TABLE OF CONTENTS The basic machines from which all complex machines and mechanisms may be constructed are the lever, the inclined plane (wedge), and the wheel and axle. The screw is a variation of the inclined plane (in its helix), and the pulley is a variation of the wheel and axle. Add to these the modern simple machines which include the gear-wheel and hydraulic press, and this list represents all the simple machines presently used. (The Rolomite device was declared a simple machine by the U.S. Patent Office years ago, and finds many applications in modern design.)
In this chapter we will deal with the basic elements used in designing complex machines, mechanisms, and machine elements, including power transmission equipment and associated devices. Readers using the machine elements as columns or beams are referred to the strength of materials sections and this chapter. Readers needing other machine design calculations may be referred to the chapters on basic engineering mechanics and other applicable sections. The theory of machine elements is not presented in this chapter. Instead, readers will find practical design data and design procedures for all the basic machine elements commonly encountered in industrial design practice. Most of the design data and procedures shown in this section were developed by the major machine element manufacturers throughout the United States.
Power transmission components detailed in this section include the following:
V-belts, standard and narrow, single and multiple
Flat belts
Ribbed and timing belts
Chains and sprockets
