LEEA Think Lifting Portrait A4 4pp v2

Think Lifting
We hope that you have enjoyed

the lesson today, and that you
learnt some things about the
opportunities within the
lifting industry.
This handout covers some of the

things covered in the class today.
P N E U M AT I C S | F R I C T I O N | P U L L E Y S
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P N E U M AT I C S
Pneumatics is the section of Physics where we make A double acting cylinder has 2 air supplies and does
pressurised gas do tasks for us, such as moving other not have a spring. One pushes the cylinder outwards
objects. We can make pressurised gas by squeezing and the other pushes it back in.
gas into a small container, such as a pipe. Pressure is
a force that the gas exerts on the walls of the container
it is in. This pressure will also mean that the gas will
Double acting cylinder
escape the container it is in if there is a hole.
Piston
Imagine filling a balloon with air. If you release the Rod
balloon before tying it, then it will zip across the room. Extension stroke
The pressure pushes the gas out of the hole and
causes the balloon to move forward. This is an example
of pneumatics, as we are using pressurised gas to
move an object.
Pump flow Piston seal Return flow
A piston is a tube with a cylinder inside, which can
move up and down and can push other objects into Piston
motion. If we insert pressurised gas into the piston then
Rod
the pressure from the gas will cause the cylinder to
move out. If we reduce the pressure of the gas, then the
cylinder will move back in. We can use this movement
Return stroke
to operate machinery.
There are 2 types of piston: Return flow Piston seal Pump flow
A single acting cylinder has one air supply which

pushes the cylinder outwards. After the piston has been
depressurised, a spring pulls it inwards automatically.
Example
Single acting cylinder
Pressure port
Spring
Rod
Extension stroke
Return stroke A steam engine uses pneumatics to move

(by spring) forward. Imagine a double acting cylinder with a
Piston seal Vent port
wheel attached. As the cylinder is pushed out,
the rod moves to the left, and as the cylinder
is pulled in, the rod moves to the right. The
movement of the rod then rotates the wheel, and
this is how the steam engine moves.
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FRICTION
Friction is a contact force which acts between 2 surfaces

Normal
that are sliding across each other. Friction tries to stop the
motion taking place by slowing the surfaces down. This
force
means that it acts opposite to the way the surfaces are Motion
sliding.
Friction depends on what type of materials the surfaces

are made of. If they are smooth materials, then there is
Force of friction Applied force
less friction. Some examples of smooth materials are
glass and ice. If the materials are rougher, then there is
more friction. Some examples of rough materials are fur
and Velcro.
We can change friction by changing how smooth a

material is. To decrease friction, we lubricate a machine
with oil so the pieces will slide over each other easier. To
increase friction, we add tread to surfaces such as tyres Force of
and shoes or change the surface material completely. gravity
When the surfaces rub together, they produce heat. This is
why we rub our hands together when we are cold!
Air resistance is a type of friction, except it is between a

material and the air. Imagine a plane flying… As it moves,
it hits air particles, and this slows it down.
Some examples
You can feel friction acting when you try to push

a block across carpeted floor.
Friction stops your feet from sliding across the

ground when you try to take a step. Imagine
trying to walk on ice – the surface is smooth
and there is little friction. This means that it is
slippery and easy to fall over. Without friction,
we would not be able to walk!
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PULLEYS
Let’s look at the different type of pulleys! What if we add in a moveable pulley to make a
compound pulley system?
(See the image below) In this system the load is

attached to a wheel. This means that the mass of the
wheel is also added to the overall mass you need to lift,
giving a combined mass of 10kg or a weight of 100N
(assuming the gravitational field strength is 10N/kg).
However, the load is supported by 2 ropes – one on
either side. Each side only holds half of the total weight
of the load. In this example, the left load supporting rope
holds up 50N of the weight of the load whilst the right-
side lifts 50N of the weight up. This means you only
need to put in half the amount of force for the load to
start moving. Overall, this means that you can put in less
force for the load to be lifted.
A simple pulley consists of a rope attached to a wheel.
The wheel has dents where the rope fits in.
A fixed pulley system is where the wheel is fixed to a wall

whilst the load moves up or down with the rope. In this Attached Load-supporting rope
system, the force required to lift the load is equal to the Fixed pulley
weight of the load. A simple pulley is an example of a fixed
pulley system. MA = 2 Load-supporting rope
Redirecting-only rope
A moveable pulley system is where the pulley is attached
to the load itself and so they are both lifted. The weight Movable
of the moveable pulley is also added to the overall weight
pulley
being lifted.
A compound pulley system uses a mixture of fixed and

Object 10kg
moveable pulleys. Using a combination of these, you can Force 5kg
change the force required to lift the load.
So how can we change the force required to lift The factor by which the force decreases if known as the
the load? Mechanical Advantage (ME). We can work out the ME by
dividing the weight of the load by the force required to lift
In a simple pulley, you pull down and the load rises – it it. For a pulley that halves the force required, the ME is 2.
changes the direction of the applied force. For a pulley For a pulley that thirds it, it is 3.
with one wheel, you must put in a force equal to the
weight of the load for it to move.
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LEEA Think Lifting Portrait A4 4pp v2

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Think Lifting

We hope that you have enjoyed

This handout covers some of the

A single acting cylinder has one air supply which

Return stroke A steam engine uses pneumatics to move

Friction is a contact force which acts between 2 surfaces

Friction depends on what type of materials the surfaces

We can change friction by changing how smooth a

Air resistance is a type of friction, except it is between a

You can feel friction acting when you try to push

Friction stops your feet from sliding across the

(See the image below) In this system the load is

A fixed pulley system is where the wheel is fixed to a wall

A compound pulley system uses a mixture of fixed and

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