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A simple machine uses a single applied force to do work against a single load force. Ignoring friction losses, the work done on the load is equal to the work done by the applied force. The machine can increase the amount of the output force, at the cost of a proportional decrease in the distance moved by the load.
However, glossaries like this one are useful for looking up, comparing and reviewing large numbers of terms together. You can help enhance this page by adding new terms or writing definitions for existing ones. This glossary of mechanical engineering terms pertains specifically to mechanical engineering and its sub-disciplines.
A force applied to a body has a point of application. The effect of the force is different for different points of application. For this reason a force is called a bound vector, which means that it is bound to its point of application. Forces applied at the same point can be added together to obtain the same effect on the body.
If a and b are distances from the fulcrum to points A and B and if force F A applied to A is the input force and F B exerted at B is the output, the ratio of the velocities of points A and B is given by a / b so the ratio of the output force to the input force, or mechanical advantage, is given by
A structural load or structural action is a mechanical load (more generally a force) applied to structural elements. [1] [2] A load causes stress, deformation, displacement or acceleration in a structure. Structural analysis, a discipline in engineering, analyzes the effects of loads on structures and structural elements.
The ancient Greek understanding of physics was limited to the statics of simple machines (the balance of forces), and did not include dynamics or the concept of work. During the Renaissance the dynamics of the Mechanical Powers, as the simple machines were called, began to be studied from the standpoint of how far they could lift a load, in addition to the force they could apply, leading ...
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A high force, over a short duration, usually causes more damage to both bodies than a lower force applied over a proportionally longer duration. At normal speeds, during a perfectly inelastic collision , an object struck by a projectile will deform , and this deformation will absorb most or all of the force of the collision.