Calculating the dimensions of a lever and a column

[pashmak]

Hi,
I have a system with a lever arm that's attached to a vertical support at its pivot point. The lever is pushed up by hand and is supported by a stay lid like in the image. I need to calculate the area and thickness of the arm and the column but the only numbers I have is the load attached to the end of the arm, the length of the arm and the height of the column. In all the examples I found on the web either the tensile strength or the stiffness of the beam is given. And I don't have any of these numbers yet. So, could you please help me figure out how to find the followings:

• Dimensions of lever arm
• Dimensions of the support
• Locations of the the to ends of the stay lid on each arm.

There is also an adjustable handle that will be attached to the pivot of the arm from the opposite side. I have some of that dimensions based on anthropocentric data but the minimum requirements of its arm to be able to stand pushing a 15kg machine is still missing and I'm not sure how I can calculate that.

 

[AnthonyChristov]

Hello,

I believe for this you will need to first need to calculate the axial load developed on the lever arm (Statics/Dynamics). Once you find that, crack open a machine design book and find the equations involved with sizing shafts. The theories involved will depend on how conservative you want your calculations to be and what materials are involved. Those are my initial thoughts, hope it helps.