King Faisal University

Faculty of Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Design of Machine Elements

(ME-332)
Dr. Mohammed Saber
Power screw

Chapter 8: Screws, Fasteners, and the

Design of Nonpermanent Joints
All the numbered titles
and/or equations
throughout the
presentation are taken
from this book.
 Joints are classified as:
 Permanent joints
Rivet joints
Welded joints
Bonded joints

 Non-permanent joints
Screwed joints
The pitch is the distance between adjacent thread forms measured parallel to
the thread axis.
The major diameter d is the largest diameter of a screw thread.
The minor (or root) diameter dr is the smallest diameter of a screw thread.
The pitch diameter dp is a theoretical diameter between the major and minor
diameters.
The lead L, not shown, is the distance the nut moves parallel to the screw axis
when the nut is given one turn.
A multiple-threaded product is one having two or more threads cut beside
each other (imagine two or more strings wound side by side around a pencil)
 Single and Double threaded screws

(a) Single (STANDARD)-, (b) double-threaded, and (c) triple threaded screws.

Multiple threaded screws are stronger and moves faster

Lead = p * number of threaded.
Lead: is the distance the screw would advance relative to the nut in
one rotation. For a single-thread screw, lead is equal to pitch. For a
double-thread screw, lead is equal to twice the pitch
 Screw Classifications

American National (Unified) Standard ISO (Metric)

Thread Pitch

UNC –coarse Coarse

UNF –fine Fine
UNEF –extra fine

d=12mm
fine
d=0.25” Class 2 metric
M12 x 1.75
¼-20 UNF –2A
20 threads/in. external threads
p=1.75 mm/thread
-Thread angle is 60°
-Thread angle is 60°
All threads are made according to the right-hand rule unless otherwise
noted.

The thread angle is 60◦ and the crests of the thread may be either flat or
rounded

Profile of Metric thread

A power screw is a device used in machinery to change angular motion into
linear motion, and, usually, to transmit power
 Power screw
Examples of power screws applications

Electrically operated screw jack

Examples of power screws applications (cont.)

Manually operated screw jack

A power screw and a nut

Examples of power screws applications (cont.)

Power screw different arrangement to raise loads

Ball bearing power screw (used in CNC machines, for example)

Types of Power Screw Thread
• Square
– strongest
– no radial load
– hard to manufacture
• Acme
– 29° included angle
– easier to manufacture
– common choice for loading in
both directions
• Buttress (contrafuerte)
– great strength
– only unidirectional loading
How much is the torque needed to
raise the load F and how much to
lower it.?
Force and Torque required to raise the load:

Force

Torque

Force and Torque required to lower the load:

Force

Torque

dm is the mean diameter and f is the coefficient of friction and l is the

lead.
Self-Locking

If TL is positive the screw is said to be self-locking. If it is

negative the load will lower itself by causing the screw to spin
without any external effort

Condition for achieving self-locking:

This is to have TL positive value, i.e the

numerator of TL to be positive

Screw efficiency:
It is the ratio between the torque need to raise the load without
friction to that needed to raise the load with friction
Collar friction

Torque needed to overcome

collar friction can be obtained
by:-

Where fc is the coefficient of

friction at the collar
Stresses acting on power screw
Stresses acting on thread
Bearing Stress:

nt is the number of teeth of the screw in contact with the nut.

Bending Stress:

Transverse shear Stress:

vonMises stress for power screw F

p/2

p/2

x
vonMises stress is given by: z
Due to deformation of the screw and nut thread, the load
distribution is as follow(result of experimental work):

The first engaged thread carries  0.38F

The second engaged thread carries 0.25F

The third engaged tread carries 0.18F

Where F is the external load per teeth.