Mechanical Systems

• A mechanism is one working part of a machine that changes the value or direction of a
force to make a task easier.
• A sub-system is a combination of components and mechanisms that are put together.
• Machines are designed to help us work faster and with less effort. Machines are made of
one or more mechanisms.
• If we did not have mechanisms or machines, our daily tasks would be very difficult and
would take a lot longer to complete. Mechanisms are unable to operate on their own.
Mechanisms require energy, as well as someone to operate them. (Although many
machines nowadays are computer operated, a person still needs to turn the machine on).

Activity A
C
B

1. Identify the sub-systems in each machine.

2. Name the type of energy used to drive the sub-systems.

Systems Diagram
Systems diagrams are graphic representations clearly laying out what machines do through
various stages. It is much simpler than a flow chart and more precise.

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

What makes the How the machine responds to What the machine
system work? the input. What happens exactly produces
Press of a switch, at each step in the process as
electricity, movement?
the machine does it’s work?

Look at the picture alongside of a man using a hydraulic jack to lift and keep a car in position so
that he can change its flat tyre.
INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Person operates The lever pumps hydraulic The build-up of

lever. Moves fluid from the reservoir pressure pushes the
lever up and into the cylinder. The arm to lift the car
down cylinder contains a one-
way valve, which builds
pressure.

Mechanical Advantage
The amount of help that a machine or mechanism gives the user Load
to save time and energy is known as mechanical advantage.

𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 / 𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 Effort

Mechanical advantage =
𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡 /𝐼𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎
Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems
Some machines need to transmit a force in
awkward spaces or around corners. All
systems need energy to work. Whether it be
human, mechanical, electrical or chemical
energy. We can also use energy created by
using gasses or fluids under pressure.
Pneumatic and hydraulic systems make the
work that we need to do a lot easier.

Key words
 Hydraulics system: A closed mechanical system that uses fluid
under pressure to do work.
 Pneumatic system: A closed mechanical system that uses
compressed air to do work.
 Master cylinder: It is the point where pressure is applied to the
system, it is the input.
 Slave cylinder: The point at which the resulting effect of the
applied pressure is transmitted, the output.
 Piston: A disc attached to a rod that fits tightly inside a cylinder
and moves up and down the cylinder.
 Compressed: When something (e.g. A gas) is squeezed into a
small place.
 A closed system: a hydraulic system that is closed at both ends,
it keeps the fluid pressure constant inside the system.
 Pressure: the amount of force that is applied over the surface
area of an object.
Hydraulics
Sometimes large forces are needed to do a task. For example, lifting a car, digging a long trench
to lay sewage pipes, loading building materials or loading rubbish into a truck. These are some
common examples of how hydraulic systems are used.

How a hydraulic system works

A master cylinder (input) is linked with a tube to the slave cylinder (output). As pressure is applied
on the master piston, the liquid flows through the system and the pressure is transferred to the
slave piston pushing it outwards.
cylinder

liquid
piston
movement here
push/ pull here
Activity 2
1) Write down 3 different examples of where hydraulic systems are used by people in your
community.
2) Find at least three advantages and disadvantages of hydraulic systems.

Advantages
• Output forces in hard to reach places
• Small force can be multiplied
• It can control linear motion precisely because the pressure in the system is constant
• Force is transferred directly and immediately
Disadvantages
• The high pressures in the systems are dangerous to work with
• Very expensive
• Require heavy, strong components and couplings to withstand high pressure

Controlling Hydraulic systems

When using hydraulics to lift a load, you may want to control or stop
the load from falling back down. You can do this by stopping the
output piston by holding the input piston still. However, this is not a
very effective way of preventing a load from falling. A more effective
way of stopping the force in a hydraulic system is to use a valve.
A valve controls the force of a hydraulic system by stopping and
starting the flow of the liquid. For example, a jack used to lift a car is
a hydraulic system that uses a valve.
One-way Valve release valve screw
Alongside is an image of a one-way valve, the valve is
pushed to the right when oil is forced from the input oil
cylinder to the output cylinder. When the oil is not being
pumped in this direction, the spring forces the valve
back to the left and prevents the back flow of any oil. one-way valve
To release the oil the release screw is turned and
pushed to the right which allows oil to flow back past.
Safety valves are other types of valves that are built into
some hydraulic systems. Safety valve releases the
liquid if the pressure in a cylinder gets too high. This spring
prevents the cylinder, piping and connectors from
bursting. Shock absorbers in cars are hydraulic systems
that are used to ease the effect of bumps or uneven road surfaces. When the wheel is suddenly
forced upwards by a bump, the piston in the cylinder moves downwards, which then lessens the
effect that we feel of the bump.

The hydraulic jack Load (large force)

The hydraulic jack is an example of a hydraulic system that
uses a valve and reservoir, which you can see in the
diagram alongside. It was one of the first hydraulic systems jack
cylinder
to make use of these hydraulic principals. Usually, the jack
handle must be pumped to lift the car. As the handle is Lever movement
(small force)
moved up and down, or backwards and forwards, the input reservoir
piston pumps oil from the reservoir through the one-way
valve into the main cylinder. Each movement of the handle jack handle output piston
pumps only a small amount of oil and so raises the car only
input piston
a small distance. Therefore, the operator only has to exert a one-way valve
small force to raise a large load. To lower the vehicle, the
one-way valve is released, and the vehicle’s weight forces the oil back into the reservoir.
 Hydraulic Press
Hydraulic press – machines that are used to bend, punch, crush or
compact objects
Ram – the name given to the piston and cylinder in a hydraulic press
system.
A hydraulic press uses liquid to create a large amount of force. It is
used for punching, bending and forming metals into different shapes.
The ram converts hydraulic power to mechanical power.

Pneumatics
A pneumatic system controls mechanisms by using compressed gases
like air or nitrogen. A gas has space between its particles, these
particles can be forced together under compression. When the gas
expands again it releases energy, which we can use to do work. This is
called potential energy.
Pneumatic systems are
used in simple everyday
tools like bicycle pumps
and in industrial tools like
jackhammers.

Compressor
A compressor is a machine that makes compressed air. The
compressor has an electric motor that moves a cylinder up and down.
This is similar to the way air is compressed in a bicycle pump. See the
diagram below showing a compressor.

one-way outlet valve

One-way valve used as for compressed air
an inlet for the air
compression piston compressed air in pipe
chamber flowing from the
chamber
cylinder

Activity 3
1) Write down 3 different examples of where pneumatic systems are used by people in your
community.
2) Find at least three advantages and disadvantages of pneumatic systems.

Advantages
• Cheaper than hydraulics
• Lightweight equipment
Disadvantages
• Compressed air can be dangerous to work with because it is unpredictable and kickbacks
can occur.
• It is not suitable for machines where precise, controlled movement is needed.
Pascal’s Principle
Pascal’s principle states that when a force is FORCE
applied to a liquid in a closed system, the pressure (Newton)
is applied evenly throughout the liquid in all
directions without any loss. PRESSURE AREA
(N/m2) (m2)

Example
Alongside is a hydraulic system.
Calculate the Mechanical advantage of this system. output force = ??
input force 50N
𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒
Pressure = 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎
50𝑁
= 100
2
= 0,5N/𝑚𝑚2 Area = 100mm 2

Output force = Pressure x Area area = 800mm

= 0,5N/𝑚𝑚2 x 800 𝑚𝑚2 large output small output
= 400N movement movement
𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑
Mechanical Advantage = 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡
400𝑁
= 50𝑁
pipe oil
=8
Cylinder A Cylinder B
Activity 4 Pascal’s Principle
1. A hydraulic lift system has an input piston of 0,5m2 and an output piston which has an area
of 2m2 . The load being lifted is 1000N.
a) Calculate the pressure of the system.
b) What Input force is needed to lift the load?
c) Calculate the Mechanical Advantage. 7N
d) What distance must the input piston move to
lift the load a distance of 100cm?
420N
2. Look at the hydraulic system alongside and answer
the following questions:
a) Calculate the Pressure. 1,5m
b) What is the area of the output piston?
?
c) Calculate the Mechanical Advantage.
d) If the car was raised by 1,5m then what
?
distance did the input piston move? 2
3. A hydraulic lift system has an input piston of 2 m2 25cm
and an output piston which has an area of 16m2. The
effort is 62,5N.
a) Calculate the pressure.
b) What is the output force?
c) Calculate the MA.
d) What distance must the input piston move to lift the load a distance of 20cm?

Activity 5 – Mechanical Advantage

1. What mechanical advantage does a hydraulic press have when punching holes in a metal
sheet with a force of 800N using only 200N?
2. A hydraulic press has an input piston radius of 0,5mm. It is linked to an output piston that
has three times the radius. What mechanical advantage does this press have?
3. A hydraulic lift has a mechanical advantage of 5. If the load weighs 350N, what effort is
required to lift the weight? Provide your answer in Newtons.
4. Your deodorant sprays with a force of 15N. What mechanical advantage is achieved if your
finger presses the deodorant nozzle with a force of 60N? Explain your answer.