Basic Robotic

Mechanics
Torque and Gearing relationship

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 Torque

Torque -- is a measure of how much a force

acting on an object causes an object to
rotate

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 Torque
The power
needed to 1 Ft
rotate the axel
= Torque

1 Lb

Torque in the US is measured in: Foot-Pound Force

(the rest of the world measures it in Nm -- Newton Meter named after Sir Isaac Newton)

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 Torque
You may also know it from car engines,
when we say the engine power is 450 Hp
we mean torque power
This is a recalculation of Torque and the
power an engine produces
More Torque -- stronger engine -- easier to
climb a hill

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 Gears -- Gear Ratio

Gears can reverse the direction of a motor

or drive
They can increase or decrease the turning
of the motor (Speed)
They can increase or decrease the amount
of power a motor delivers (Torque)

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 Torque
Torque is inversely proportional to
speed
If you speed up rotation using gears,
the amount of final Torque is reduced
If you slow down the rotation using
gears, the amount of final Torque is
increased.

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 Gears -- Gear Ratio

Output gear # teeth

Gear Ratio =
Input gear # teeth

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 Gears -- Gear Ratio

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 Torque Experiment
Rotate the wheel and notice the
amount of energy -- torque -- you need
to apply to lift the weight.

Question:

What would happen if you made

the beam longer?

Weight

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 Gearing Experiment

Axel

Weight
8 Teeth 24 Teeth

Question: Is it easier
Gear Ratio = 24 / 3 = 3 : 1
or harder to lift the
weight?
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 Gearing Experiment

Axel

Weight
24 Teeth 8 Teeth

Question: Is it easier
Gear Ratio = 8 / 24 = 1 : 3
or harder to lift the
weight?
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 More Experiments

Build a multiple Gear Box and either

increase or decrease the final rotation and
does related Torque.
Observe what happens and try to calculate
the final Gear Ratio

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 Gearing Example

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 Gearing Example

The Gear Ration of a drive chain is calculated by multiplying the successive ratio of drive
gears divided by driven gears.

Here: ( 8 /20 x 20 /24 ) = (8 x 20 ) / ( 20 x 24) = 160 / 480 = 3 : 1

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