6.

LEVERS

Introduction:
A lever is defined as a mechanical device in the form of a rigid bar pivoted about the fulcrum
to multiply or transfer the force. A lever is a simple mechanical device which is used to get
mechanical advantage i.e. exert more force with less effort. It is a link or a rigid rod moving about a
fixed pivot point called fulcrum. It may be either a straight or a curved link.

The basic terms associated with the design of levers are given below:
i) Load, F: A force which is required to overcome the effort is known as load.
ii) Effort, P; A force applied to a lever against the load to be lifter is known as effort.
iii) Mechanical advantage, MA: It is the ratio of load to effort.
Load F
Mechanical advantage = Effort=P
iv) Leverage: It is the ratio of the effort arm length l1 to the load arm length l2.
v) Displacement ratio: It is the ratio of displacement of effort to the displacement of
load.

Construction:
The construction of a simple lever is shown in Fig. F is the force produced by the lever and P
is the effort required to produce that force. The force F is often called ‘load’. The perpendicular
distance of the line of action of any force from the fulcrum is called the arm of the lever. Therefore, l1
and l2 are the effort arm and load arm respectively. Taking moment of forces about the fulcrum,
F * l2 = P * l1
or
F/P = l1/ 12

The ratio of load to effort, i.e., (F/P) is called the ‘mechanical advantage’ of the lever. The ratio of
the effort arm to the load arm, i.e., (l1/l2) is called the ‘leverage’. Therefore, mechanical advantage is
equal to the leverage.

Classification:
There are three types of levers, based on the relative positions of the effort point, the load
point and the fulcrum. They are as follows:

1. Type 1 lever: In the ‘first’ type of lever, the fulcrum is located between the load and the
effort, as shown in Fig. In this case, the effort arm can be kept less than the load arm or equal
to the load arm or more than the load arm.
 Accordingly, the mechanical advantages will vary in the following way:
When l1 < l2, mechanical advantage < 1
When l1 = l2, mechanical advantage = 1
When l1 > l2, mechanical advantage > 1
Usually, the effort arm is kept more than the load arm to get mechanical advantage.

2. Type 2 lever: In the ‘second’ type of lever, the load is located between the fulcrum and the
effort, as shown in Fig. In this case, the effort arm is always more than the load arm and the
mechanical advantage is more than 1.

3. Type 3 lever: In the ‘third’ type of lever, the effort is located between the load and the
fulcrum, as shown in Fig. In this case, the load arm is always greater than the effort arm and
the mechanical advantage is less than 1.

DESIGN OF LEVER ARM

1. The bending moment is given by, Mb = P (l1 – d1)

2. The cross-section of the lever can be rectangular, elliptical or I-section.
For a rectangular cross-section,

Usually d = 2b
For an elliptical cross-section

Usually a = 2b
3. Using the above eqn, the dimensions of the cross-section of the lever can be determined by,
𝑀𝑏∗𝑦
σb = I

DESIGN OF FULCRUM PIN

1. The fulcrum pin is subjected to reaction R, where R = p (d1 * l1 )
𝑅
2. The bearing pressure is given by, p =
(d1 ∗ l1 )
𝑃
3. For pin, the compressive stress is given by, σc =
𝑑∗𝑙
DESIGN PROCEDURE FOR LEVER:
The length of the lever is decided on the basis of leverage required to exert a given load F by means of an effort
P. The cross-section of the lever is designed on the basis of bending stresses. The design of a lever consists of
the following steps:
(i) Calculate permissible stresses for lever and pin
Syt
σ=
FS
Ssy 0.5 Syt
τ= FS
= FS

(ii) Calculate forces acting on lever

(iii) Calculate Diameter and length of pin
(iv) Calculate Width and thickness of lever

Application:
Typical applications of Lever are as follows:
(i) Rocker arm for the overhead valves of internal combustion engine. (type 1 lever)
(ii) bell crank levers in railway signal mechanisms. (type 1 lever)
(iii) levers of hand pumps. (type 2 lever)
(iv) lever-loaded safety valves mounted on the boilers. (type 2 lever)
(v) A picking fork (type 3 lever)
(vi) Simple nutcrackers
(vii) Paper punching machines
(viii) In scales and weighing machines.

Numerical 1: A lever-loaded safety valve is mounted on the boiler to blow off at a pressure of
1.5MPa gauge. The effective diameter of the opening of the valve is 50 mm. The distance between the
fulcrum and the dead weights on the lever is 1000 mm. The distance between the fulcrum and the pin
connecting the valve spindle to the lever is 100 mm. The lever and the pin are made of plain carbon
steel 30C8 (Syt = 400 N/mm2) and the factor of safety is 5. The permissible bearing pressure at the
pins in the lever is 25 N/mm2. The lever has a rectangular cross-section and the ratio of width to
thickness is 3:1. Design a suitable lever for the safety valve.

Numerical 2: A right angled bell-crank lever is to be designed to raise a load of 5 kN at the short arm
end. The lengths of short and long arms are 100 and 450 mm respectively. The lever and the pins are
made of steel 30C8 (Syt = 400 N/mm2) and the factor of safety is 5. The permissible bearing pressure
on the pin is 10 N/mm2. The lever has a rectangular cross-section and the ratio of width to thickness
is 3:1. The length to diameter ratio of the fulcrum pin is 1.25:1. Calculate (i) The diameter and the
length of the fulcrum pin (ii) The shear stress in the pin (ii) The dimensions of the boss of the lever at
the fulcrum (iii) The dimensions of the cross-section of the lever
Assume that the arm of the bending moment on the lever extends up to the axis of the fulcrum.