Screws

• Introduction

• A screw thread is formed by cutting a continuous helical groove on a cylindrical

surface.
• A screw made by cutting a single helical groove on the cylinder is known as single
threaded (or single-start) screw and if a second thread is cut in the space between
the grooves of the first, a double threaded (or double-start) screw is formed.
Similarly, triple and quadruple (i.e. multiple-start) threads may be formed.
• The helical grooves may be cut either right hand or left hand.
• A screwed joint is mainly composed of two elements i.e. a bolt and nut. The
screwed joints are widely used where the machine parts are required to be readily
connected or disconnected without damage to the machine or the fastening.
• This may be for the purpose of holding or adjustment in assembly or service
inspection, repair, or replacement or it may be for the manufacturing or assembly
reasons.
1. Major diameter. It is the largest diameter of an external or internal screw thread. The
screw is specified by this diameter. It is also known as outside or nominal diameter.
2. Minor diameter. It is the smallest diameter of an external or internal screw thread. It is
also known as core or root diameter.
3. Pitch diameter. It is the diameter of an imaginary cylinder, on a cylindrical screw thread,
the surface of which would pass through the thread at such points as to make equal the
width of the thread and the width of the spaces between the threads. It is also called an
effective diameter.
4. In a nut and bolt assembly, it is the diameter at which the ridges on the bolt are in
complete touch with the ridges of the corresponding nut.
4. Pitch. It is the distance from a point on one thread to the corresponding point on the next.
This is measured in an axial direction between corresponding points in the same axial plane.
Mathematically,
 Pitch = (1/No. of threads per unit length of screw)

 
5. Lead. It is the distance between two corresponding points on the same helix. It may also be
defined as the distance which a screw thread advances axially in one rotation of the nut. Lead is
equal to the pitch in case of single start threads, it is twice the pitch in double start, thrice the
pitch in triple start and so on.
6. Crest. It is the top surface of the thread.
7. Root. It is the bottom surface created by the two adjacent flanks of the thread.
8. Depth of thread. It is the perpendicular distance between the crest and root.
9. Flank. It is the surface joining the crest and root.
10. Angle of thread. It is the angle included by the flanks of the thread.
11. Slope. It is half the pitch of the thread.
Figure 8–2 shows the thread geometry of the metric M and MJ profiles. The M profile
replaces the inch class and is the basic ISO 68 profile with 60◦ symmetric threads.
The fundamental triangle with sides at 60 to the thread axis has a base equal to the
pitch p. The height of h perpendicular to the axis of the fundamental triangle is then
 H = 0.86603 p
 The flats on the top of the fundamental thread shape have widths equal to (p/8) or a
height of (H/8) and bottom widths equal to (p/4) or a height of (H/4) .
The height of the thread perpendicular to the axis is then 5/8 h.
• Thus
• height of thread = 5/8 h = 5/8 x 0.86603 p = 0.5412 p (1)
• pitch diameter = d- 3/8 h = d – 3/8 *0.86603p =d – 0.3247 p (2)
• root diameter = d-2 x 0.6495 p = d-0.5412 p (3) 
• The MJ profile has a rounded fillet at the root of the external thread and a larger
minor diameter of both the internal and external threads. This profile is especially
useful where high fatigue strength is required.
• Metric threads are specified by writing the diameter and pitch in millimeters, in
that order. Thus, M12 × 1.75 is a thread having a nominal major diameter of 12 mm
and a pitch of 1.75 mm. Note that the letter M, which precedes the diameter, is the
clue to the metric designation.
Example: An SI thread has a diameter of 14 mm and a pitch of 2 mm. Calculate the
pitch diameter, root diameter, and root area
Given information: d = 14 mm, p = 2 mm
Assumption: Screws of the same standard have the same thread geometry.
Solution method: We will use equation 2 and information from table.
Solution detail: using equation 2.
• Pitch diameter = d – 0.6495 p = 14 – 0.6495 x 2 = 12.701 mm
• The flat at the base of the fundamental SI thread form has a width ¼ or a height ¼
h. The perpendicular distance from the pitch line to the flat then is ¼ h.
• Root diameter = pitch diameter – 2 x ¼ h = 12.701 – ½ x0.86603 p
• = 11.835 mm
• Root area = (pi/4)x 11.8352
• = 110.01 mm2 from the table above due to rounding the area is 115 mm2
• The Whitworth thread with a 55 included angle, shown in Fig e, was formerly the
standard in Great Britain.
• For lead screws and power transmissions, the Acme screw shown in Fig b is in wide
use. It has an included angle of thread 29. The standard proportions of the
American National pipe thread are given in Fig c. The taper, together with the
smaller flat at crest and root, assists in producing a fluid tight joint.
• Square threads shown in Fig. d are used to a limited extent for power transmission.

The Mechanics of Power Screws

• A power screw is a device used in machinery to change angular motion into linear
motion, and, usually, to transmit power.
Familiar applications include the lead screws of lathes, and the screws for vises,
presses, and jacks.
An application of power screws to a power-driven jack is shown in Fig. 8–4.
You should be able to identify the worm, the worm gear, the screw, and the nut. Is the
worm gear supported by one bearing or two?
 In Fig. 8–5 a square-
threaded power screw
with single thread
having a mean
diameter dm, a pitch p, a
lead angle λ, and a
helix angle ψ is loaded
by the axial
compressive force F. We
wish to find an
expression for the
torque required to raise
this load, and another
expression for the
torque required to
lower the load.
First, imagine that a single thread of the screw is unrolled or developed (Fig. 8–6)
for exactly a single turn. Then one edge of the thread will form the hypotenuse of a
right triangle whose base is the circumference of the mean-thread-diameter circle and
whose height is the lead.
• The angle λ, in Figs. 8–5 and 8–6, is the lead angle of the thread. We
• represent the summation of all the axial forces acting upon the normal thread area
by F.
• To raise the load, a force PR acts to the right (Fig. 8–6a), and to lower the load, PL
acts
• to the left (Fig. 8–6b). The friction force is the product of the coefficient of friction f
• with the normal force N, and acts to oppose the motion. The system is in
equilibrium
• under the action of these forces, and hence, for raising the load, we have
An expression for efficiency is also useful in the evaluation of power screws. If we let f = 0 in Eq. (8
1), we obtain T0 = Fl/2π
which, since thread friction has been eliminated, is the torque required only to raise
the load. The efficiency is therefore
e = T0/TR = Fl/2πTR (8–4)
And at the top of the root is zero