[Bob In Ct]

Hey Ralph:

First a brief explanation and then a site for you to check out.

Torque is the measure of how hard we can twist something. It is usually expresed in FT-LBS. For example, there is a well in your back yard. When the bucket in the well is full it weighs 10 pounds. The roller that the rope is attached to is 2 feet in diameter. In order to lift the water to the top you must twist the roller with a torque of 10 FT-LBS (10 pounds X 1 ft radius). Whether is takes you 3 seconds to lift the bucket or 5 minutes, the torque applied was 10 FT-LBS. The time is of no importance since torque does not care about time.

Power measurement, however, do. The power needed to raise the bucket in 3 seconds is far greater than the power needed to do it in 5 minutes. That is why 400 FT_LBS of torque is more valuable at 5500 RPMs than at 2500 RPMs.

The is a great explanation of the whole business at "www.seansa4page.com/resource/torquehp.html".

Check it out.

Bob In Ct