Fig. 1 shows a bench vice. Explain how the screw thread mechanism in this product produces a large clamping force from a small effort at the handle. [4]
Question 1 Report
Fig. 1 shows a bench vice. Explain how the screw thread mechanism in this product produces a large clamping force from a small effort at the handle. [4]
Answer Details
A bench vice gains force by exchanging a large movement of the handle for a very small movement of the moving jaw.
- The handle acts as a lever. Applying force at its end produces a larger turning effect on the screw because of the ratio of handle length to screw radius. [1]
- A screw thread is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder. One full turn moves the jaw forward only by the thread pitch. [1]
- Thus the handle travels a large circular distance while the jaw moves only a very small linear distance. [2]
- Because the work is ideally conserved, the small jaw movement corresponds to a very large force at the jaw face, creating the clamping force. [1]
This explains why a vice is slow to close but can grip strongly. [4]
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