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Chapter 2 Review of Forces and Moments - Brown University

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2.3.4 Measuring <strong>Moments</strong><br />

Just as you can buy a force transducer to<br />

measure forces, you can buy a force<br />

transducer that measures moments. We<br />

showed an example <strong>of</strong> a forcetransducer<br />

attached to the wheel <strong>of</strong> a car<br />

during our earlier discussion <strong>of</strong> force<br />

transducers.<br />

Another common moment-measuring<br />

system is a torque-wrench. (So then is<br />

Oprah a talk wench?) When you tighten<br />

the bolts on a precision machine, it’s<br />

important to torque them correctly. If<br />

you apply too much torque, you will<br />

strip the thread. If you don’t apply<br />

enough, the bolt will work itself loose<br />

during service.<br />

You can buy a tool that measures the<br />

moment that you apply to a bolt while<br />

tightening it. The device may be<br />

mechanical, or electronic. An example<br />

(see www.mac.ie/whatwedo/<br />

torquestory.asp ) is shown below.<br />

2.3.5 Engineering systems that exert torques<br />

There are many practical examples <strong>of</strong> moments, or torques, in engineering systems. For example,<br />

(i)<br />

(i)<br />

(ii)<br />

(iii)<br />

(iv)<br />

The driving axle on your car turns the wheels by exerting a moment on them.<br />

The drive shaft <strong>of</strong> any motor exerts a torque on whatever it’s connected to. In fact, motors are<br />

usually rated by their torque capacity.<br />

The purpose <strong>of</strong> a gearbox is to amplify or attenuate torque. You apply a torque to the input shaft,<br />

<strong>and</strong> get a bigger or smaller torque from the output shaft. To do this, the input <strong>and</strong> output shafts<br />

have to rotate at different speeds. There are also some clever gearboxes that allow you to add<br />

torques together – they are used in split-power variable speed transmissions, for example.<br />

A torque converter serves a similar purpose to a gearbox. Unlike a gearbox, however, the input<br />

<strong>and</strong> output shafts don’t rotate at the same speed. The output shaft can be stationary, exerting a<br />

large torque, while the input shaft rotates quickly under a modest torque. It is used as part <strong>of</strong> an<br />

automatic transmission system in a car.<br />

<strong>Moments</strong> also appear as reaction forces. For example, the resistance you feel to turning the<br />

steering wheel <strong>of</strong> your car is caused by moments acting on the wheels where they touch the<br />

ground. The rolling resistance you feel when you ride your bike over s<strong>of</strong>t ground or grass is also<br />

due to a moment acting where the wheel touches the ground.

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