The Importance of Inclined Planes “The road to success runs uphill” -- Willie Davis

The Inclined Plane The inclined plane is one of the six simple machines The other simple machines are: lever, screw, wedge, wheel and axle, pulley (in case you were wondering!)

The Inclined Plane An inclined plane reduces the force necessary to move a load vertically Instead of moving directly up, the load is moved at an angle that is low to the ground

The Inclined Plane This?

The Inclined Plane Or This!

The Inclined Plane The interesting thing is that the work to move the load is the same! This is because moving the load straight up requires greater force over a lesser distance Using an inclined plane requires a lesser force over a greater distance

The Inclined Plane So where do we see this used? Ramps Hatchets Sloping roads Ploughs Skateboard and Snowboard parks Air Hammer Carpenter’s Plane Chisels

The Inclined Plane An inclined plane is actually: Rise Run This is slope! It is also called grade, gradient and pitch.

The Inclined Plane and Building Codes The use of inclined planes in construction must meet provincial and/or national codes This ensures that they are used in a safe manner

Wheelchair Ramps Wheelchair ramps must be 1”/12” (rise over run) Ramps must have a maximum length of 30’; if they are longer, they must have a landing Landings must be at least 60” x 60” Ramps must be at least 36” wide

Stairs Stairs must have an angle of elevation from 30o to 50o – This means the slope must be between 0.57 and 1.2 Stair steps themselves must have a rise ranging from 5” to 8” and a run ranging from 8.5” to 14” – this means the slope must be between 5/8.5 and 8/14

Stairs In the UK, domestic stairs must have an angle of elevation of 42o Semi-public stairs an angle of elevation of 38o Public stairs must have an angle of elevation of 33o

Roofs Roof pitch ranges from 3”/12” (rise over run) to 27”/12” 27”/12” is usually used for dormers Normal residential roofs have a pitch of 5”/12”

Roads All roads have a grade of at least 1% from centre to curb (m greater than or equal to 0.01) Minor roads can be steeper than major roads In Canada, major highways (i.e., 401) have a vertical grade between 3% and 5% (0.03 and 0.05)

Roads In urban centres, arterial roads have a maximum grade of approximately 6%, collector’s roads have a maximum grade of approximately 8%, local residential roads have maximum grade of approximately 10%