Axles and Wheels (Making Things Work)

Product Information

Health & Safety - All our castors are designed for low speed applications, and power towing castors are available upon special request. It is important to select the right castor for the job, to protect against manual handling injuries. Turn a wheel at the rim and the force you apply (red arrow) is multiplied to give a bigger force at the axle (blue arrow). The bigger the wheel, the greater the effect, because the radius of the wheel works like a lever. The bigger the wheel, the longer the lever, screw: A simple machine that lifts or holds materials together. Often a cylindrical rod incised with a spiral thread. Simple machines are everywhere; we use them everyday to perform simple tasks. Simple machines have also been in use since the early days of human existence. While simple machines take many shapes, they come in six basic types:

All About Physics by Richard Hammond. DK, 2015. A lighter and more enjoyable introduction to physics aimed at a similar audience. (A reissue of an earlier book called Can You Feel the Force?.) Invention by Lionel Bender. DK, 2013. A tour of the classic mechanical, electrical, and electronic inventions we tend to take for granted. Rather dated and with very little coverage of modern inventions, but still a reasonable overview of ancient technologies, including various types of wheels. Wheel Type – Wheels can be simply categorised into 2 types, soft tread wheels and hard tread wheels. The general principle is hard tread wheels on softer floor surfaces, and soft tread wheels on harder floor surfaces. This principle reduces the rolling tractive resistance and makes the wheels easier to move.We have big cars, little cars, old cars, new cars, toy cars, green cars, party cars, fast cars, monster cars and pope cars! We even have cars that people live in. Who can name the different types of simple machines? (Answer: Wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, and pulley.)

simple machine: A machine with few or no moving parts that is used to make work easier (provides a mechanical advantage). For example, a wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, or pulley.work: Force on an object multiplied by the distance it moves. W = F x d (force multiplied by distance). Bowser, Edward Albert, 1890, An elementary treatise on analytic mechanics: with numerous examples. (Originally from the University of Michigan) D. Van Nostrand Company, pp. 190 Grand Coulee Dam in Washington State, USA) also evolved from the wheel and axle. Photo by courtesy of US Bureau of Reclamation. Let a and b be the distances from the center of the bearing to the edges of the wheel A and the axle B. If the input force F A is applied to the edge of the wheel A and the force F B at the edge of the axle B is the output, then the ratio of the velocities of points A and B is given by a/b, so the ratio of the output force to the input force, or mechanical advantage, is given by

In other lessons of this unit, students study each simple machine in more detail and see how each could be used as a tool to build a pyramid or a modern building. An axle is a rod or shaft that rotates the wheels and supports the weight of your vehicle. Axles are essential components of any vehicle and come in three main types: front, rear, and stub. Let's break down the types of axle and look at how to choose the right axle ratio for your vehicle. What Is an Axle? The Halaf culture of 6500–5100 BCE has been credited with the earliest depiction of a wheeled vehicle, but this is doubtful as there is no evidence of Halafians using either wheeled vehicles or even pottery wheels. [1] I M A = F out F in = R a d i u s wheel R a d i u s axle {\displaystyle \mathrm {IMA} ={F_{\text{out}} \over F_{\text{in}}}={\mathrm {Radius} _{\text{wheel}} \over \mathrm {Radius} _{\text{axle}}}} Actual mechanical advantage [ edit ] lever: A simple machine that increases or decreases the force to lift something. Usually a bar pivoted on a fixed point (fulcrum) to which force is applied to do work.

Why we need wheels

If Isabel and Heaven wanted to make a stronger vehicle for carrying heavy things, they could use a stronger material for the axle. The mechanical advantage of a simple machine like the wheel and axle is computed as the ratio of the resistance to the effort. The larger the ratio the greater the multiplication of force (torque) created or distance achieved. By varying the radii of the axle and/or wheel, any amount of mechanical advantage may be gained. [18] In this manner, the size of the wheel may be increased to an inconvenient extent. In this case a system or combination of wheels (often toothed, that is, gears) are used. As a wheel and axle is a type of lever, a system of wheels and axles is like a compound lever. [19] Ball Journal Bearings & Tapered Roller Bearings – precision bearings, for heavier load applications Wheels reduce friction. Instead of simply sliding over the ground, the wheels dig in and rotate, turning Axles that are pressed into ball or tapered roller bearings which are in turn retained in/on the axle housings with flanges, bolts, and nuts do not "float" and place axial loads on the bearings, housings, and only a short section of the shaft itself that also carries all radial loads.

Pupils could investigate different axles and how changing the weight and size of the axle impacts on how well a vehicle moves. design: (verb) To plan out in systematic, often graphic form. To create for a particular purpose or effect. Design a building. (noun) A well thought-out plan. We offer a range of imperial and metric sizes of tube fittings, so if you are unsure of your size, measure as best you can and we will offer you the nearest options for you.

Cite this page

But, there’s something else that every car, van, lorry and train needs to allow it to move, and that’s an axle. Today, we have discussed six simple machines. Who can name them for me? (Answer: Wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, and pulley.) How do simple machines make work easier? (Answer: Mechanical advantage enables us to use less force to move an object, but we have to move it a longer distance.) Why do engineers use simple machines? (Possible answers: Engineers creatively use their knowledge of science and math to make our lives better, often using simple machines. They invent tools that make work easier. They accomplish huge tasks that could not be done without the mechanical advantage of simple machines. They design structures and tools to use our environmental resources better and more efficiently.) Tonight, at home, think about everyday examples of the six simple machines. See how many you can find around your house! Everyday examples of levers include a teeter-totter or see-saw, crane arm, crow bar, hammer (using the claw end), fishing pole and bottle opener. Think of a how you use a crowbar (see Figure 2). By pushing down on the long end of the crowbar, a force is created at the load end over a smaller distance, once again, demonstrating the tradeoff between force and distance.