Power transmission is an age old problem with age old solutions. This section is dedicated to providing you the designer with a solid research base for your project. As a designer you must recognize that adequate research is pivotal to successful designs. Hopefully, the listing that will follow this introduction will assist you in quickly and easily investigating your project's needs. It will also attempt to give you insight into possible solutions. First we must define, in a broad sense, what power transmission is and how it is accomplished. Introduction to several methods is necessary as most solutions to a project are not unique. Remember it's your design. You will ultimately be responsible for deciding on the best choice for your specifications. This handbook is intended to supply information, not suggestions. Please consult your colleagues and mentors at every opportunity. The information you can retrieve from others will be invaluable to you. Before power transmission devices are introduced it is worthy to introduce this handbook and the motivations behind it. The handbook you are using is a portion of the senior project for mechanical engineers and mechanical engineering technicians at CSU, Sacramento. It was assigned as a project to be completed in groups and in the setting of the real world. Interviews were conducted and project managers selected. In additon to providing a real world environment, one of teamwork and cooperation, the project gives students the tools to solve problems in the absence of guidelines. As engineers, solving problems in new and innovative is essential. This handbook is the result of the efforts of many persons and will be continually updated as the contributors change. Now the introduction of power transmission theory and devices.
How do I move heavy objects? How do I achieve movement in a confined space? How do I translate human power into mechanical power? These are some of the questions that are addressed by power transmission. Normally, there are two parameters of interest, torque and speed. The rule of thumb is that these quantities share an inverse relationship. You will in all likelyhood sacrifice one for the other. That is to say if you achieve high torque you will not have high speed and vice versa. This is the fundamental principle in power transmission. Some of the devices used to obtain various combinations of torque and speed are the following; gears, belts, and chains. Gears can be of several types which include; spur, helical, bevel, hypoid, and worm just to demonstrate the variety available. Each gear type has its own apllications and advantages. The following diagrams illustrate some of the gear types.
<--- GEAR TYPES ILLUSTRATION --->
Another important principle of gearing is gear trains. Using several gears together allows tremendous flexibility and can increase power use efficiency. The illustrations below will again demonstrate this concept of gear trains.
<--- GEAR TRAIN ILLUSTRATIONS --->
Belts and chains are characterized by the following types; flat belts, round belts, V belts, timing belts, wire belts, and roller chains to introduce a few. The diagrams below give illustrations of these types.
<--- BELTS AND CHAINS ILLUSTRATIONS --->
In belting you can further classify the system as an open or crossed configuration. See the diagrams below.
<--- OPEN AND CROSSED SCHEMATICS --->
It is apparent that the designer who seekds to implement power transmission devices is blessed with a wealth of options. In order to address those options the following is an annotative listing of books and web sites which will guide you as you investigate possible solutions for your project.
<--- ANNOTATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY --->
<--- ANNOTATIVE WEB LISTING --->
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