Mechanical Concepts 101

Shannon Schnepp
Dennis Hughes
Anthony Lapp
10/29/05
Basic Concepts: Equations
 Force = Mass * Acceleration

 Torque = Force * Distance = Work

 Power = Work/Time

 Power = Torque * Angular Velocity

 Basic Concepts: Traction

maximum friction normal

torque tractive = coefficient
x force
turning the
force
weight wheel

tractive normal
force force

The friction coefficient for any given contact with the floor, multiplied by
the normal force, equals the maximum tractive force can be applied at
the contact area.

Tractive force is important! It’s what moves the robot.

 Basic Concepts: Traction
Equations
• Ffriction =  * Fnormal t io n
c
• Experimentally determine : Ffri
• Fnormal = Weight * cos() l le l
pa ra
• Fparallel = Weight * sin() F


Fn
Weight

orm
al
When Ffriction = Fparallel, no slip
Ffriction = * Weight * cos()
Fparallel = Weight * sin() = * Weight * cos()

 = sin() / cos()  = tan()

Basic Concepts: Coefficient of
Friction
 Materials of the robot wheels (or belts)
 High Friction Coeff: soft materials, “spongy”
materials, “sticky” materials
 Low Friction Coeff: hard materials, smooth
materials,shiny materials
 Shape of the robot wheels (or belts)
 Want the wheel (or belt) surface to “interlock” with
the floor surface
 Material of the floor surface
 Surface conditions
 Good: clean surfaces, “tacky” surfaces
 Bad: dirty surfaces, oily surfaces
Basic Concepts: Free Body
Diagrams

B W A
fB fA

NB NA

The normal force is the force that the wheels exert on the floor,
and is equal and opposite to the force the floor exerts on the
wheels. In the simplest case, this is dependent on the weight of
the robot. The normal force is divided among the robot features
in contact with the ground. The frictional force is dependent of the
coefficient of friction and the normal force (f = mu*N).
 Basic Concepts: Weight
Distribution
more weight in back less weight in front
due to battery and due to fewer parts
motors EXAM in this area
PL
ONLY E

front

more less
normal normal
force force

The weight of the robot is not equally distributed among all the contacts
with the floor. Weight distribution is dependent on where the parts are
in the robot. This affects the normal force at each wheel.
 Basic Concepts: Weight
Transfer
robot accelerating
inertial forces
from 0 mph to
EXAM exerted by
6 mph PL
ONLY E components
on the robot

more normal force is exerted less normal force is exerted

on the rear wheels because on the front wheels because
inertial forces tend to rotate inertial forces tend to rotate
the robot toward the rear the robot away from the front

In an extreme case (with rear wheel drive), you pull a wheelie

In a really extreme case (with rear wheel drive), you tip over!
Basic Concepts: Gears
 Gears are generally used for one of four
different reasons:
1. To reverse the direction of rotation
2. To increase or decrease the speed of
rotation (or increase/decrease torque)
3. To move rotational motion to a different
axis
4. To keep the rotation of two axes
synchronized
Basic Concepts: Gears
 TheGear Ratio is a function of the
number of teeth of the gears
 Consecutive gear stages multiply

N2
N4
N1

N3

• Gear Ratio is (N2/N1) * (N4/N3)

• Efficiency is .95 *.95 = .90
Basic Concepts: Gears
N2
N4
N1
Wheel Diameter - Dw
Dw = R w * 2
N3
Fpush
• Gear 4 is attached to the wheel
• Remember that T = F * Rw
• Also, V =  * Rw
• T4 = T1 * N2/N1 * N4/N3 * .95 * .95
• 4 = 1 * N1/N2 * N3/N4
• F = T 4 / Rw
•V= *R
Lifting/Moving Objects
Example 1:
A box weighs 130 lbs and must be moved
10 ft. The coefficient of friction between
the floor and the box is .25.

 How much work must be done??

Lifting/Moving Objects

f = mu*N = .25*130
 f = 65 lbs
 so…
 Work = f * dist
 Work = 65 * 10 = 650 ft lbs
Lifting/Moving Objects
 Example 2: The arm weighs 10 lbs and
moves 3 ft vertically. The mechanism that
contains the balls weighs 5 lbs. The balls
weigh 3 lbs. The mechanism and balls move
6 ft vert.

 Work = Force 1*Dist 1 + Force 2*Dist 2

= 10 lbs * 3 ft + 8 lbs * 6 ft
= 30 + 48 = 78 ft lbs
Lifting/Moving Objects
 Example 2A:
 Desire this motion to be completed in 10
seconds.
 Power = 78 ft lbs / 10 seconds *(60sec/1min)
* .02259697
= 10.6 Watts

 Note: There is only a certain amount

of power available.
Lifting/Moving Objects
 Example 2B:
 Desire this motion to be completed in 3
seconds.
 Power = 78 ft lbs / 3 seconds
*(60sec/1min) * .02259697
= 35.3 Watts
Combined Motor Curves
Motor Calculations
 Motor Power = Power Available
= Free Speed / 2 * Stall Torq. / 2 * C.F.

 Where:
 Free Speed is in rad / min
 Stall Torque is in ft lbs

 Conversion Factor = .02259697

Motor Calculations

 Free Speed (rad/min) = RPM * 2 Pi

(rad/rev)

 Stall Torque (ft*lb) = (in oz)*(1 ft/12

in)*(1 lb/16 oz)
Motor Calculations
Drill Motor
 Free Speed =
20000(rev/min)*2PI(rad/rev)
= 125664 rad/min

 Stall Torque = 650 (Nmm)*(1 lb/4.45 N)*

(1 in/ 25.4mm)*(1 ft/12 in)
= .48 ft lbs
Motor Calculations
Drill Motor

 Power = Free Speed / 2 * Stall Torque /

2 *Conv. Factor
= 125664 / 2 * .48 / 2 *.02259697
= 340 W
Choosing a Motor
 Need 78 ft lbs of Torque (ex 2)

 Try Globe Motor w/ Gearbox

 Working Torque = Stall Torque / 2
 = (15 ft lbs @ 12 V) / 2
 = 7.5 ft lbs
Gear Ratios
 Gear Ratio = Torque Needed / Torque
Available
= 78 ft lbs / 7.5 ft lbs
= 10.4 :1

 Now time to find the gear train that will

work!
Choosing a Motor
 In Summary:
 All motors can lift the same amount (assuming
100% power transfer efficiencies) - they just do it
at different rates
 BUT, no power transfer mechanisms are
100% efficient
 If you do not account for these inefficiencies, your
performance will not be what you expected
Materials
 Steel
 High strength
 Many types (alloys) available
 Heavy, rusts,
 Harder to processes with hand tools
 Aluminum
 Easy to work with for hand fabrication processes
 Light weight; many shapes available
 Essentially does not rust
 Lower strength
Material
 Lexan
 Very tough impact strength
 But, lower tensile strength than aluminum
 Best material to use when you need transparency
 Comes in very limited forms/shapes
 PVC
 Very easy to work with and assemble prefab shapes
 Never rusts, very flexible, bounces back (when new)
 Strength is relatively low
 Structure
 Take a look at these two extrusions - both made from
same Aluminum alloy:
 Which one is stronger?
 Which one weighs more?

1.0” 0.8”

1.0” 0.8”
Hollow w/ 0.1” walls Solid bar
Structure
 The solid bar is 78% stronger in tension

 The solid bar weighs 78% more

 But,
the hollow bar is 44% stronger in
bending
 And is similarly stronger in torsion
 Structural Equations
 It all boils down to 3
equations:
Bending Tensile Shear

  Mc  tens 
Ftens
 
Fshear
I
A A
Where: Where: Where:
 = Bending Stress  = Tensile Stress  = Shear Stress
M = Moment (bending force) Ftens = Tensile Force Fshear = Shear Force
I = Moment of Inertia of Section A = Area of Section A = Area of Section
c = distance from Central Axis
Stress Example
 Let's assume we have a robot arm (Woo hoo!)
that's designed to pick up a few heavy weights.
The arm is made out of Al-6061, and is 3/8"
tall, 1" wide, and 3 feet long. The yield strength
is about 40,000 PSI. In the competition they
are hoping to to pick up 3 boxes of 15 lbs each.
Will this arm be strong enough?