Mechanical Engineering, TIT-ZHA

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.
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Mechanical Engineering Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Titan rocket
Titan rocket, any of a series of U.S. rockets that were originally developed as intercontinental ballistic missiles......
toggle mechanism
toggle mechanism, combination of solid, usually metallic links (bars), connected by pin (hinge) joints that are......
Tomahawk
Tomahawk, American-made low-flying strategic guided missile that may be launched from naval ships or submarines......
tomahawk
tomahawk, war hatchet of the North American Indians. “Tomahawk” was derived from the Algonquian word otomahuk (“to......
tomography
tomography, radiologic technique for obtaining clear X-ray images of deep internal structures by focusing on a......
Tompion, Thomas
Thomas Tompion was an English maker of clocks, watches, and scientific instruments who was a pioneer of improvements......
ton
ton, unit of weight in the avoirdupois system equal to 2,000 pounds (907.18 kg) in the United States (the short......
tonnage
tonnage, in shipping, the total number of tons registered or carried or the total carrying capacity. Gross tonnage......
tool
tool, an instrument for making material changes on other objects, as by cutting, shearing, striking, rubbing, grinding,......
tool and die making
tool and die making, the industrial art of manufacturing stamping dies, plastics molds, and jigs and fixtures to......
torpedo
torpedo, cigar-shaped, self-propelled underwater missile, launched from a submarine, surface vessel, or airplane......
Torricelli, Evangelista
Evangelista Torricelli was an Italian physicist and mathematician who invented the mercury barometer, which is......
torsion balance
torsion balance, device used to measure the gravitational acceleration at the Earth’s surface. Other such devices,......
transducer
transducer, device that converts input energy into output energy, the latter usually differing in kind but bearing......
transistor
transistor, semiconductor device for amplifying, controlling, and generating electrical signals. Transistors are......
transmission
transmission, in mechanical engineering, a device interposed between a source of power and a specific application......
transmission electron microscope
transmission electron microscope (TEM), type of electron microscope that has three essential systems: (1) an electron......
trebuchet
trebuchet, siege engine utilizing a long arm and the principles of leverage to launch projectiles. The trebuchet......
Trevithick, Richard
Richard Trevithick was a British mechanical engineer and inventor who successfully harnessed high-pressure steam......
Trident missile
Trident missile, American-made submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) that succeeded the Poseidon and Polaris......
triode
triode, electron tube consisting of three electrodes—cathode filament, anode plate, and control grid—mounted in......
troy weight
troy weight, traditional system of weight in the British Isles based on the grain, pennyweight (24 grains), ounce......
TRW Inc.
TRW Inc., major American industrial corporation providing advanced-technology products and services primarily in......
Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was a Russian research scientist in aeronautics and astronautics who pioneered rocket and......
Tuesday
Tuesday, third day of the week...
tuned circuit
tuned circuit, any electrically conducting pathway containing both inductive and capacitive elements. If these......
turbojet
turbojet, jet engine in which a turbine-driven compressor draws in and compresses air, forcing it into a combustion......
turboprop
turboprop, hybrid engine that provides jet thrust and also drives a propeller. It is basically similar to a turbojet......
typesetting machine
typesetting machine, basic element in modern letterpress printing. The problem of mechanizing typesetting was solved......
ultramicroscope
ultramicroscope, microscope arrangement used to study colloidal-size particles that are too small to be visible......
uncanny valley
uncanny valley, theorized relation between the human likeness of an object and a viewer’s affinity toward it. The......
undersea cable
undersea cable, fiber-optic cable laid across the ocean floor that transmits information and enables worldwide......
United Technologies Corporation
United Technologies Corporation (UTC), American multi-industry company with significant business concentrations......
Upton, Francis Robbins
Francis Robbins Upton was an American mathematician and physicist who, as an assistant to Thomas Edison, contributed......
Uzi submachine gun
Uzi submachine gun, compact automatic weapon that is used throughout the world as a police and special-forces firearm.......
V-1 missile
V-1 missile, German jet-propelled missile of World War II, the forerunner of modern cruise missiles. More than......
V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket, German ballistic missile of World War II, the forerunner of modern space rockets and long-range missiles.......
Vajpayee, Atal Bihari
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian politician and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who served......
valve
valve, in mechanical engineering, device for controlling the flow of fluids (liquids, gases, slurries) in a pipe......
vapour lock
vapour lock, partial or complete interruption of the fuel flow in an internal-combustion engine, caused by the......
Vendémiaire
Vendémiaire, first month in the French republican calendar. It also was the name given to the event of 13 Vendémiaire......
Vening Meinesz, Felix Andries
Felix Andries Vening Meinesz was a Dutch geophysicist and geodesist who was known for his measurements of gravity.......
venturi tube
venturi tube, short pipe with a constricted inner surface, used to measure fluid flows and as a pump. The 18th–19th-century......
vernier caliper
vernier caliper, instrument for making very accurate linear measurements introduced in 1631 by Pierre Vernier of......
VGA
VGA, computer chipset standard for displaying colour graphics. With the widespread availability of high-definition......
Vickers hardness
Vickers hardness, a measure of the hardness of a material, calculated from the size of an impression produced under......
video card
video card, integrated circuit that generates a video signal to be sent to a computer display. The card is usually......
viscometer
viscometer, instrument for measuring the viscosity (resistance to internal flow) of a fluid. In one version, the......
vise
vise, device consisting of two parallel jaws for holding a workpiece; one of the jaws is fixed and the other movable......
volt
volt, unit of electrical potential, potential difference and electromotive force in the metre–kilogram–second system......
voltage regulator
voltage regulator, any electrical or electronic device that maintains the voltage of a power source within acceptable......
voltmeter
voltmeter, instrument that measures voltages of either direct or alternating electric current on a scale usually......
Vulcan automatic cannon
Vulcan automatic cannon, 20-millimetre (0.8-inch) weapon capable of firing at a rate of up to 7,200 rounds per......
VX
VX, synthetic chemical weapon, classified as a nerve agent, that is the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known......
Väisälä, Yrjö
Yrjö Väisälä was a Finnish meteorologist and astronomer noted for developing meteorological measuring methods and......
Wallis, Sir Barnes
Sir Barnes Wallis was a British aeronautical designer and military engineer who invented the innovative “dambuster”......
Walton, Ernest Thomas Sinton
Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton was an Irish physicist, corecipient, with Sir John Douglas Cockcroft of England, of......
Wankel engine
Wankel engine, type of internal-combustion rotary engine distinguished by an orbiting triangular rotor that functions......
watch
watch, portable timepiece that has a movement driven either by spring or by electricity and that is designed to......
water frame
water frame, In textile manufacture, a spinning machine powered by water that produced a cotton yarn suitable for......
Watson-Watt, Sir Robert Alexander
Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt was a Scottish physicist credited with the development of radar in England. Watson-Watt......
watt
watt, unit of power in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one joule of work performed per second,......
Watt, James
James Watt was a Scottish instrument maker and inventor whose steam engine contributed substantially to the Industrial......
watt-hour meter
watt-hour meter, device that measures and records over time the electric power flowing through a circuit. Although......
waveguide
waveguide, any of a class of devices that confines and directs the propagation of electromagnetic waves, such as......
wavemeter
wavemeter, device for determining the distance between successive wavefronts of equal phase along an electromagnetic......
weapon
weapon, an instrument used in combat for the purpose of killing, injuring, or defeating an enemy. A weapon may......
weapon of mass destruction
weapon of mass destruction (WMD), weapon with the capacity to inflict death and destruction on such a massive scale......
weapons system
weapons system, any integrated system, usually computerized, for the control and operation of weapons of a particular......
weather modification
weather modification, the deliberate or the inadvertent alternation of atmospheric conditions by human activity,......
weber
weber, unit of magnetic flux in the International System of Units (SI), defined as the amount of flux that, linking......
Wechsler, David
David Wechsler was an American psychologist and inventor of several widely used intelligence tests for adults and......
wedge
wedge, in mechanics, device that tapers to a thin edge, usually made of metal or wood, and used for splitting,......
Wedgwood, Josiah
Josiah Wedgwood was an English pottery designer and manufacturer, outstanding in his scientific approach to pottery......
Wednesday
Wednesday, fourth day of the week...
week
week, period of seven days, a unit of time artificially devised with no astronomical basis. The week’s origin is......
weights and measures
weights and measures, the standard or agreed upon units for expressing the amount of some quantity, such as capacity,......
Weston, Edward
Edward Weston was a British-born American electrical engineer and industrialist who founded the Weston Electrical......
What Do am and pm Stand For?
The abbreviations am and pm are used in the 12-hour clock system, which divides the day into two 12-hour periods,......
Wheatstone, Sir Charles
Sir Charles Wheatstone was an English physicist who popularized the Wheatstone bridge, a device that accurately......
wheel
wheel, a circular frame of hard material that may be solid, partly solid, or spoked and that is capable of turning......
wheel and axle
wheel and axle, basic machine component for amplifying force. In its earliest form it was probably used for raising......
wheel lock
wheel lock, device for igniting the powder in a firearm such as a musket. It was developed in about 1515. The wheel......
Whittle, Sir Frank
Sir Frank Whittle was an English aviation engineer and pilot who invented the jet engine. The son of a mechanic,......
Whitworth, Sir Joseph, Baronet
Sir Joseph Whitworth, Baronet was an English mechanical engineer who won international recognition as a machine......
Wilkinson, David
David Wilkinson was an American inventor. Wilkinson was the son of a blacksmith, and in 1797 he invented a gauge......
Wilkinson, John
John Wilkinson was a British industrialist known as “the great Staffordshire ironmaster” who found new applications......
Willard, Simon
Simon Willard was a famous American clock maker. Willard was the creator of the timepiece that came to be known......
Williams, Sir Frederic
Sir Frederic Williams was a British electrical engineer who invented the Williams tube store, a cathode-ray-tube......
wind tunnel
wind tunnel, device for producing a controlled stream of air in order to study the effects of movement through......
wrench
wrench, tool, usually operated by hand, for tightening bolts and nuts. Basically, a wrench consists of a stout......
Wyatt, John
John Wyatt was an English mechanic who contributed to the development of power spinning. Wyatt began his career......
X-ray microscope
X-ray microscope, instrument that uses X-rays to produce enlarged images of small objects. The basic device uses......
X-ray tube
X-ray tube, evacuated electron tube that produces X rays by accelerating electrons to a high velocity with a high-voltage......
yard
yard, Unit of length equal to 36 inches, or 3 feet (see foot), in the U.S. Customary System or 0.9144 metre in......
year
year, time required for Earth to travel once around the Sun, about 365 1 4 days. This fractional number makes necessary......
yellow rain
yellow rain, airborne substance that was alleged to have been used in biological attacks in Southeast Asia from......
Zaharoff, Sir Basil
Sir Basil Zaharoff was an international armaments dealer and financier. Reputedly one of the richest men in the......
zhang
zhang, an old Chinese measure of length equal to 10 chi, or 3.58 metres (11 feet 9 inches). The value was agreed......

Mechanical Engineering Encyclopedia Articles By Title