Session No: 05

“To determine the Mechanical Advantage of Toggle Joint”

Apparatus
• Toggle Joint Apparatus
• Weights
• Meter Rod
• Spring Balance
• Hanger

Theory
“Toggle joint is an apparatus of two rods connected by a joint and their other sides are connected
to a fixed joint and the other side is connected to a rolling joint.”
OR
“A mechanical linkage of the type of an elbow or knee joint, consisting of two bars so connected
that they may be brought quite or nearly into a straight line, and made to produce great endwise
pressure when brought into this position.”

Types of Mechanical Joints:

There are following types of Mechanical Joints:
1. Knuckle joint
2. Pin joint
3. Cotter joint
4. Screw joint
Knuckle Joint:
Knuckle joint is a type of mechanical joint used in structures, to connect two intersecting
cylindrical rods, whose axes lie on the same plane. It permits some angular movement between
the cylindrical rods (in their plane). It is specially designed to withstand tensile loads.”

It has following main parts:

i. Fork end
ii. Eye end
iii. Knuckle pin
iv. Collar
v. Taper pin

Knuckle joints find a wide variety of applications. They are used in:
i. Bicycle chains
ii. Tractors
iii. Trusses
iv. Automobile wipers
v. Cranes
vi. Chain straps of watches

Pin joint:
A revolute joint (also called pin joint or hinge joint) is a one-degree-of-freedom kinematic pair
used in mechanisms. Revolute joints provide single-axis rotation function used in many places
such as door hinges, folding mechanisms, and other uniaxial rotation devices. (They do not allow
translation, or sliding linear motion, a constraint not shown in the diagram.
Screw joint:
“A screw joint is a one-degree-of-freedom kinematic pair used in mechanisms. Screw joints
provide single-axis translation by utilizing the threads of the threaded rod to provide such
translation”

Cotter joint:
“A cotter is a pin or wedge passing through a hole to fix parts tightly together. This is used to
connect rigidly two rods which transmit motion in the axial direction, without rotation. These
joints may be subjected to tensile or compressive forces along the axes of the rods.”
OR
“A cotter joint is a temporary fastening and is used to connect rigidly two co -axial rods or bars
which are subjected to axial tensile or compressive force. It is usually used in connecting a piston
rod to the cross head of a reciprocating steam engine. A piston rod and its extension as a tail or
pump rod, tarp end of connecting rod etc.”

Typical applications are in fixing a crank to its crankshaft, as in a bicycle, or a piston rod to a
crosshead, as in a steam engine.
Applications
Some of the well-known application of toggle joints are:
1. Vacuum circuit breakers
2. Pneumatic riveters
3. Punching machines
4. Forging machines
5. Injection modeling machines
6. Rock crushers,
7. Truck tailgates
8. sucker rod pumps
9. It is also used in limestone extraction
Procedure
i. By means of a meter rule, measure the vertical height (h) of the apparatus and the
horizontal length (D) with no loads attached (as a reference)
ii. Now add a known weight to the hanger. This is the effort P.
iii. Note down the reading from the spring balance. This is the load P.
iv. By means of meter rule, measure and note down D and h.
v. The actual value of Mechanical Advantage is calculated by dividing effort (P) by Load
(F) whereas the theoretical value is given by D/4h.
vi. The experiment is repeated for different values of P.
vii. Find the percentage error of each experimental value and finally calculate its average.

Observations and Calculations

Load Effort Height Length %age

error
Sr. No. 𝑴. 𝑨𝒆𝒙𝒑 𝑴. 𝑨𝑻𝑯
P E h L 𝑷 𝑳
= =
𝑬 𝟒𝑯
(lbs) (lbs) (in) (in)
1 0.5 0.5 5.45 21.4 1 0.98 2.04
2 0.9 1 5.35 21.5 0.9 1 10
3 1.5 1.5 5.3 21.6 1 1.02 1.96
4 2 2 5.2 21.8 1 1.05 4.76
5 2.6 2.5 5 21.9 1.04 1.1 5.45
6 3.9 3 4.9 22 1.13 1.12 0.89
7 4.5 3.5 4.65 22.1 1.28 1.18 8.47
8 5.4 4 4.45 22.3 1.35 1.25 8

Comments
There is a small difference between the experimental and theoretical Mechanical Advantage
which may be due to:
i. Continuous Loading
ii. Zero Error in measuring Instrument
iii. Friction
iv. Parallax Error
v. Wears and Tears etc.