How Does a Torque Wrench Work?
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Torque
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Torque is the unit of measure that tells us how much force is used to overcome resistance for rotation. Wrenches are used to provide leverage when applying rotating force to do jobs like turn bolts and tighten fittings. When you use a torque wrench, you are using a tool created specifically to measure the amount of force applied when turning the wrench.
The purpose of measuring torque can be for quality assurance reasons, such as standardizing the amount of torque used to perform certain tasks in a service setting (automobile repair and assembly lines). Torque measurements can be used to ensure that the proper amount of force is used to secure a job, and that not so much is applied as to cause damage to the project.
Measuring
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All torque wrenches are meant to measure how much force you are applying to the arm used to turn the wrench during use. The different varieties of torque wrench measure force in different ways. The most basic torque wrench is known as a beam style torque wrench, and observing it in use can illustrate the basic concept of this tool.
The turning arm of the beam style torque wrench is flexible. The more force that you apply to the arm of the torque wrench, the more the arm will bend. There is a gauge at the top of this flexible arm, and there is also a solid arm that remains stationary no matter how much force is applied to the arm. As you apply force to the flexible arm to tighten your bolts, the arm bends and moves the gauge. The solid arm points to a measurement on the gauge to show how much pressure you are asserting at the time.
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Types
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Though the beam style torque wrench is one of the most reliable and inexpensive of torque wrenches, they are not always the easiest to use. There are many different torque wrenches that are used where a beam style torque wrench is not a wise choice.
When you are working in hard to reach areas, the long arm and the stationary gauge can be difficult, if not impossible to use effectively. There are ratcheting style torque wrenches that are meant to operate to your desired amount of torque only. This tool would not apply any more force than you designate for it.
If you are working in a setting where you need to stay within an array of torque measurements, such as on an assembly line, then you can use a torque wrench that has an audible signal when you have reached the proper range of torque. This can be especially helpful when you are performing the same job repeatedly.
If you are working in a quality controlled environment where you need to be able to prove the amount of torque applied to each fitting, you may want to invest in a computerized torque wrench. This torque wrench would both remember the target measurements, and record the actual measurements that are used. These could be downloaded, printed, or stored for later use. Such applications may be in an automobile service shop or while performing work on machinery that is under warranty.
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