Flashcards: Mechanisms (engineering)

An automaton (pronunciation: /ɔːˈtɒmətən/)(plural: automata or automatons) is a self-operating machine, or a machine or control mechanism designed to follow automatically a predetermined sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.

Flywheel energy storage (FES) works by accelerating a rotor (flywheel) to a very high speed and maintaining the energy in the system as rotational energy.

A cam is a rotating or sliding piece in a mechanical linkage used especially in transforming rotary motion into linear motion or vice versa.

A carbine (/ˈkɑːrbiːn/ or /ˈkɑːrbaɪn/), from French carabine, is a long arm firearm but with a shorter barrel than a rifle or musket.

Glycolysis (from glycose, an older term for glucose + -lysis degradation) is the metabolic pathway that converts glucose C6H12O6, into pyruvate, CH3COCOO− + H+.

A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another, such as at a railway junction or where a spur or siding branches off.

A catalytic converter is an emissions control device that converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas to less toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction (an oxidation and a reduction reaction).

A semi-automatic transmission (SAT) (also known as a clutchless manual transmission, automated manual transmission, trigger shift, flappy-paddle gear shift, or paddle-shift gearbox) is an automobile transmission that does not change gears automatically, but rather facilitates manual gear changes by dispensing with the need to press a clutch pedal at the same time as changing gears.

A crank is an arm attached at right angles to a rotating shaft by which reciprocating motion is imparted to or received from the shaft.

In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assemblage as a whole behaves as a single object".

A hoist is a device used for lifting or lowering a load by means of a drum or lift-wheel around which rope or chain wraps.

An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear.

A capstan is a vertical-axled rotating machine developed for use on sailing ships to apply force to ropes, cables, and hawsers.

The caplock mechanism or percussion lock was the successor of the flintlock mechanism in firearm technology, and used a percussion cap struck by the hammer to set off the main charge, rather than using a piece of flint to strike a steel frizzen.

A governor, or speed limiter, is a device used to measure and regulate the speed of a machine, such as an engine.

A detent is a device used to mechanically resist or arrest the rotation of a wheel, axle, or spindle.