Lifting Wheels

The effort force for a lifting wheel can be calculated as

F = W d / D                                   (1)

where

F = effort force (N)

W = F_g

= m a_g

= gravity force - weight of body (N, lb)

d = wheel inner diameter (m, ft)

D = wheel outer diameter (m, ft)

m = mass of lifted body (kg, slugs)

a_g = acceleration of gravity (9.81 m/s², 32.17405 ft/s²)

Example - Effort Force with a Lifting Wheel

A body with mass 100 kg is lifted with a lifting wheel with inner diameter 0.1 m and outer diameter 0.3 m. The effort force can be calculated as

F = (100 kg) (9.81 m/s²) (0.1 m) / (0.3 m)

= 327 N

= 0.33 kN

Lifting Wheel Calculator

This calculator can be used to calculate the effort force for a lifting wheel.

David Vinter ( CC-BY-SA-2.0 ), via Wikimedia Commons

Note that kg is the unit of mass in the SI system - more about mass and weight.