Design of Power Screw

 The power screws (also known as translation screws) are used to

convert rotary motion into translatory motion.
 For example, in the case of the lead screw of lathe, the rotary
motion is available but the tool has to be advanced in the direction
of the cut against the cutting resistance of the material.
 In case of screw jack, a small force applied in the horizontal plane
is used to raise or lower a large load.
 Power screws are also used in vices, testing machines, presses, etc.

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Advantages of Power Screws

• Large Mechanical Advantage

• Possibility of obtaining slow motion

• High load capacity with small screw size

• High accurate motion for adjustment

• Simplicity in design

• Ease of manufacturing
Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
 Field of Application
• Raising Load (Screw Jack)
• Loading specimen in testing machine
• Obtaining required motion in machining and
Press working
• Precise indexing motion
• Provided motions of operating members of
Robots
Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Kinematics arrangements of Screw-

Nut pair
• Rotating Screw and Nut mating Co-axially
(Lead Screw)

• Simultaneous and rotational motion of screw

with fixed nut (Screw Jack)

• Rotating nut and Screw travelling axially.

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
 Types of Power Screws

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

1. Square thread. A square thread, as shown in Fig. is adapted for the transmission of
power in either direction. This thread results in maximum efficiency and minimum
radial or bursting .It is difficult to cut with taps and dies. It is usually cut on a lathe
with a single point tool and it can not be easily compensated for wear. The square
threads are employed in screw jacks, presses and clamping devices. The standard
dimensions for square threads.
.
2. Acme or trapezoidal thread. An acme or trapezoidal thread, as shown in Fig. is a
modification of square thread. The slight slope given to its sides lowers the efficiency
slightly than square thread and it also introduce some bursting pressure on the nut, but
increases its area in shear. It is used where a split nut is required and where provision
is made to take up wear as in the lead screw of a lathe. Wear may be taken up by
means of an adjustable split nut. An acme thread may be cut by means of dies and
hence it is more easily manufactured than square thread.

3. Buttress thread. A buttress thread, as shown in Fig. is used when large forces act
along the screw axis in one direction only. This thread combines the higher efficiency
of square thread and the ease of cutting and the adaptability to a split nut of acme
thread. It is stronger than other threads because of greater thickness at the base of the
thread. The buttress thread has limited use for power transmission. It is employed as
the thread for light jack screws and vices.

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
 Torque Required to Raise Load by
Square Threaded Screws
• The torque required to raise a load by means of
square threaded screw may be determined by
considering a screw jack as shown in Fig.
• The load to be raised or lowered is placed on
the head of the square threaded rod which is
rotated by the application of an effort at the
end of lever for lifting or lowering the load.

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
 Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Torque Required to Lower Load by

Square Threaded Screws

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
 Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
 Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Over Hauling and Self

Locking Screws
• The effort required at the circumference of the screw to lower
the load is
• P = W tan (ϕ-α)
And the torque required to lower the load
T=W * d/2 = W tan (ϕ-α) *d/2

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
 Stresses in Power Screws

Direct tensile or compressive stress due to an

axial load
The direct stress due to the axial load may be determined by dividing the axial load

(W) by the minimum cross-sectional area of the screw (Ac) i.e. area corresponding
to minor or core diameter (dc ).

∴ Direct stress (tensile or compressive) = W/Ac

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
 Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
 Acme or Trapezoidal Threads

• We know that the normal reaction in

case of a square threaded screw is
• RN = W cos α,
• where α is the helix angle.

• But in case of Acme or trapezoidal

thread, the normal reaction between
the screw and nut is increased
because the axial component of this
normal reaction must be equal to the
axial load (W ).

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Consider an Acme or trapezoidal thread as shown in

Fig.
Let 2β = Angle of the Acme thread, and
β = Semi-angle of the thread.

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
 Design of Screw Jack
• A bottle screw jack for lifting loads is shown in Fig. The
various parts of the screw jack are as follows:
• 1. Screwed spindle having square threaded screws,
• 2. Nut and collar for nut,
• 3. Head at the top of the screwed spindle for handle,
• 4. Cup at the top of head for the load, and
• 5. Body of the screw jack.
• In order to design a screw jack for a load W, the following
procedure may be adopted:

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai

Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai
Dr. Ashish Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SVKMs NMIMS MPSTME, Mumbai