18.

Power Screws and Ball Screws Power screw

Objectives A screw and nut to

Recognize and understand advantages and disadvantages of different transmit power or
types of power screws. motion
Determine the power necessary for driving power screws at different
speeds and torques. The axial
Understand principles of operation of ball screws and how they differ movement of the
from friction-type power screws. nut is used to drive
Understand and calculate torque and efficiencies of power screws and a load
ball screws.
Understand and envision how power screws and ball screws can be
used in different designs.

1 2

Tooth profiles Tooth profiles

Square thread
Most efficient for transferring torque to linear motion
Acme thread
Easier to make
Good when well lubricated
Efficiency slightly lower than square
Buttress thread
More efficient than Acme
Closer to square than Acme
Used when force is transmitted in only direction

3 4

Torque, power and Efficiency

Lead screw can be
considered as an inclined
plane L
tan =
Dp
= angle of incline
L = lead
Dp = pitch diameter
5 6

1
 Fig. 18.2 Force required to push a box up or
down an incline Torque, power and Efficiency
Pitch diameter = Mean diameter
Torque (Tup) needed to move a load up or
horizontally against a force is
F Dp L + f Dp Eq 18.2
Tup =
2 D p f L

f = coefficient of friction
L = lead
Dp = pitch diameter
7 8

Torque, power and Efficiency

Torque (Tdown) needed to lower a load is
Example Problem 18-1: Torque, Power, and Efficiency
in Power Screws
Elevator-type lift is being designed to raise a load of up to 5000 pounds between floors.
Two square-thread lead screws, 1 inches in diameter, are used for this application.
Determine torque required to raise lift if moving part of elevator weighs 800 pounds and
coefficient of friction is assumed to be .15.

F Dp f Dp L Eq 18.3
From Table 18-1, the 1-inch-square thread has three threads per inch:
Tdown =
2 D p + f L Dm =
1.5 + 1.208
= 1.354 in
2

Determining the torque up:

(18-2)

f = coefficient of friction Tup =

F Dp L + f Dp
2 Dp f L

L = lead 5800 lb 1.354 in 1/3 in + .15 (1.354 in)

Tup =
2 2 (1.354 in) .15 (1/3 in)

Dp = pitch diameter Tup = 454 in-lb (for each lead screw)

9 10

Efficiency of a power screw

Example Problem 18-2: Efficiency of a Power Screw
For elevator described in previous example problem, find efficiency and power required
if each lead screw is driven at 175 rpm.

Efficiency, e is given by The lead angle is:

(18-1)
L
tan =
Dp
tan (1 - f tan ) Eq 18.8
e= tan =
1/3 in
tan + f 1.354 in

= 4.5

The efficiency would be:

Self locking is when f > tan Eq 18.6
e =
tan (1 f tan )
(18-8)

tan + f

tan 4.5 (1 .15 tan 4.5)

e =
tan 4.5 + .15

e = 34%

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2
 Acme Threads
Example Problem 18-2: Efficiency of a Power Screw
(contd.)

Power would then be:

(2-6) F D p cos tan + f
Tn
Torque up is Tup =
2 cos f tan
P =
63,000

454 (175)
P =
63,000

P = 1.26 hp (per lead screw)

= face angle 14
or

P = 2.52 hp (total) Torque down is

Verifying that this is self-locking: F D p f - cos tan
Tdown =
f > tan
2 cos + f tan
f > tan 4.5

.15 > .079

Yes, it is self-locking.
13 14

Example Problem 18-3: Acme Threads Example Problem 18-3: Acme Threads (contd.)
For elevator in Example Problem 18-1, find torque and power if a 1-inch diameter
acme thread was substituted: Find the power.
(from Table 18-1)
1.5 + 1.25 For obtaining the same rate, drive speed would need to be changed by ratio
Dp = Dm = = 1.375
2 of leads.
(18-1)
L
tan =
Dp
4
n = 175 = 233 rpm
1/4 3
tan =
1.375
(2-6)
= 3.3 Tn
(18-9) P =
63,000
F Dp (cos tan + f )
2 (cos f tan )
Tup =
428 in-lb 233 rpm
P =
5800 lb 1.375 in [cos 14.5 tan 3.3 + .15] 63,000
Tup = [cos 14.5 .15 (tan 3.3)]
2 2
P = 1.59 hp (per lead screw)
Tup = 428 in-lb

This result is lower than that of Example Problem 18-1 because lead is lower, not
because an acme thread is more efficient. This value reflects the lower efficiency of an acme versus a square thread.
15 16

Problem 18-7 Problem 18-7 (contd.)

For 1-inch square thread:

For the bottle jack shown, using a 1-inch square thread, f = .15, and 3 threads/inch Minor diameter of 1.208 (Table 18-1)
F = 7500 pounds, determine the torque required to raise this load.
1.5 + 1.208
Dm = Dp =
2
Dm = 1.354 inch
L
= tan-1 (18-1)
Dp
-1 .333
= tan
1.354
= 4.5
F Dp L + f Dp
2 Dp f L
Tup = (18-2)

7500 (1.354) .333 + (.15) (1.354)

Tup =
2 (1.354) .15 (.333)
Tup = 1170 in-lb

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3
 Conclusions

Design of power screw is established.

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