DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TORQUE AND MOMENT EXPLAINED !!

The terms torque and moment originated with the study conducted by Archimedes on levers. Torque (most commonly used) or moment (used by engineers) is a concept of turning force. This turning force is applied when we push a door or try to open a nut using spanner. Both the door and the spanner turn about a point called the pivot or fulcrum. The force that is applied is at some distance from this fulcrum. The turning effect of the force applied depends upon this distance from the pivot or fulcrum.

Moment = Force* Perpendicular distance from the pivot

From this equation, it is clear that if we want to complete the task using less force, we have to increase the distance from the pivot.

In contrast, when a car driver turns a steering wheel, he exerts two equal and opposite forces on the steering. These forces form a couple and the turning effect of this couple is the sum of the moment of the two forces. The moment of a couple is called Torque.

Torque= Force*Perpendicular distance between the two perpendicular forces

In common parlance, Torque and moment are used interchangeably. Torque, or the moment of a force is its ability to rotate an object about an axis. While force is applied in torque as well, force is a push or a pull but in torque this force is in the form of a twist.

For the students of mechanical engineering, the two terms are different and not interchangeable. In general moment is the term used when referring to the ability of a force to turn an object about its axis. Torque is a special application of moment. When there are two equal and opposite forces, they form a couple, and the moment that results is called a torque. Here the applied force vectors are zero.

Summary:

1.“Moment” is a concept of engineering and physics that refers to the tendency of a force to move an object while torque is the tendency of a force to rotate an object in a pivot.
2.Moment is the perpendicular distance between the point of rotation and the force’s line of action while torque is a measure of the turning force of an object.
3.Torque is used to measure coupling while moment is not.
4.Both torque and moment have the Newton meter as the SI unit; torque is presented as Nm/revolution while moment is presented as Nm.
5.Moment is a static force while torque is a movement force.
6.Moment is used when there is no rotation while torque is used when there is rotation and a pivot.
7.Moment has the symbol “M” while torque has the Greek letter “tau” as its symbol.