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| ADJUSTABLE SPANNER / WRENCH |
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| Adjustable spanners are used to loosen and tighten nuts and bolts of various sizes. An adjustable spanner can be adjusted to fit a variety of sizes, by simply rotating the worm screw. They are ideal for general use, because there is no need to have / carry around a full set of spanners. |
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However, adjustable spanners have weaknesses: Spanners are sometimes tightened and untightened with a mallet, for example the spanner used to tighten a machine vice. The lower jaw of an adjustable spanner can break if too much pressure is applied. Adjustable spanners can slowly loosen and need to be adjusted during use. |
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| The gap / play between the worm screw and the lower jaw’s teeth, can mean that regular re-tightening / re-adjustment is required, during the spanners repeated use. |
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| An adjustable spanner is an excellent example of a class two lever, as seen below. |
| A spanner is a class two lever when used to tighten / loosen a bolt / nut. The position of the head, surrounding the bolt / nut is the ‘fulcrum’. The resistance against turning is the ‘load’ and the force required to move the handle is the ‘effort’. The longer to lever, the easier it is to turn the bolt. This is called mechanical advantage. |
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