Mechanical Engineering, SOL-TIM
Mechanical engineering, the branch of engineering concerned with the design, manufacture, installation, and operation of engines and machines and with manufacturing processes. It is particularly concerned with forces and motion.
Mechanical Engineering Encyclopedia Articles By Title
solar calendar, any dating system based on the seasonal year of approximately 365 14 days, the time it takes the......
solar cell, any device that directly converts the energy of light into electrical energy through the photovoltaic......
solar panel, a component of a photovoltaic system that is made out of a series of photovoltaic cells arranged to......
solar time, time measured by Earth’s rotation relative to the Sun. Apparent solar time is that measured by direct......
solenoid, a uniformly wound coil of wire in the form of a cylinder having a length much greater than its diameter.......
solid-state device, electronic device in which electricity flows through solid semiconductor crystals (silicon,......
Germain Sommeiller was a French engineer who built the Mount Cenis (Fréjus) Tunnel in the Alps, the world’s first......
sonar, (from “sound navigation ranging”), technique for detecting and determining the distance and direction of......
sone, unit of loudness. Loudness is a subjective characteristic of a sound (as opposed to the sound-pressure level......
sound card, integrated circuit that generates an audio signal and sends it to a computer’s speakers. The sound......
sound-level meter, device for measuring the intensity of noise, music, and other sounds. A typical meter consists......
spark plug, device that fits into the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine and carries two electrodes......
spear, a pole weapon with a sharp point, either thrown or thrust at an enemy or prey. It appears in an infinite......
spear-thrower, a device for throwing a spear (or dart) usually consisting of a rod or board with a groove on the......
speech recognition, the ability of devices to respond to spoken commands. Speech recognition enables hands-free......
speed, in photography, any of those standards that indicate (1) the size of the lens opening, or aperture, (2)......
speedometer, instrument that indicates the speed of a vehicle, usually combined with a device known as an odometer......
Albert Speer was a German architect who was Adolf Hitler’s chief architect (1933–45) and minister for armaments......
Spencer carbine, any of a family of rim-fire repeating arms—both carbines and rifles—that were widely used in the......
Elmer Ambrose Sperry was a versatile American inventor and industrialist, best known for his gyroscopic compasses......
spherical aberration, in optics, a phenomenon in which the outer parts of a lens do not bring light rays into the......
sphygmomanometer, instrument for measuring blood pressure. It consists of an inflatable rubber cuff, which is wrapped......
spinning jenny, early multiple-spindle machine for spinning wool or cotton. The hand-powered spinning jenny was......
spinning mule, Multiple-spindle spinning machine invented by Samuel Crompton (1779), which permitted large-scale......
spring, in technology, elastic machine component able to deflect under load in a prescribed manner and to recover......
spring balance, weighing device that utilizes the relation between the applied load and the deformation of a spring.......
Springfield Armory, Weapons factory established at Springfield, Mass., by the U.S. Congress in 1794. It grew out......
Springfield rifle, any of several rifles that were standard infantry weapons of the U.S. Army most of the time......
square, in measurement, device consisting of two straightedges set at right angles to each other. It is used by......
standard atmosphere, unit of pressure, equal to the mean atmospheric pressure at sea level. It corresponds to the......
Standard Time, the time of a region or country that is established by law or general usage as civil time. The concept......
James Starley was a British inventor and father of the bicycle industry. In 1855 Starley moved to London, where......
Ernest Henry Starling was a British physiologist whose prolific contributions to a modern understanding of body......
stealth, any military technology intended to make vehicles or missiles nearly invisible to enemy radar or other......
steam engine, machine using steam power to perform mechanical work through the agency of heat. (Read James Watt’s......
Sten gun, 9-millimetre submachine gun that became the standard such weapon in the British Commonwealth armed forces......
Step Reckoner, a calculating machine designed (1671) and built (1673) by the German mathematician-philosopher Gottfried......
George Stephenson was an English engineer and principal inventor of the railroad locomotive. Stephenson was the......
Robert Stephenson was an outstanding English Victorian civil engineer and builder of many long-span railroad bridges,......
steradian, unit of solid-angle measure in the International System of Units (SI), defined as the solid angle of......
stere, metric unit of volume equal to one cubic metre, or 1,000 litres. The stere (from Greek stereos, “solid”)......
stereoscopy, science and technology dealing with two-dimensional drawings or photographs that when viewed by both......
John Stevens was an American lawyer, inventor, and promoter of the development of steam power for transportation.......
stimulated emission, in laser action, the release of energy from an excited atom by artificial means. According......
stocking frame, Knitting machine invented in 1589 that produced a stocking stitch. Knitted fabrics are constructed......
stone, British unit of weight for dry products generally equivalent to 14 pounds avoirdupois (6.35 kg), though......
stove, device used for heating or cooking. The first of historical record was built in 1490 in Alsace, entirely......
strain gauge, device for measuring the changes in distances between points in solid bodies that occur when the......
strategic missile, jet- or rocket-propelled weapon designed to strike targets far beyond the battle area. Strategic......
stroboscope, instrument that provides intermittent illumination of a rotating or vibrating object in order to study......
submachine gun, lightweight automatic small-arms weapon chambered for relatively low-energy pistol cartridges and......
submarine mine, underwater weapon designed to explode when a target presents itself. See...
Sunday, the first day of the week. It is regarded by most Christians as the Lord’s Day, or the weekly memorial......
sundial, the earliest type of timekeeping device, which indicates the time of day by the position of the shadow......
supercharger, in piston-type internal-combustion engines, air compressor or blower used to increase the intake......
surface-to-air missile (SAM), radar or infrared guided missile fired from a ground position to intercept and destroy......
surveyor’s chain, measuring device and arbitrary measurement unit still widely used for surveying in English-speaking......
surveyor’s level, instrument used in surveying to measure the height of distant points in relation to a bench mark......
Swiss Army knife, multibladed pocketknife that evolved from knives issued to Swiss soldiers beginning in 1886.......
switching theory, Theory of circuits made up of ideal digital devices, including their structure, behaviour, and......
sword, preeminent hand weapon through a long period of history. It consists of a metal blade varying in length,......
William Symington was a British engineer who developed (1801) a successful steam-driven paddle wheel and used it......
synchrocyclotron, improved form of cyclotron, a device that accelerates subatomic particles to high energies (see...
synchrotron, cyclic particle accelerator in which a charged particle—generally, a subatomic particle, such as an......
Eugen Sänger was a German rocket propulsion engineer whose projected “antipodal bomber,” with a range far greater......
tachometer, device for indicating the angular (rotary) speed of a rotating shaft. The term is usually restricted......
tactical nuclear weapons, small nuclear warheads and delivery systems intended for use on the battlefield or for......
talent, unit of weight used by many ancient civilizations, such as the Hebrews, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.......
tank, any heavily armed and armoured combat vehicle that moves on two endless metal chains called tracks. Tanks......
tank destroyer, a highly mobile lightly armoured tank-type vehicle that was used to fight tanks in World War II.......
tap, a screwlike tool that has threads like a bolt and two, three, or four longitudinal flutes or grooves and that......
tape recorder, recording system that makes use of electromagnetic phenomena to record and reproduce sound waves.......
Taser, handheld device that incapacitates a person by transmitting a 50,000-volt electric shock. The Taser fires......
Albert Hoyt Taylor was an American physicist and radio engineer whose work underlay the development of radar in......
teaching machine, any mechanical device used for presenting a program of instructional material. There are many......
tear gas, any of a group of substances that irritate the mucous membranes of the eyes, causing a stinging sensation......
Frederick Emmons Terman was an American electrical engineer known for his contributions to electronics research......
Eli Terry was an American clock maker who is generally considered the father of the U.S. mass-production clock......
tesla, unit of magnetic induction or magnetic flux density in the metre–kilogram–second system (SI) of physical......
tetrode, vacuum-type electron tube with four electrodes. In addition to the cathode filament, anode plate, and......
Tevatron, particle accelerator that was located at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia,......
Thermidor, the name given during the French Revolution to the eleventh month of the year in the republican calendar.......
thermistor, electrical-resistance element made of a semiconducting material consisting of a mixture of oxides of......
thermocouple, a temperature-measuring device consisting of two wires of different metals joined at each end. One......
thermometer, instrument for measuring the temperature of a system. Temperature measurement is important to a wide......
thermonuclear bomb, weapon whose enormous explosive power results from an uncontrolled self-sustaining chain reaction......
thermonuclear warhead, thermonuclear (fusion) bomb designed to fit inside a missile. By the early 1950s both the......
thermostat, device to detect temperature changes for the purpose of maintaining the temperature of an enclosed......
Seth Thomas was an American clock manufacturer who was one of the pioneers in the mass production of clocks and......
Thompson submachine gun, submachine gun patented in 1920 by its American designer, John T. Thompson. It weighed......
Thor rocket, missile initially developed by the U.S. Air Force as an intermediate-range ballistic missile. It was......
John Thorp was an American inventor of the ring spinning machine (1828), which by the 1860s had largely replaced......
three laws of robotics, rules developed by science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who sought to create an ethical......
thresher, farm machine for separating wheat, peas, soybeans, and other small grain and seed crops from their chaff......
throttle, Valve for regulating the supply of a fluid (as steam) to an engine, especially the valve controlling......
Thursday, fifth day of the week...
thyratron, gas-filled discharge chamber that contains a cathode filament, an anode plate, and one or more grids.......
thyristor, any of several types of transistors having four semiconducting layers and therefore three p-n junctions;......
Tibetan calendar, dating system based on a cycle of 60 Tibetan years, each of which usually has 354 days (12 cycles......
time zone, a zone on the terrestrial globe that is approximately 15° longitude wide and extends from pole to pole......