Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Work done is the force multiplied with the distance moved by the force - and can be expressed
as
W=Fs (1)
where
F = force (N)
W=Fr
=T (2)
where
W = work (Joules)
= angle (radians)
r = radius (m)
P = W / dt
= T / dt
=T
=2nT
= 2 (nrpm / 60) T
where
P = power (Watts)
n = speed (rev/s)
Note! - a machine must rotate to produce power! A machine with no rotation can deliver torque -
like an electric motor - but since no distance is moved by force - no power is produced. As soon
as the machine starts to rotate power is produced.
T=P/2n
= 15.9 Nm
Power and Moment of Body in Angular Motion
P=T
= T 2 nrps
= T nrpm / 30 (1)
where
P = power (W)
= 3.14...
Note! - an object - like an electric motor - can have an active moment without rotation, but
without rotation ( = 0) there is no power produced.
In imperial units
where
P = power (hp)
An electric motor runs with 3600 rpm with an measured power consumption of 2000 W. The
moment created by the motor (without losses) can be calculated by rearranging (1) to
T = 30 P / ( nrpm)
= 30 (2000 W) / ( (3600 rpm))
= 5.3 Nm
Moment Calculator
P - power (W)
2000
nm - rotations (rpm)
3600
T=I (2)
where
All this did was confuse and intrigue me. One thing I did figure out
is that none of the people arguing were using hard science as the
foundation for their argument; they were invoking science, but
were doing so very sloppily. Well, that wasnt enough for me so I
set out to find the real answers.
The Basics
So to start with I naturally consulted Google. Most of the top hits
for torque vs. horsepower are excellent pieces; they break down
the math in a very methodical way, so I wont repeat that excellent
work here. Instead Ill just summarize the basics that are accepted
as fact by everyone:
Horsepower:
Torque:
Now imagine someone trying to, using their hands, twist the shaft
so as to lift the weight. Think of them as essentially trying to act
like a wench and reel it up. The amount of force they are able to
generate to lift the weight in this manner is the torque that theyre
able to produce. One unit for measurement of this is the foot-
pound. A foot-pound is the rotational force generated by hanging
a one-pound weight at the end of a 1-foot wrench.
The Common Mistake
The mistake most people make when engaging in this debate is
considering horsepower and torque independently. Almost
everyone argues as if they are separate, unrelated values. They
arent.
Which means
a = f/m
Gearing
So thats where gearing comes in.
Conclusion
So a technical answer to the question of, What makes
acceleration: torque or horsepower?, is torquebut torque at the
wheels, not at the engine. And since were talking about torque at
the wheels and not at the engine, the best answer is horsepower,
because horsepower encompasses not only the engines torque
but the total torque that gets delivered to the wheels and
therefore provides the f in f = ma .
1. For any comments, corrections, flames, or other types of input, feel free
to contact me. Im game for anything thatll help me better understand this
interesting subject.
4. Another way to validate that its power and not torque that matters most for
acceleration is to look at the cars that have the highest acceleration, which
are the F1 cars. And guess what? Low torque, high horsepower.
6. Another way to see the importance of gearing is to notice how fast some low-
end cars are able to accelerate in first gear. They feel pretty fast at first
because they can jump off the line, but its really just a super high gear that
sends lots of torque to the wheels. But it runs out quickly.
7. Racecars have high horsepower due to high RPMs, not due to high torque
(see gearing).
8. Below 5252 RPMs any engines torque will always be higher than its
horsepower, and above 5252 RPMs any engines horsepower will always be
higher than its torque. At5252 RPMs the
9.
11.It is better to make torque at high rpm than at low rpm, because you can
take advantage of gearing. vettenet.org
A gear train is a mechanical system formed by mounting gears on a frame so that the teeth of the
gears engage.
Gear teeth are designed to ensure the pitch circles of engaging gears roll on each other without
slipping, providing a smooth transmission of rotation from one gear to the next. [1]
The transmission of rotation between contacting toothed wheels can be traced back to
the Antikythera mechanism of Greece and the south-pointing chariot of China. Illustrations by the
Renaissance scientist Georgius Agricola show gear trains with cylindrical teeth. The implementation
of the involute tooth yielded a standard gear design that provides a constant speed ratio.
Features of gears and gear trains include:
The ratio of the pitch circles of mating gears defines the speed ratio and the mechanical
advantage of the gear set.
It is possible to design gear teeth for gears that are non-circular, yet still transmit torque
smoothly.
The speed ratios of chain and belt drives are computed in the same way as gear ratios.
See bicycle gearing.