Fasteners and Power Screws

I
Suat Kadıoğlu
December-2010
(updated December 2020)

1
Introduction
Threaded machine elements
• Fasteners
• Power screws

2
 Introduction
• Screws and bolts are standard parts.
There are many standards, describing the
thread form, bolt series with various head
forms, bolts for special applications such
as aerospace etc.
• Details about thread geometry and various
head forms as well as details of nuts are
given in the standards and partly in the
textbook.
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Introduction

4
Introduction

5
 Introduction
• Different types of bolts and nuts (metric vs
American standard) are not interchangable
• lead : the distance a screw advances in one
full rotation
• pitch : distance between the corresponding
points on adjacent threads
• For single (start) thread, lead is equal to
pitch. Fasteners usually have single thread.

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Metric thread
form used in
fasteners

You can check out the link below to have an idea

On how hexagon head bolts are made
Bolt Nut manufacturing process - YouTube

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 Introduction
• Metric thread specification, M12 x 1.75
– M : metric
– 12 : nominal size (major diameter)
– 1.75 : pitch
• For stress calculations of bolts, we use
"Tensile Stress Area", At which is given in
tables
• In fasteners, threads are right-handed
unless otherwise is noted.
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9
 Introduction
• Square and ACME (Trapezoidal) threads
are used in power screws for converting
– rotary motion to translation,
– in simple machines such as vises and clamps,
– and as the name implies, for the purpose of
power transmission.

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 Introduction
• single thread : lead=pitch
• multiple thread (n) : lead=n x pitch

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Introduction

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13
 Power Screws collar

• Power screws are used to

change angular motion Power
into linear motion screw

• They transmit power

Nut worm
• They provide “mechanical with
gain”, i.e., amplify the external
force we apply to exert worm
gear teeth
greater force like levers,
to counter external loads.

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 Power screws Ancient
printing press
Ancient olive
oil press Observe how long lasting
The basic design has been!
• Central power screw
• Symmetric Side posts
• Cross bar into which fixed
nut is cut
• Lever arm to turn the
screw

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Power screws
Desktop clamp
manufactured in our
department’s
machine shop
(nut travels! Movable
jaw)

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 Kinematics of power screws
• Lead is, by definition, the amount which
the screw advances through a fixed nut in
one full rotation.
• So, if a power screw with a lead ” rotates
at “ rpm, it advances at a speed of

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Mechanics of Power Screws:
Given the power screw geometry
and the axial load, F, how much helix angle
Torque T is needed to raise (or
lower) the load? pitch lead angle

If we develop the screw

the thread (helix) will
become an inclined
plane.
T
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 Wedge problem
F
nut
mN

 (lead)
P
N
l

pdm
Relative motion of nut on the helical thread becomes similar to
motion of a block on an inclined plane.
The problem can be approached like an inclined plane or
wedge problem. 19
FBD for LIFTING the load : Inclined plane problem
F
mN


P (lead)

l N
l
pdm

 Fx  0 : P  N sin l  mN cos l  0

 Fy  0 : F  mN sin l  N cos l  0

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FBD for LOWERING the load : Inclined plane problem
F

P
 (lead)
mN
N
l
pdm

 Fx  0 :  P  N sin l  mN cos l  0

 Fy  0 : F  mN sin l  N cos l  0

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 we can eliminate N and solve P in terms of F
F (sin l  m cos l ) F (tan l  m )
For raising the load P  
cos l  m sin l 1  m tan l

F ( m cos l  sin l ) F ( m  tan l )

For lowering the load P  
cos l  m sin l 1  m tan l
 dm
Note that tan l  and T  P
pd m 2
Then
For raising the load: For lowering the load:

Fd m    pmd m  Fd m  pmd m   
T   (1) T   (2)
2  pd m  m  2  pd m  m 
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• If lead is large or friction is low, the load F may
lower itself without external torque-Non self
locking Self-locking – what is it? – igus Blog
• Eq. (2) gives a negative value in this case
• If eq. (2) gives a positive value, the screw is said
to be "self locking"

pmd m  

m and m  tan l is self locking
pd m
condition
• Efficiency of a power screw, e, is defined
as ; e=T0/T
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 F
T0 is obtained by letting m=0 in eq. (1) T0 
2p
T0 F  1  m tan l 
e   tan l  
T 2pT  tan l  m 
Typical values of coefficient of friction are between
0.06 (bronze on cast iron with lubrication) and 0.25 (dry, steel on steel)
Typical values of lead angle are between 1 to 15 degrees

ACME Threads
2a
Typical value of a is 14.5 degrees

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•Because of a, the force analysis needs to be modified.
•Since normal force N is perpendicular to thread surface
it is no longer in the plane of load F
By recognizing this and replacing normal force in equilibrium equations
accordingly, an approximate analysis valid for small l can be done.

We note that normal force can be replaced

with Ncosa but the friction force remains
F proportional to N.

N Ncosa

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ACME thread FBD for LIFTING the load :
F
mN


P (lead)

l Ncosa
l
pdm

 Fx  0 : P  N cos a sin l  mN cos l  0

 Fy  0 : F  mN sin l  N cos a cos l  0

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ACME thread FBD for LOWERING the load :
F

P
 (lead)
mN
Ncosa
l
pdm

 Fx  0 :  P  N cos a sin l  mN cos l  0

 Fy  0 : F  mN sin l  N cos a cos l  0

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we can eliminate N and solve P in terms of F again.
 dm
Noting that tan l  and T  P
pd m 2

For raising the load: For lowering the load:

Fd m    pmd m sec a  Fd m  pmd m sec a   

T   (3) T   (4)
2  pd m  m sec a  2  pd m  m sec a 

These expressions are approximate

since the effect of lead angle is neglected.
ACME threads are less efficient since mseca > m
and more likely to be self locking
(as if friction has increased)
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 Collar Torque
• When the screw is
loaded axially, a
thrust or collar
bearing must be
employed between
the rotating and
stationary members in
order to take the axial
component.

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 Fm c d c
Tc  For large collars this equation may not be accurate
2
Tt  T  Tc

Thread Stresses
Assumption: Average screw thread shearing stress can be obtained by
assuming that the load is uniformly distributed over the nut
height and threads would shear of on the root diameter for
the screw and on the major diameter for the nut.
Body Stresses
Buckling
16T F 4F
 (torsional shear)   (axial stress) p 2 EI
pd r 3 A pd r 2 Pcr 
L2
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 p/2 Bearing Stress

F F
B  
pd m n( p / 2)
p/2
p 2F
B  
d
pd m np
2F
B  
pd m h

dr n: number of threads
h:nut height
dm=dp/2
Bending Stress at thread root
Fp Mc ( Fp / 4)( p / 4) 6F 6F
M    
4 I  
pd r n( p / 2) / 12 pd r np pd r h
3

For nut we take major diameter d. 31

 Shear Stress at the thread root

Maximum Shear Stress is in the middle of the thread root

F 3F 3 F 3F 3F
 ave   max   max   
A 2 A 2 pd r ( p / 2)n pd r pn pd r h
For nut we take major diameter d.
4F
If materials are the same bolt is more critical.  z 
pd r 2 6F
F x 
pd r np
y

16T
 yz 
pd r 3
x
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T
 Remarks
• Note that thread stress calculations are
rather approximate.
• More detailed studies show that first
thread takes most of the load, second,
third etc. take smaller portions.
• First 38%, second 25%, third 18% etc.
• Seventh and beyond take almost no load.

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