twist of the shaft along its
rotational axis. GJ will represent the torsional rigidity, which is the torque
transmitted by the shaft for a unit angular twist in the unit length of the shaft.

Lateral Rigidity is the resistance to the deflection of the shaft along the lateral
axis. It is also known as flexural Rigidity (EI).

4. Compare the strength and stiffness of a hollow shaft of same outside

diameter as that of a solid shaft.

For solid circular shaft, For hollow circular shaft,

𝜏 T
=
𝑟 J
𝜋𝐷4 𝜋
J= J = 32 (𝐷 4 − 𝑑 4 )
32

16T 16T𝐷 16 T
𝜏= 𝜏= =
𝜋𝐷3 𝜋(𝐷4 −𝑑 4 ) 𝜋𝐷3 (1−𝐾 4 )
 𝐷
Assume d = , K = 0.5
2

16 𝑇 16 𝑇
𝜏= = 1.066
𝜋𝐷3 (1 − 0.54 ) 𝜋𝐷3

It may be seen that 𝜏𝑚𝑎𝑥 in the case of hollow shaft is 6.6 % larger than in the
case of a solid shaft having the same outside diameter. Therefore, hollow
shafts are stronger than the solid shaft.

5. Enumerate the various types of flat belt drives.

1. Open belt drive. The open belt drive, as shown in Fig. 18.4, is used with
shafts arranged parallel and rotating in the same direction.

2. Crossed or twist belt drive. The crossed or twist belt drive, as shown in
Fig. 18.5, is used with shafts arranged parallel and rotating in the opposite
directions.
6. Explain about the different materials used for flat belts.

Leather belts: The most important material for flat belt is leather. The best
leather belts are made from Top grade steer hides. The belts are specified
according to the number of layers.

Rubber belts: consisting of layers of fabric impregnated with a rubber

composition and having a thin layer of rubber on the faces, are very flexible
but are quickly destroyed if contact with oil or grease.

Balata belts: are similar to rubber belts except that balata gum is used in place
of rubber. It is about 25% stronger than rubber belt. These belts are acid proof
and water proof and it is not affected by animal oils or alkalies.

Cotton or fabric belts: are made from woven fabric or cotton in which a
number of layers, depending upon the thickness desired are put and stitched
together. These are treated with linsoil to make it water proof.

7. Enumerate the advantages and disadvantages of a flat belt drive.

Advantage of the flat belt drive

 The flat belts are very simple in design and cheaper.
 Smooth running and quiet running.
 Flat belts can be used for long distances, even up to 15 m.
 Precise alignments of shafts and pulleys are not as critical with flat belts.
 The periodic adjustment of the belt tension and belt replacement, when it is
worn out, is easier in the case of flat belts.
 Flat belts are very flexible and, therefore, they have the ability to bend and
twist on pulleys and follow very tortuous paths.
 Flexible and longer belts can absorb shock and torsional vibration.
 They are durable.

Disadvantage of the flat belt drive

 High chance of slip off.
 Compared to v-belts, flat belts require significantly greater of pretension to
transmit a certain torque without slip.
 Flat belts are not advisable for high outputs at high speeds. The flat belt
cannot transmit high power as timing belt does.
 They are bulky, for a given transmission, flat belt drive requires a wide
pulley.
8. Explain Slip and creep in belt drive.

Slip in Belt

If the frictional resistance between the pulley and belt is insufficient, slip
occurs. In such a case the difference between the speed of driver pulley and
belt, belt and driven pulley is called slip and is generally expressed as
percentage.

Creep of belt

Due to the stretching and contraction of belt at tight side and slack side,
change of belt length occurs. This change of length produces a relative motion
between the belt and the pulley surfaces. This relative motion is termed as
creep. It depends on the elasticity of the belt.

9. What is the effect of centrifugal tension in belt on power transmission?

The centrifugal tension will come in to act at higher velocity (above 10m/s).
Because of centrifugal force, tension on both side will be increased but at the
same time normal reaction force in between belt and pulley surface will goes
down so frictional tension will be decrease and ultimately power transmission
efficiency will decrease.

The belt continuously runs over both the pulleys. In tight side and slack side
of belt tension is increased because of presence of centrifugal Tension in belt.
The tension caused in the running belt by the centrifugal force is known as
centrifugal tension. Whenever particle of mass 'm' is rotated in circular path
of radius 'r' at uniform velocity 'v', a centrifugal force is acting outward
𝑚𝑣 2
radially and its magnitude is equal to
𝑟

𝑚𝑣 2
𝑇𝑐 =
𝑟

10.Explain why I section is usually preferred in the case of a connecting rod?

The I-section of the connecting rod is used due to its lightness and to keep the
inertia forces as low as possible specially in case of high speed engines. It can
 also withstand high gas pressure. The I section of the connecting rod can resist
buckling because the connecting rod is four times strong in buckling about Y-
axis than about X-axis (IXX = 4IYY ).

MODULE 2

11.What is the function of a clutch? Discuss the various types of friction

clutches.

A clutch is a machine member used to connect a driving shaft to a driven shaft

so that the driven shaft may be started or stopped at will, without stopping the
driving shaft. The use of a clutch is mostly found in automobiles.

Different Types of Friction Clutches are single plate clutch, Multi plate
clutch, cone clutch, centrifugal clutch.

12.What is the principle of operation of a centrifugal clutch? What are its

applications?

It is working totally depends upon the centrifugal force created by the

driving member (engine or motor). The centrifugal force is used to engage
the clutch with a driven shaft. As the engine starts rotating, it produces a
centrifugal force which makes the sliding shoes to move outward. The friction
lining of the shoes gets connected to the inner surface of the drum and it starts
moving. Since the drum is connected to the driven shaft, so the power is
transmitted from the engine shaft to the transmission shaft and finally to the
load.
Application

Centrifugal clutch is mainly used in lawn movers, mopeds, go-karts, mini

bikes, chainsaws etc. It is also used in some paramotors and boats to keep the
engine running during stalling and disengage loads during starting and idling.

13.Why are cone clutches better than disc clutches?

 In this clutch the normal force acting on the contact surfaces is larger than
the axial force.
 It can transfer high torque when compared with the plate clutches of the
same size.
  As the mating surfaces are in the shape of a wedge less effort is required to
operate the clutch.
 It creates less noise than other clutch plates.

14.What are the design considerations for designing friction clutches?

1. The suitable material forming the contact surfaces should be selected.

2. The moving parts of the clutch should have low weight in order to minimise
the inertia load, especially in high speed service.
3. The clutch should not require any external force to maintain contact of the
friction surfaces.
4. The provision for taking up wear of the contact surfaces must be provided.
5. The clutch should have provision for facilitating repairs.
6. The clutch should have provision for carrying away the heat generated at the
contact surfaces.
7. The projecting parts of the clutch should be covered by guard.

15.How clutch is different from coupling?

Clutch is a device that provides a temporary connection between the driver

and driven shaft. Coupling makes the permanent and semi-permanent
connection between two shaft ends.

16.What are the requirements for a good friction material used for the
brakes?

The material used for the brake lining should have the following
characteristics:
1. It should have high coefficient of friction with minimum fading. In other
words, the coefficient
of friction should remain constant over the entire surface with change in
temperature.
2. It should have low wear rate.
3. It should have high heat resistance.
4. It should have high heat dissipation capacity.
5. It should have low coefficient of thermal expansion.
6. It should have adequate mechanical strength.
7. It should not be affected by moisture and oil.
17.What are the different types of brakes?

The brakes, according to the means used for transforming the energy by the
braking element, are classified as :
1. Hydraulic brakes e.g. pumps or hydrodynamic brake and fluid agitator,
2. Electric brakes e.g. generators and eddy current brakes, and
3. Mechanical brakes.

Different types of Mechanical brakes:

a) Block brake

It consists of a block or shoe which is pressed against the rim of revolving

brake wheel drum. The block is made of a softer material than the rim of the
wheel. This type of brake is commonly used on railway trains and tram car.

b) Band brake

A band brake consists of a flexible band of leather,rope of steel bonded with

friction material, which is presses against the rotating brake drum.

c) Band and block brake

d) Internal expanding shoe brake

18.What are the advantages and disadvantages of band brake?

Advantages
Band brakes can be simple, compact, rugged, and can generate high force
with a light input force.
Disadvantages
Band brakes are prone to grabbing or chatter and loss of brake force when
hot.

19.What is the main advantage and disadvantage of simple block brake?

The main advantage is that it applies uniform pressure over drum due to
small area of contact between the shoe and drum. So the wear on the shoe
would be uniform; a longer life for the shoe. The main disadvantage is the
friction force acting parallel to the lever tends to unseat the block. If the lever
is far away from the drum (using thick block), the unseating force may be
large enough to displace the block from its working position.
20.What is the main advantage of differential band brake compared with
simple band brake?

In simple band brake, the tight side of band is connected to the pivot of
lever, which requires a large actuating force. In differential band brake, the
tight side of band is connected to the lever away from the pivot and in opposite
side to the actuating force. In this case, the moments of actuating force and
tight tension act in the same sense (direction), which helps in reducing the
magnitude of actuating force or power consumption.

MODULE 3

21.Define static and dynamic load carrying capacity of ball bearing.

Static load carrying capacity

The static load carrying capacity of a bearing is defined as a static load which
corresponds to a total permanent deformation of balls and races at the most
heavly stressed point of contact equal to 0.0001 of the ball diameter.

Dynamic load carrying capacity

Dynamic load carrying capacity of a bearing is defined as the radial bearings
(or thrust load in thrust bearings) that can be carried for a minimum life of 1
Million revolutions.

22.What is L10 and L50 life of ball bearing?

L10 life: or rated life.

L10 as the bearing life associated with a 90% reliability when operating under
conventional conditions, i.e. after a stated amount of time 90% of a group of
identical bearings will not yet have developed metal fatigue. L10 life is also
referred to by manufacturers as the 'minimum expected life’.

L50 life: or average life

The L50 or average life is accepted as the bearing life associated with a 50%
reliability, i.e., after a stated amount of time, only 50% of a group of identical
bearings will not yet have developed metal fatigue. L50 life equals five times
the L10 life.

23.What are the causes of bearing failure?

a) Improper Lubrication
b) Cage damage
 c) Poor fitting
d) Misalignment
e) Overload
f) Improper handling and storage

24. Explain the different types of sliding contact bearing.

The sliding contact bearings, according to the thickness of layer of the

lubricant between the bearing and the journal, may also be classified as
follows:
1.Thick film bearings. The thick film bearings are those in which the working
surfaces are completely separated from each other by the lubricant. Such type
of bearings are also called as hydrodynamic lubricated bearings.
2.Thin film bearings. The thin film bearings are those in which, although
lubricant is present, the working surfaces partially contact each other atleast
part of the time. Such type of bearings are also called boundary lubricated
bearings.
3. Zero film bearings. The zero film bearings are those which operate without
any lubricant present.
4. Hydrostatic or externally pressurized lubricated bearings. The hydrostatic
bearings are those which can support steady loads without any relative motion
between the journal and the bearing. This is achieved by forcing externally
pressurized lubricant between the members.

25.Explain the mechanism of fluid film lubrication.

Hydrodynamic Lubrication

In hydrodynamic lubricated bearings, there is a thick film of lubricant

between the journal and the bearing. A little consideration will show that
when the bearing is supplied with sufficient lubricant, a pressure is build up
in the clearance space when the journal is rotating about an axis that is
eccentric with the bearing axis. The load can be supported by this fluid
pressure without any actual contact between the journal and bearing. The load
carrying ability of a hydrodynamic bearing arises simply because a viscous
fluid resists being pushed around. Under the proper conditions, this resistance
to motion will develop a pressure distribution in the lubricant film that can
support a useful load. The load supporting pressure in hydrodynamic bearings
arises from either
1. the flow of a viscous fluid in a converging channel (known as wedge film
lubrication), or
 2. the resistance of a viscous fluid to being squeezed out from between
approaching surfaces (known as squeeze film lubrication).

26.Explain wedge film and squeeze film journal bearings.

Wedge Film journal bearings

The load carrying ability of a wedge-film journal bearing results when the
journal and/or the bearing rotates relative to the load. The most common case
is that of a steady load, a fixed (nonrotating) bearing and a rotating journal.
Fig. 26.4 (a) shows a journal at rest with metal to metal contact at A on the
line of action of the supported load. When the journal rotates slowly in the
anticlockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 26.4 (b), the point of contact will
move to B, so that the angle AOB is the angle of sliding friction of the surfaces
in contact at B. In the absence of a lubricant, there will be dry metal to metal
friction. If a lubricant is present in the clearance space of the bearing and
journal, then a thin absorbed film of the lubricant may partly separate the
surface, but a continuous fluid film completely separating the surfaces will
not exist because of slow speed.

When the speed of the journal is increased, a continuous fluid film is

established as in Fig. 26.4 (c). The centre of the journal has moved so that the
minimum film thickness is at C. It may be noted that from D to C in the
direction of motion, the film is continually narrowing and hence is a
converging film. The curved converging film may be considered as a wedge
shaped film of a slipper bearing wrapped around the journal. A little
consideration will show that from C to D in the direction of rotation, as shown
in Fig. 26.4 (c), the film is diverging and cannot give rise to a positive pressure
or a supporting action.
 Squeeze Film Journal Bearing
In a wedge film journal bearing, the bearing carries a steady load and the
journal rotates relative to the bearing. But in certain cases, the bearings
oscillate or rotate so slowly that the wedge film cannot provide a satisfactory
film thickness. If the load is uniform or varying in magnitude while acting in
a constant direction, this becomes a thin film or possibly a zero film problem.
But if the load reverses its direction, the squeeze film may develop sufficient
capacity to carry the dynamic loads without contact between the journal and
the bearing. Such bearings are known as squeeze film journal bearing.

27.Discuss the significance of bearing modulus in the design of journal

bearing?

Bearing Modulus (C) is C = (Zn/p) where

 Z = oil viscosity
 n = speed of rotation (rpm)
 p = bearing pressure(N/MM2)
For any given bearing, there is a value for indicated by C, for which
the coefficient of friction is at a minimum. The bearing should not be operated
at this value of bearing modulus, since a slight decrease in speed or a slight
increase in pressure will make the part of a shaft or axle that rests on
bearings operate in partial lubrication state resulting in high friction, heating
and wear.
To prevent this, the average value of Bearing modulus should be

 Zn/p >= 3C
28.What is sommerfeld number? Explain its significance in the design of
hydrodynamic bearing.

In the design of fluid bearings, the Sommerfeld number (S), or bearing

characteristic number, is a dimensionless quantity used extensively in
hydrodynamic lubrication analysis. The Sommerfeld number is very
important in lubrication analysis because it contains all the variables normally
specified by the designer.

S is the Sommerfeld Number

r is the shaft radius
c is the radial clearance
µ is the absolute viscosity of the lubricant
N is the speed of the rotating shaft in rev/s
P is the load per unit of projected bearing area

MODULE 4
29.State and explain law of gearing with a neat sketch

Law of gearing states that the common normal at the point of contact between
a pair of teeth must always pass through the pitch point.

Consider the portions of the two teeth, one on the wheel 1 (or pinion) and the
other on the wheel 2, as shown by thick line curves in Fig. 28.7. Let the two
teeth come in contact at point Q, and the wheels rotate in the directions as
shown in the figure.

Let T T be the common tangent and MN be the common normal to the curves
at point of contact Q. From the centres O1 and O2, draw O1M and O2N
perpendicular to MN. A little consideration will show that the point Q moves
in the direction QC, when considered as a point on wheel 1, and in the
direction QD when considered as a point on wheel 2.

Let v1 and v2 be the velocities of the point Q on the wheels 1 and 2

respectively. If the teeth are to remain in contact, then the components of these
velocities along the common normal MN must be equal.
30. Give an account on different modes of failure of gear tooth.
The different modes of failure of gear teeth and their possible remedies to
avoid the failure, are as follows :
1. Bending failure. Every gear tooth acts as a cantilever. If the total repetitive
dynamic load acting on the gear tooth is greater than the beam strength of the
gear tooth, then the gear tooth will fail in bending, i.e. the gear tooth will
break.
 In order to avoid such failure, the module and face width of the gear is
adjusted so that the beam strength is greater than the dynamic load.
2. Pitting. It is the surface fatigue failure which occurs due to many repetition
of Hertz contact stresses. The failure occurs when the surface contact stresses
are higher than the endurance limit of the material. The failure starts with the
formation of pits which continue to grow resulting in the rupture of the tooth
surface.
In order to avoid the pitting, the dynamic load between the gear tooth should
be less than the wear strength of the gear tooth.
3. Scoring. The excessive heat is generated when there is an excessive surface
pressure, high speed or supply of lubricant fails. It is a stick-slip phenomenon
in which alternate shearing and welding takes place rapidly at high spots.
This type of failure can be avoided by properly designing the parameters such
as speed, pressure and proper flow of the lubricant, so that the temperature at
the rubbing faces is within the permissible limits.
4. Abrasive wear. The foreign particles in the lubricants such as dirt, dust or
burr enter between the tooth and damage the form of tooth. This type of failure
can be avoided by providing filters for the lubricating oil or by using high
viscosity lubricant oil which enables the formation of thicker oil film and
hence permits easy passage of such particles without damaging the gear
surface.
5. Corrosive wear. The corrosion of the tooth surfaces is mainly caused due
to the presence of corrosive elements such as additives present in the
lubricating oils. In order to avoid this type of wear, proper anti-corrosive
additives should be used.

31. What are the commonly used tooth profiles for spur gear? Explain the
characteristics of each.

1. Cycloidal teeth

A cycloid is the curve traced by a point on the circumference of a circle which

rolls without slipping on a fixed straight line. When a circle rolls without
slipping on the outside of a fixed circle, the curve traced by a point on the
circumference of a circle is known as epicycloid. On the other hand,
if a circle rolls without slipping on the inside of a fixed circle, then the curve
traced by a point on the circumference of a circle is called hypocycloid.

2. Involute teeth
 An involute of a circle is a plane curve generated by a point on a tangent,
which rolls on the circle without slipping or by a point on a taut string which
is unwrapped from a reel.

32. What is pressure angle? What is the effect of increasing the pressure
angle?

Pressure angle [ϕ]: The angle between the pressure line and common
tangent to the pitch circle is called the Pressure angle or angle of obliquity.
Simply refers to the angle through which forces are transmitted between
meshing gears. Generally, 20° of pressure angle is used for involute gears.

Significance of pressure angle

1) Increasing pressure angle improves the tooth strength.

2) Increasing pressure angle results in a smaller base circle so more portion
of the tooth becomes involute thus can eliminate interference.
3) Increasing pressure angle will improve power transmission but at the same
time will increase gear wear and meshing noise.
4) Decreasing the pressure angle will require more teeth on the pinion to avoid
undercutting.
5) The low pressure angle will decrease power transmission capacity but will
improve gear meshing properties like reduced noise.
6) Larger pressure angle provides a wider base.

33. Explain interference and undercutting in gears

When two gears are in mesh it is possible that an involute portion of one will
contact a non-involute portion of the other gear. This phenomenon is known
as “interference" and occurs when the number of teeth on the smaller of the
two meshing gears is less than a required minimum.

Undercutting can occur on gears when the dedendum of the gear tooth is too
long causing that gear to interfere with the corresponding gear.

MODULE 5

34. What are the uses of bevel gears?

The bevel gears are used for transmitting power at a constant velocity ratio
between two shafts whose axes intersect at a certain angle. The pitch surfaces
for the bevel gear are frustums of cones.
35. What is a herringbone gear? What are its advantages?
The herringbone gear consists of two sets of gear teeth on the same gear, one
right hand and one left hand. Having both hands of gear teeth causes the thrust
of one set to cancel out the thrust of the other. Thus, another advantage of this
gear type is quiet, smooth operation at higher speeds.
36. What is formative number of teeth in case of bevel gears?
The formative or equivalent number of teeth for a bevel gear may be defined
as the number of teeth that can be generated on the surface of a frustum of
cone.
Formative number of teeth in bevel gear is equal to 2 times the actual number
of teeth.
37. What are the characteristics of worm gears?
The worm gears are widely used for transmitting power at high velocity ratios
between non-intersecting shafts that are generally, but not necessarily, at right
angles. It can give velocity ratios as high as 300: 1 or more in a single step in
a minimum of space, but it has a lower efficiency. The worm gearing is mostly
used as a speed reducer, which consists of worm and a worm wheel or gear.
The worm (which is the driving member) is usually of a cylindrical form
having threads of the same shape as that of an involute rack. The threads of
the worm may be left handed or right handed and single or multiple threads.
The worm wheel or gear (which is the driven member) is similar to a helical
gear with a face curved to conform to the shape of the worm. The worm is
generally made of steel while the worm gear is made of bronze or cast iron
for light service.
38. Enumerate the applications of worm gears?
Worm gears are known to run smoothly and quietly, as long as they are
properly mounted and lubricated. Due to these features, typical worm gear
applications include presses, small engines, lifts and elevators, rolling mills,
conveying engineering, mining industry machines, on rudders, and worm
drive saws.
39. Why a worm set can only be used as jack and hoists for raising loads?
Worm gears support self-locking operation and hence are advantageous to use
in lifting operations. This is especially good for heavy loads because you may
not want to have to do the entire translation in one go and it give safety for if
you let go whilst the lump of iron is over your head.