Screw Mechanical Advantage Simulator (2D)

Screw Geometry

Thread pitch (lead) 4 mm

Screw diameter 10 mm

Load

Load force 500 N

Turning the screw drives it forward along the thread.

Live Readout

Mechanical advantage

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Effort force needed

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Turns for 1 cm advance

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Effort travel / turn

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How it works

A screw is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder. One full turn of the screw carries the effort force around the full circumference (π × diameter) while the screw itself advances forward by only one thread pitch (the lead). That ratio is the screw's mechanical advantage: MA = circumference / pitch = (π × diameter) / pitch.

Because energy in equals energy out (ignoring friction), a small effort force applied over the long circular path can drive a much larger load force forward over the short pitch distance: effort force = load force / MA. Finer threads (smaller pitch) or a larger diameter give more mechanical advantage — more force amplification — but require more turns and more total hand travel to advance the same distance.

Thread cross-section (inclined plane unrolled) Effort force (small, travels far) Load force (large, moves little)