Screw Thread

Statics · FE Reference Handbook section

Statics

6 formulas

10 exam-style examples

~57 min

All Statics lectures

Learning objectives

What you must be able to do before leaving this section.

This chapter section covers Screw Thread within Statics. Read it the way you would read a textbook chapter: the theory first so the relations mean something, then every equation with its use and its trap, then 10 fully worked examples with the arithmetic shown line by line, and finally a self-check you should be able to answer without notes.

Explain, in your own words, what screw thread describes physically and when it applies.
State every one of the 6 relations the handbook lists here and name each symbol with its unit.
Select the correct relation from the wording of an exam stem within 20 seconds.
Carry a complete solution from givens to a "most nearly" answer with the correct unit.
Recognise the distractors generated by the unit trap: keep force in lbf or kN and distance in ft or m consistently.

Lecture

Why this section exists. Screw Thread is the part of Statics that lets you connect a determinate frame, truss or beam in equilibrium to a number you can defend. Before any equation is useful you must be able to picture the physical situation it describes; the schematic below is that picture.

How the theory is built. The handbook prints results, not derivations. Each relation in this section comes from one governing principle applied to the idealised system: state the principle, impose the stated assumptions, and the printed equation follows. Knowing which assumption each relation rests on is what lets you reject a wrong answer choice in seconds.

How it is examined. Items from this page are written as one free body, three equilibrium equations, one unknown reported. Roughly two thirds are direct substitution, one third require one intermediate quantity from a neighbouring relation, and a small number are conceptual — testing whether you know the assumption, not the arithmetic.

The habit that earns the points. Unit discipline. keep force in lbf or kN and distance in ft or m consistently. Every relation below is dimensionally consistent only when that rule is honoured, and the distractor set is deliberately built from candidates who ignored it. Write the unit next to every number you substitute, every time.

How to study this page. Read the theory, then cover the formula cards and try to reproduce each relation from its description. Then work the examples with the solution hidden, revealing one line at a time. Finish with the self-check questions; if you cannot answer one, return to the matching formula card.

Crane lowering a steel plate girder onto bridge bearings while ironworkers guide it. — Photo 1. Where this shows up in practice: screw thread.
Capstone Studio instructional photograph

Statics — Screw Thread: reference schematic for orienting the symbols used in this section.

Theory, developed

Read this before the equations — it is what makes them memorable.

The physical situation

Every item from this section describes a determinate frame, truss or beam in equilibrium. Sketch it before you compute — a labelled sketch with the givens on it converts a wordy stem into a solvable problem and exposes the quantity the examiner left out on purpose.

The governing principle

The 6 relations on this page are consequences of one principle applied to that idealised system. Identify which quantity is conserved, balanced, or defined, and the correct equation follows without memorisation.

Assumptions and limits of validity

Each printed relation carries silent assumptions — linearity, steady state, uniformity, small deformation, or standard conditions, depending on the subject. Conceptual exam items are written by violating exactly one of these, so read the sentence above the equation as carefully as the equation itself.

Solution procedure you should automate

1) Read the last sentence of the stem to identify the requested quantity. 2) Locate the relation on this page whose left-hand side is that quantity. 3) Tabulate the givens with units and mark the missing symbol. 4) If a symbol is missing, find the one relation that produces it. 5) Rearrange symbolically, substitute once, evaluate, and round only at the end.

Notation used in this section

M	Quantity produced by "M = Pr tan (α ± φ)" — read its definition and unit from the handbook line directly above the equation.
P	Quantity produced by "P = load on jack applied along and on the line of the axis" — read its definition and unit from the handbook line directly above the equation.
r	Quantity produced by "r = mean thread radius" — read its definition and unit from the handbook line directly above the equation.
α	Quantity produced by "α = pitch angle of the thread" — read its definition and unit from the handbook line directly above the equation.
µ	Quantity produced by "µ = tan φ = appropriate coefficient of friction" — read its definition and unit from the handbook line directly above the equation.

Handbook notes for this section

Definitions and conditions exactly as the handbook states them.

For a screw-jack, square thread,
where
+ is for screw tightening
– is for screw loosening

Core formulas for this FE topic

Definitions, applicability, units, assumptions and worked examples for each relation.

Worked exam-style examples

The four ways this section is written on the real exam — thoughts first, then equations, then substitution.

Example 1

Torque to raise a load on a square screw thread — Screw Thread

A screw jack with a mean thread diameter of 1.50 in and a lead of 0.25 in per turn raises a 2,000 lb load. The coefficient of friction on the screw thread is 0.20. Find the required torque.

Given

W = 2,000 lb
d_m = 1.50 in
L = 0.25 in
μ = 0.20

Find

Torque required to raise the load

Start with the thinking

The screw thread is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder — the lead angle comes from the lead over the mean circumference.
Raising adds the friction angle to the lead angle; lowering subtracts it.

Step-by-step solution

Formula
$tan α = L / (π d_{m})$
Substituting
$tan α = 0.25/ (π \times 1.50) = 0.0531, α = 3.0 4^{\circ}$
Friction angle
$ϕ = arctan μ = arctan 0.20 = 11.3 1^{\circ}$
Formula
$T = W (d_{m} /2) tan (α + ϕ)$
Substituting
$T = 2000 (0.750) tan (14.3 5^{\circ})$
Evaluate — T = 383.6 in·lb = 32.0 ft·lb

Answer: T ≈ 383.6 in·lb (32.0 ft·lb)

Why the other options are there

80 in·lb (friction ignored)
218.1 in·lb (lowering torque)

Reference: FE Reference Handbook — Statics → Screw Thread

Example 2

Torque to raise a load on a square screw thread — Screw Thread (2)

A screw jack with a mean thread diameter of 2.00 in and a lead of 0.15 in per turn raises a 11,000 lb load. The coefficient of friction on the screw thread is 0.18. Find the required torque.

Given

W = 11,000 lb
d_m = 2.00 in
L = 0.15 in
μ = 0.18

Find

Torque required to raise the load

Start with the thinking

The screw thread is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder — the lead angle comes from the lead over the mean circumference.
Raising adds the friction angle to the lead angle; lowering subtracts it.

Step-by-step solution

Formula
$tan α = L / (π d_{m})$
Substituting
$tan α = 0.15/ (π \times 2.00) = 0.0239, α = 1.3 7^{\circ}$
Friction angle
$ϕ = arctan μ = arctan 0.18 = 10.2 0^{\circ}$
Formula
$T = W (d_{m} /2) tan (α + ϕ)$
Substituting
$T = 11000 (1.000) tan (11.5 7^{\circ})$
Evaluate — T = 2,252 in·lb = 187.7 ft·lb

Answer: T ≈ 2,252 in·lb (187.7 ft·lb)

Why the other options are there

262.6 in·lb (friction ignored)
1,710 in·lb (lowering torque)

Reference: FE Reference Handbook — Statics → Screw Thread

Example 3

Torque to raise a load on a square screw thread — Screw Thread (3)

A screw jack with a mean thread diameter of 1.50 in and a lead of 0.35 in per turn raises a 9,000 lb load. The coefficient of friction on the screw thread is 0.15. Find the required torque.

Given

W = 9,000 lb
d_m = 1.50 in
L = 0.35 in
μ = 0.15

Find

Torque required to raise the load

Start with the thinking

The screw thread is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder — the lead angle comes from the lead over the mean circumference.
Raising adds the friction angle to the lead angle; lowering subtracts it.

Step-by-step solution

Formula
$tan α = L / (π d_{m})$
Substituting
$tan α = 0.35/ (π \times 1.50) = 0.0743, α = 4.2 5^{\circ}$
Friction angle
$ϕ = arctan μ = arctan 0.15 = 8.5 3^{\circ}$
Formula
$T = W (d_{m} /2) tan (α + ϕ)$
Substituting
$T = 9000 (0.750) tan (12.7 8^{\circ})$
Evaluate — T = 1,531 in·lb = 127.6 ft·lb

Answer: T ≈ 1,531 in·lb (127.6 ft·lb)

Why the other options are there

501.3 in·lb (friction ignored)
505.5 in·lb (lowering torque)

Reference: FE Reference Handbook — Statics → Screw Thread

Example 4

Torque to raise a load on a square screw thread — Screw Thread (4)

A screw jack with a mean thread diameter of 1.25 in and a lead of 0.35 in per turn raises a 15,000 lb load. The coefficient of friction on the screw thread is 0.13. Find the required torque.

Given

W = 15,000 lb
d_m = 1.25 in
L = 0.35 in
μ = 0.13

Find

Torque required to raise the load

Start with the thinking

The screw thread is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder — the lead angle comes from the lead over the mean circumference.
Raising adds the friction angle to the lead angle; lowering subtracts it.

Step-by-step solution

Formula
$tan α = L / (π d_{m})$
Substituting
$tan α = 0.35/ (π \times 1.25) = 0.0891, α = 5.0 9^{\circ}$
Friction angle
$ϕ = arctan μ = arctan 0.13 = 7.4 1^{\circ}$
Formula
$T = W (d_{m} /2) tan (α + ϕ)$
Substituting
$T = 15000 (0.625) tan (12.5 0^{\circ})$
Evaluate — T = 2,078 in·lb = 173.2 ft·lb

Answer: T ≈ 2,078 in·lb (173.2 ft·lb)

Why the other options are there

835.6 in·lb (friction ignored)
378.8 in·lb (lowering torque)

Reference: FE Reference Handbook — Statics → Screw Thread

Example 5

Torque to raise a load on a square screw thread — Screw Thread (5)

A screw jack with a mean thread diameter of 2.25 in and a lead of 0.35 in per turn raises a 8,000 lb load. The coefficient of friction on the screw thread is 0.24. Find the required torque.

Given

W = 8,000 lb
d_m = 2.25 in
L = 0.35 in
μ = 0.24

Find

Torque required to raise the load

Start with the thinking

The screw thread is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder — the lead angle comes from the lead over the mean circumference.
Raising adds the friction angle to the lead angle; lowering subtracts it.

Step-by-step solution

Formula
$tan α = L / (π d_{m})$
Substituting
$tan α = 0.35/ (π \times 2.25) = 0.0495, α = 2.8 3^{\circ}$
Friction angle
$ϕ = arctan μ = arctan 0.24 = 13.5 0^{\circ}$
Formula
$T = W (d_{m} /2) tan (α + ϕ)$
Substituting
$T = 8000 (1.125) tan (16.3 3^{\circ})$
Evaluate — T = 2,637 in·lb = 219.7 ft·lb

Answer: T ≈ 2,637 in·lb (219.7 ft·lb)

Why the other options are there

445.6 in·lb (friction ignored)
1,694 in·lb (lowering torque)

Reference: FE Reference Handbook — Statics → Screw Thread

Example 6

Torque to raise a load on a square screw thread — Screw Thread (6)

A screw jack with a mean thread diameter of 1.25 in and a lead of 0.15 in per turn raises a 15,000 lb load. The coefficient of friction on the screw thread is 0.15. Find the required torque.

Given

W = 15,000 lb
d_m = 1.25 in
L = 0.15 in
μ = 0.15

Find

Torque required to raise the load

Start with the thinking

The screw thread is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder — the lead angle comes from the lead over the mean circumference.
Raising adds the friction angle to the lead angle; lowering subtracts it.

Step-by-step solution

Formula
$tan α = L / (π d_{m})$
Substituting
$tan α = 0.15/ (π \times 1.25) = 0.0382, α = 2.1 9^{\circ}$
Friction angle
$ϕ = arctan μ = arctan 0.15 = 8.5 3^{\circ}$
Formula
$T = W (d_{m} /2) tan (α + ϕ)$
Substituting
$T = 15000 (0.625) tan (10.7 2^{\circ})$
Evaluate — T = 1,775 in·lb = 147.9 ft·lb

Answer: T ≈ 1,775 in·lb (147.9 ft·lb)

Why the other options are there

358.1 in·lb (friction ignored)
1,042 in·lb (lowering torque)

Reference: FE Reference Handbook — Statics → Screw Thread

Example 7

Torque to raise a load on a square screw thread — Screw Thread (7)

A screw jack with a mean thread diameter of 1.50 in and a lead of 0.20 in per turn raises a 10,000 lb load. The coefficient of friction on the screw thread is 0.21. Find the required torque.

Given

W = 10,000 lb
d_m = 1.50 in
L = 0.20 in
μ = 0.21

Find

Torque required to raise the load

Start with the thinking

The screw thread is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder — the lead angle comes from the lead over the mean circumference.
Raising adds the friction angle to the lead angle; lowering subtracts it.

Step-by-step solution

Formula
$tan α = L / (π d_{m})$
Substituting
$tan α = 0.20/ (π \times 1.50) = 0.0424, α = 2.4 3^{\circ}$
Friction angle
$ϕ = arctan μ = arctan 0.21 = 11.8 6^{\circ}$
Formula
$T = W (d_{m} /2) tan (α + ϕ)$
Substituting
$T = 10000 (0.750) tan (14.2 9^{\circ})$
Evaluate — T = 1,910 in·lb = 159.2 ft·lb

Answer: T ≈ 1,910 in·lb (159.2 ft·lb)

Why the other options are there

318.3 in·lb (friction ignored)
1,246 in·lb (lowering torque)

Reference: FE Reference Handbook — Statics → Screw Thread

Example 8

Torque to raise a load on a square screw thread — Screw Thread (8)

A screw jack with a mean thread diameter of 1.50 in and a lead of 0.30 in per turn raises a 18,000 lb load. The coefficient of friction on the screw thread is 0.11. Find the required torque.

Given

W = 18,000 lb
d_m = 1.50 in
L = 0.30 in
μ = 0.11

Find

Torque required to raise the load

Start with the thinking

The screw thread is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder — the lead angle comes from the lead over the mean circumference.
Raising adds the friction angle to the lead angle; lowering subtracts it.

Step-by-step solution

Formula
$tan α = L / (π d_{m})$
Substituting
$tan α = 0.30/ (π \times 1.50) = 0.0637, α = 3.6 4^{\circ}$
Friction angle
$ϕ = arctan μ = arctan 0.11 = 6.2 8^{\circ}$
Formula
$T = W (d_{m} /2) tan (α + ϕ)$
Substituting
$T = 18000 (0.750) tan (9.9 2^{\circ})$
Evaluate — T = 2,361 in·lb = 196.7 ft·lb

Answer: T ≈ 2,361 in·lb (196.7 ft·lb)

Why the other options are there

859.4 in·lb (friction ignored)
621.2 in·lb (lowering torque)

Reference: FE Reference Handbook — Statics → Screw Thread

Example 9

Torque to raise a load on a square screw thread — Screw Thread (9)

A screw jack with a mean thread diameter of 2.00 in and a lead of 0.50 in per turn raises a 6,000 lb load. The coefficient of friction on the screw thread is 0.17. Find the required torque.

Given

W = 6,000 lb
d_m = 2.00 in
L = 0.50 in
μ = 0.17

Find

Torque required to raise the load

Start with the thinking

The screw thread is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder — the lead angle comes from the lead over the mean circumference.
Raising adds the friction angle to the lead angle; lowering subtracts it.

Step-by-step solution

Formula
$tan α = L / (π d_{m})$
Substituting
$tan α = 0.50/ (π \times 2.00) = 0.0796, α = 4.5 5^{\circ}$
Friction angle
$ϕ = arctan μ = arctan 0.17 = 9.6 5^{\circ}$
Formula
$T = W (d_{m} /2) tan (α + ϕ)$
Substituting
$T = 6000 (1.000) tan (14.2 0^{\circ})$
Evaluate — T = 1,518 in·lb = 126.5 ft·lb

Answer: T ≈ 1,518 in·lb (126.5 ft·lb)

Why the other options are there

477.5 in·lb (friction ignored)
535.3 in·lb (lowering torque)

Reference: FE Reference Handbook — Statics → Screw Thread

Example 10

Torque to raise a load on a square screw thread — Screw Thread (10)

A screw jack with a mean thread diameter of 1.25 in and a lead of 0.40 in per turn raises a 13,000 lb load. The coefficient of friction on the screw thread is 0.19. Find the required torque.

Given

W = 13,000 lb
d_m = 1.25 in
L = 0.40 in
μ = 0.19

Find

Torque required to raise the load

Start with the thinking

The screw thread is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder — the lead angle comes from the lead over the mean circumference.
Raising adds the friction angle to the lead angle; lowering subtracts it.

Step-by-step solution

Formula
$tan α = L / (π d_{m})$
Substituting
$tan α = 0.40/ (π \times 1.25) = 0.1019, α = 5.8 2^{\circ}$
Friction angle
$ϕ = arctan μ = arctan 0.19 = 10.7 6^{\circ}$
Formula
$T = W (d_{m} /2) tan (α + ϕ)$
Substituting
$T = 13000 (0.625) tan (16.5 7^{\circ})$
Evaluate — T = 2,418 in·lb = 201.5 ft·lb

Answer: T ≈ 2,418 in·lb (201.5 ft·lb)

Why the other options are there

827.6 in·lb (friction ignored)
702.5 in·lb (lowering torque)

Reference: FE Reference Handbook — Statics → Screw Thread

Self-check

Answer these without notes before moving on.

Without looking, state the relation on this page whose left-hand side is the quantity most often requested, and name every symbol in it.
Which assumption, if violated, makes the main relation of this section invalid?
Given a determinate frame, truss or beam in equilibrium, what is the first quantity you would compute, and why that one first?
Which unit conversion in this subject most often produces a wrong answer choice, and what is its numerical factor?
Rework Example 1 above from the givens alone, without reading the solution lines.

Chapter summary

Screw Thread contains 6 relations; you must be able to find this page in under 15 seconds.
Exam style: one free body, three equilibrium equations, one unknown reported.
Unit rule: keep force in lbf or kN and distance in ft or m consistently.
Work the 10 examples until the solution path, not the answer, is automatic.

Common traps in this section

keep force in lbf or kN and distance in ft or m consistently
Answering the intermediate quantity instead of the quantity requested.
Rounding intermediate values before the final step.
Using a relation from an adjacent handbook section that shares a symbol.
Skipping the sketch — most lost points on this page start with a misread geometry.

Screw Thread

Learning objectives

Lecture

Theory, developed

Notation used in this section

Handbook notes for this section

Core formulas for this FE topic

M=Prtan(α±ϕ)

M=externalmomentappliedtoaxisofscrew

P=loadonjackappliedalongandonthelineoftheaxis

r=meanthreadradius

α=pitchangleofthethread

µ=tanϕ=appropriatecoefficientoffriction

Worked exam-style examples

Self-check

Chapter summary

Common traps in this section