A PROJECT

ON
DESIGN OF A SCREW JACK

By

ASEEM PRADHAN
B.E. (Hons.) Mechanical Engineering
2011A4PS256G
AT
TATA TECHNOLOGIES LTD., PUNE

A Practice School II Station of

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE, PILANI

December, 2014

Abstract
The objective is to design a jack screw assembly which will aid women for simple and
comfortable use. These devices which aid in lifting cars when punctured presently are heavy
and require a lot of effort to be put in for the replacement task. This project will, thus, aim to
make a screw jack which is light, sturdy and easy to use for one and all.

Introduction
Indian roads, today, have become a headache to drive on. There are incessant complaints
heard from every corner of the country relating to the condition of roads. There has been
sufficient improvement in the past few years, but nothing less than perfect is ever enough for
the Indian audiences.
Todays cars have developed tremendously with respect to power, speed and also safety. The
average speeds of driving on the roads have increased significantly in the past generation.
This is due to the various technological advancements in the fields of fuels, polymers,
manufacturing processes etc.
However, still, we see the minor problem of punctures occurring ever more often. The simple
process of solving this problem is to remove the tire and replace it with the spare one
available in the car. The process, of course, includes lifting the automobile from the side of
the punctured tire with the help of a device called a jack.
A jack is a machine which helps a person to lift the car (for removing the tire or for any other
job necessary) by applying a force much less than what is required to lift it with bare hands.
This uses the concept of Mechanical Advantage (explained in detail on Page 13), which is:
Mechanical Advantage=

Forcenecessary for completing a task without the aid of a machine

Force applied for the same task withthe aid of the specific machine

The weight of the car, which is around 1800 kg, is lifted using forces as low as 4 kgf using
jacks. The design of these devices contains components as simple as gear systems, screws,
ratcheting mechanisms, inflatable balloons etc. Further, if a power screw is used to contribute
to the reduction in the mechanism, then the jack is classified as a Screw Jack.
The Screw can be at the input side of the jack or at the output one. It all depends on the type
of motion we impart at the input side of the mechanism.

Literature Review
In a design project, a literature review would be the analysis of the existing designs of the
jack. The list of the jacks used presently are:

a. Bumper Jacks
This device uses the principle of a ratchet and lever. A ratchet is a mechanical device that
allows continuous linear or rotary motion in only one direction while preventing motion in
the opposite direction.1
Thus, the lever is used to reduce the magnitude of force applied for lifting the heavy load and
the ratchet is used to make sure that the distance through which the load is lifted is not lost
i.e. it does not allow the load to fall as it allows motion in one direction only.
The name Bumper Jack comes from its structure which was prevalent. The entire bumper
was used as a support and the front or rear of the vehicle was lifted. Various modifications are
now seen in these jacks nowadays. This was a very popular way of lifting cars till some years
back.
This device lost its popularity because of various reasons listed below:

The Mechanical Advantage offered by this system was less as compared to the new
mechanisms that came into the market. This is because of the limiting length of the

lever arm that is available in this jack.

The bumper jack was not very safe. There was a high possibility of the mechanical
failure of the ratcheting mechanism. The failure would cause the load (car) to fall on
the ground with the breakage of the lever and a high possibility of injury to the user.

1 Definition from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_(device)

b. Hydraulic Jacks
These types of jacks are quite expensive as they use the principle of Hydraulics in
implementing the lift. The pressure in a liquid remains constant but using the variation in the
area of application of that pressure, the force can be magnified for increased mechanical
advantage.
Hydraulic jacks depend on this basic principle to lift heavy loads: pump plungers are used to
move oil through two cylinders. The plunger when drawn back opens the suction valve and
pulls oil by creating vacuum pressure in the pump chamber. As the plunger is now pushed,
the oil is pushed into the cylinder with the smaller cross-section area through the designated
valve when at the same time, the suction valve closes. Thus, pressure keeps building up in
every stroke of the plunger.2

c. Inflating Balloon Jack

A very attractive looking car jack, the inflating balloon is one of the simplest and userfriendly devices invented. It uses air pressure to lift the automobile. In some jacks, a small air
compressor is used to create the required pressure (Image below on the Right). However, in
some balloons, the air input is directly connected to the exhaust of the running engine itself.
Another advantage of this jack is that it can be used on any surface. Most of the other types
have to be supported on a flat surface before operation. However, on simple roads, it is better
to use the conventional mechanical car jack.
Also, due to the necessary material used for this jack, the cost of it becomes high. Each
balloon costs around $50 to $60. And in bulk orders, the cost is reduced to a minimum of
$30.
However, other than the loading, this jack needs no effort from the user. It has its own safety
valves to release the pressure in the balloon if it goes above a designated value. Once the
operation is done, we have an extension that needs to be pulled or a pin needs to be inserted
to release the pressure and bring the vehicle slowly back to ground level.
2 Working of Hydraulic jacks: http://www.thomasnet.com/articles/materialshandling/how-hydraulic-jacks-work

d. Screw Jacks
These types of jacks inculcate, as the name clearly suggests, a screw in the mechanism of
lifting. A screw gives the user a very compact incline which gives the required mechanical
advantage. The load travels through a distance of the circumference of the screw thread, but
is lifted through a distance equal to the lead of the screw thread. A designated number of
rotations of the screw will cause the vehicle to lift through the required height.
A standard screw jack is as shown:

Figure 1.1: Standard Screw Jack

However, in the above screw jack, the power screw is directly used for lifting. The more
common screw jacks couple some gear systems or other mechanisms with the screw to add to
the mechanical advantage. The types of Screw Jacks integrated with some other complements
are:

Scissor Screw Jack

Worm Drive Screw Jack
Bevel Gear System Screw Jack

Research Methodology
Design is a Thought Process. It is not an isolated thought of the final problem, but is a
comprehensive journey to fulfill the problem statement with the given constraints. Once a
certain idea is hit upon, it is a long process to modify and tweak the various properties of the
concept formed for an output to be a feasible product. One has to keep in mind the
constraints, manufacturability, standards, failure criteria, optimization etc.
In the same lines, this report contains the description of 7 different jack configurations. Other
than the scissor jack, all the others have been conceptualized in this work-period. Most of
them, though enough for lifting the automobile, were not very attractive in terms of the
operation, storage considerations, lifting distance, cost and some other mentioned parameters.
Each of the descriptions of the designs contains a unique approach. The reason of the
approach and its implications are reported. Some basic assumptions are uniform throughout
all the configurations. Outputs like the CAD Models of each, the material of the various parts
in the design, the design advantages, limitations and comparison with other designs are listed.
The 7 concepts described are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Bevel Gear Pedal Driven Screw Jack

Bevel Gear Screw Jack with Spur Gear Reduction
Scissor Jack
Suspension Driven Screw Jack
Adjustable Wedge Jack
Wedge Jack with Built-In Support
Auxiliary Tire Wedge Jack

Analysis and Results

Design I.

A pedal was added to the existing jack design. Ground

clearance and ergonomic force application limit were the factors cause of
which this design was not further used.
Design II.

A new reduction gear box was added to tackle the force limit,

however, it added to the operation time.

Design III.

The existing design of the scissor jack was studied and

analyzed.
Design IV.

The suspension was used to lift the tire instead of the car. This

jack was not further analyzed due to various constraints in the suspension
mechanism and the car body.
Design V.

A suitable adjustable clamp was not found which led to this

design to be put on hold.

Design VI.

The wedge was becoming too long and there were a lot of

safety issues in the operation of this mechanism.

Design VII.

The operation of this jack seems feasible. It is therefore,

necessary to validate the design from all aspects possible.

Utilization on Campus Courses

One can use this project as an introduction to the Machine Design and Drawing subject. The
overall design procedure as well as the CAD part of the project belongs to this course.
Computer Aided Design is another subject where the analysis of the designs may be done.
The simulation part of the project may be introduced in Kinematics and Dymanics of
Machines.

Learning from Project

However, this was only possible because of the vast resources available at TATA
Technologies and with the guidance of my expert mentors. CATIA was the software tool
used. Part Design, Drawing, Assembly Design, Generative Shape Design, DMU Kinematics
etc. were the workbenches I was trained to use. The TATA Motors Product Lifecycle
Management (PLM) tool introduced me to the various aspects of the automotive industry that
I had no exposure to earlier.
The above are only the technical parts of the areas I explored. Other than that, mechanisms,
design processes, component analysis, material selection etc. are the regions where this
project allowed me to engage in.
On various levels, I was introduced to the Body-In-White designing and manufacturing
processes. It was a great experience working with the BIW Upperbody Team of Tata Motors
Ltd. ODC. This was my first experience in the service industry and that being in TATA
Technologies had a very positive impact on me. It amplified my previously aroused interest
in the design field and presented me with an opportunity to hone my skills.

Conclusions
Screw Jack is a very simple tool used not very frequently, and yet during this project it was
realized that there is a lot of scope of improvement and innovation. The motion to be
achieved was a simple linear lifting one, but with the current scenario of the available
products, making something radically new is a tough task.
Every design had a characteristic thought process as well as a designing development. The
above report spans the entire journey to reach this stage. In conclusion, the analysis of 7
varied concepts was done. Each was analyzed in terms of feasibility with respect to its
operation and later manufacturing. The last design mentioned, Auxiliary Tire Wedge Jack;
can be a product that could be brought till fabrication.