Simple Machine

-You now know that work is the product of a force applied to an

object, times the distance the object moves. However, many
practical machines use a mechanical advantage to change the
amount of force required to move an object. Some of the
simplest mechanical advantage devices used are: the lever, the
inclined plane, the pulley, and gears
2 TYPES OF MECHANICAL
ADVANTAGE
1) Actual Mechanical Advantage (AMA) is the ratio of the output force
(the force exerted by the machine on the load) to the input force (the
force exerted by the user on the machine). It represents the real-world
performance of a machine, taking into account losses such as friction,
deformation, and inefficiencies.
2) Ideal Mechanical Advantage (IMA) is a theoretical measure of the
efficiency of a machine under perfect conditions, where no energy is
lost due to factors like friction or deformation.
• A lever is a device used to gain a mechanical advantage. In
its most basic form, the lever is a seesaw that has a weight
at each end. The weight on one end of the seesaw tends to
rotate the board counterclockwise while the weight on the
other end tends to rotate the board clockwise. Each weight
produces a moment or turning force. The moment of an
object is calculated by multiplying the object's weight by
the distance the object is from the balance point or
fulcrum.
•.

Types of Lever
1st class lever
•Arrangement: The fulcrum is located between the input force
and the output force.
•Example: A seesaw ,pliers ,scissors
•2nd class lever
• Arrangement: The output force (load) is located between the fulcrum
and the input force (effort)
• Example: A wheelbarrow, bottle opener
3rd class lever
•Arrangement: The input force (effort) is located between the
fulcrum and the output force (load).
•Example: Airplane landing gear, Fishing rod, hand
First Class lever
Pliers Scissors

If the effort arm is longer than the load arm, you get a mechanical
advantage. This means less force is needed to move the load.
Where:
L = length of effort arm from the fulcrum
1 =length of resistance arm from the
fulcrum
R = resistance force
E = effort force
Problem
• A four-foot bar is placed under a 100-pound weight, the
fulcrum is one-half foot from the weight's center of gravity.
This leaves three and one half feet between the weight and
the point at which the force, or effort is applied. When effort
(E) is applied, it acts in the direction opposite the weight's
movement. Calculate the amount of effort required to lift the
weight.
Second Class lever
Unlike the first-class lever, the second-class lever has the
fulcrum at one end of the lever and effort is applied to the
opposite end. The resistance, or weight, is typically placed
near the fulcrum between the two ends. The most common
second-class lever is the wheelbarrow. When using a
wheelbarrow, the lever, or handle, is used to gain mechanical
advantage to reduce the effort required to carry a load.
Bottle opener Wheel
barrow
• Effort Arm Longer Than Resistance Arm: In a second-class lever, the
effort arm (the distance from the fulcrum to the point where you
apply force) is always longer than the resistance arm (the distance
from the fulcrum to the load). This gives the lever a mechanical
advantage, allowing you to apply a smaller force to lift or move a
larger load.
Problem
A wheel barrow as 200 pounds of weight concentrated 12
inches from the wheel axle and effort is applied 48 inches
from the axle. What is the effort force needed to lift a 200
pounds object?
Third class lever
• THIRD-CLASS LEVER In aviation, the third-class lever is
primarily used to move a resistance a greater distance than
the effort applied. This is accomplished by applying the effort
between the fulcrum and the resistance. However, when
doing this, a greater effort is required to produce movement.
An example of a third-class lever is a landing gear retracting
mechanism. The effort required to retract the landing gear is
applied near the fulcrum while the resistance is at the
opposite end of the lever.
Tongs Tweezers
To raise a 200-pound
wheel, 1,600 pounds of
effort are required.
However, the ratio of
movement
between the point
where effort is applied
and the resistance
is 0.5:4 . This means
the moving 0.5 foot
effort moves the
wheel four feet.
INCLINED PLANES
Another way to gain mechanical advantage is through the
inclined plane. An inclined plane achieves an advantage by
allowing a large resistance to be moved by a small effort over
a long distance. The amount of effort required is calculated
through the formula:
Where:
L- length of the inclined plane 𝐿 𝑅
h= height of the ramp =
R=Resisting force h 𝐸
E=effort force or the applied force
The inclined plane follows the same relationship used with levers. The
mechanical advantage gained is the ratio of the length of the ramp to the
height of the platform, or in this example 3:1. Therefore, only 166.7 pounds
of effort are required to raise the barrel 4 feet.
Pulleys
Pulleys are another type of simple machine that allow you to gain
mechanical advantage. A single fixed pulley is identical to a first-class
lever. The fulcrum is the center of the pulley and the arms that extend
outward from the fulcrum are identical in length. Therefore, the
mechanical advantage of a single fixed pulley is 1
• If a single pulley is not fixed, it takes on the characteristics of a second class
lever. In other words, both the effort and weight act in the same direction.
When a pulley is used this way, a mechanical advantage of 2 is gained.
• A common method used to determine the mechanical advantage of a
pulley system is to count the number of ropes that move or support a
movable pulley.

Another thing to keep in mind when using pulleys is that as mechanical advantage is
gained, the distance the effort is applied increases
• Mechanical Advantage (MA): This is a measure of how much a pulley
system multiplies your input force. For example, if you use a system of
pulleys that gives you a mechanical advantage of 4, it means you can
lift a load with only a quarter of the force you would need without the
pulleys.
• Distance Trade-off: To achieve this advantage, you must pull the rope
a longer distance. For instance, if you want to lift a load by 1 meter,
and your pulley system has a mechanical advantage of 4, you would
need to pull the rope 4 meters.
• GEARS
-There is no application of the basic machine that is used more than the
gear. The gear is used in clocks and watches, in automobiles and
aircraft, and in just about every type of mechanical device. Gears are
used to gain mechanical advantage, or to change the direction of
movement. To gain a mechanical advantage when using gears, the
number of teeth on either the drive gear or driven gear is varied. For
example, if both the drive gear and driven gear have the identical
number of teeth, no mechanical advantage is gained. However, if a
drive gear has 50 teeth and a driven gear has 100 teeth a mechanical
advantage of 2 is gained. In other words, the amount of power required
to turn the drive gear is reduced by half.
Gears
So, a higher gear ratio means you are in a low gear, and a lower gear ratio means
you are in a high gear.
Low gear means high torque but low speed
High gear means high speed but low torque
Example Problem
• Problem: You have a driving gear with 10 teeth and a driven gear with
30 teeth. Determine if this setup is a low gear or a high gear
Actual Mechanical advantage(lever)
• The utility machine is chiefly that it enables a person to
perform some desirable work by changing the amount
of the application of force
• The ratio of the output force E exerted by the machine
on the load to the input force R exerted by the operator
on the machine is defined as the actual mechanical
advantage

Note: R and E must be in the same unit

Ideal Mechanical advantage(lever)
• In any machine, because of the effect of friction the
useful work done by machine is always less than the
work done on the machine
• the distances L and I are the lengths from the fulcrum
to where the input and output forces are applied in
the lever,
I𝑀𝐴 =

Note: L and I must be in the same unit

 Efficiency
• Because of frictional losses and other losses in all moving machinery,
the useful work done by a machine is less than the energy supplied to
it.
Work output = Work input – Work done friction

Efficiency=

at 100% efficiency

IMA = AMA
 Problem(second-class lever.)
A person uses a lever to lift a 500 N rock. The length of the effort arm is 3 meters,
and the length of the resistance arm (where the rock is located) is 5 meters. The
person applies an effort force of 250 N.
Questions:
a)What is the Ideal Mechanical Advantage (IMA) of the lever?
b)What is the Actual Mechanical Advantage (AMA)?
c)What is the Efficiency of the lever?
I𝑀𝐴 = = =0.6
AMA=
Efficiency= x 100 =333.3%
In pulley
IMA(unitless)=

*IMA can be calculated also by counting the number of ropes

AMA(unitless)= =
Note: Output and input force must be in the same
unit

Efficiency(unitless) = x100
Problem(pulley)
Pulley system is used to lift a 1000 lbf block of stone a distance of 10 ft
by the application of a force of 150 lbf for a distance of 80 ft. Find the
actual mechanical advantage, the ideal mechanical advantage and the
efficiency.
Answer
• AMA==6.67
• IMA=
• Efficiency =
Sample Problem(pulley)
• A worker uses a pulley system to lift a 200 N weight. The worker pulls
the rope with a force of 80 N. The pulley system has 4 supporting
ropes. Find the ideal mechanical advantage and actual mechanical
advantage

Answer
IMA=Number of supporting ropes=4
AMA=​=2.5
IMA for an Inclined Plane:

The IMA of an inclined plane is calculated based on the ratio of the length of
the incline to its height

IMA(unitless)=
Note: L and h force must be in the same unit

AMA for an Inclined Plane

The AMA is calculated by comparing the actual resistance force (output
force) to the effort force (input force) applied.

AMA(unitless)=

Note: Resistance and Effort force must be in the same unit

Problem
Mia is using a ramp to move a box weighing 200 Newtons up to a
platform 1.5 meters high. The ramp is 5 meters long. Due to friction,
Mia has to apply a force of 100 Newtons to push the box up the ramp.
1)What is the Actual Mechanical Advantage (AMA) of the ramp?
2)What is the Ideal Mechanical Advantage (IMA) of the ramp?
3)What is the efficiency of the inclined plane?

AMA==2
IMA=
Efficiency=
Types of forces that act on materials:
• COMPRESSION
Compression is the resistance to an external force that tries to push an
object together
• TENSION
Tension describes forces that tend to pull an object apart.
BENDING
Top of the Wing: The skin on top of the wing is subjected to tensile
stress . This happens because as the wing bends upward, the top
surface of the wing is stretched. This stretching force tries to pull the
top of the wing apart
Bottom of the Wing: The skin on the bottom of the wing is subjected to
compressive stress. As the wing bends upward, the bottom surface is
compressed, meaning it is being pushed together.
Stress
When an external force acts on a body, it is opposed by an internal
force called stress.
The English measure for stress is pounds per square inch or Newton per
square meter.
Stress(σ) is shown as the ratio:
σ=
Where:
F=Force applied(Newton)
A=Area(
σ=Stress(N/)
Types of Stress
1)Tensile Stress:
• Definition: The stress experienced by a material when it is subjected to a force
that attempts to stretch or elongate it.
• Example: A rubber band being pulled from both ends experiences tensile stress,
which tries to elongate it.
2)Compressive Stress:
• Definition: The stress experienced by a material when it is subjected to a force
that attempts to compress or shorten it.
• Example: A column supporting a heavy load experiences compressive stress,
which tries to compress or shorten the column.
3)Shear Stress(τ):
• Definition: The stress experienced by a material when it is subjected to
forces that cause layers of the material to slide past each other.
• Example: Scissors cutting paper induce shear stress along the plane where
the blades meet the paper.
4)Torsional Stress:
• Definition: The stress experienced by a material when it is subjected
to a twisting or rotational force.
• Example: A screwdriver applying a twisting force to a screw
experiences torsional stress.
 Problem(Tensile stress)
A steel rod with a diameter of 10 mm is used to suspend a load. If the
rod supports a load of 2 kN (kilonewtons), calculate the tensile stress in
the rod.
 Problem(Compressive stress)
A concrete column with a square cross-sectional area of 20 cm × 20 cm
supports a vertical load of 50 kN (kilonewtons). Calculate the cross-
sectional area of the column and the compressive stress it experiences.
Problem( Shear stress )
• A circular punch with a diameter of 10 mm is used to punch a hole
through a steel sheet that is 5 mm thick. The force required to punch
the hole is 39,250 N.
Strain
As stated earlier, stress is a force within an object that opposes an
applied external force. Strain is the deformation of an object that is
caused by stress. Hooke's law states that if strain does not exceed the
elastic limit of a body, it is directly proportional to the applied stress.

σ∝ε
σ=kε

Where
σ = Stress (N/)
k = modulus of elasticity(N/)
ε = Strain(unitless)
• Young's modulus is a measure of a material's stiffness or rigidity. It
describes how much a material will stretch or compress under a given
amount of force.
Problem:
A steel block is fastened to a wall using a single bolt. The block has a
mass of 50 kg and is subject to a horizontal force of 200 N trying to
slide it off the wall. The bolt, which is cylindrical with a diameter of 10
mm, resists the shear force.
a)Calculate the shear stress experienced by the bolt.
b)Determine whether the bolt will fail if the shear strength of the
material is 300 MPa.
Strain(Problem)
• A steel rod with an original length of 2 meters is subjected to a tensile
force of 10,000 N. The cross-sectional area of the rod is 10 cm². The
Young's modulus of steel is 200 GPa
1)Calculate the strain experienced by the rod.
2)Determine the change in length of the rod.