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An example of a non-metallic spring is the bow, made traditionally of flexible yew wood, which when drawn stores energy to propel an arrow. When a conventional spring, without stiffness variability features, is compressed or stretched from its resting position, it exerts an opposing force approximately proportional to its change in length (this ...
The balance spring or hairspring in mechanical watches is a fine, spiral-shaped torsion spring that pushes the balance wheel back toward its center position as it rotates back and forth. The balance wheel and spring function similarly to the torsion pendulum above in keeping time for the watch.
For a stretched spring fixed at one end obeying Hooke's law, the elastic potential energy is = where r 2 and r 1 are collinear coordinates of the free end of the spring, in the direction of the extension/compression, and k is the spring constant.
In physics, Hooke's law is an empirical law which states that the force (F) needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance (x) scales linearly with respect to that distance—that is, F s = kx, where k is a constant factor characteristic of the spring (i.e., its stiffness), and x is small compared to the total possible deformation of the spring.
The earliest known example of a clockwork set-up is the Antikythera mechanism.This device functioned as a geared analogue computer after its creation during the first-century BCE timeframe, being somewhat astrolabe-like, and had gotten designed for calculating astronomical positions and particularly listing eclipses.
A coil spring is a mechanical device that is typically used to store energy and subsequently release it, to absorb shock, or to maintain a force between contacting surfaces. They are made of an elastic material formed into the shape of a helix that returns to its natural length when unloaded.
A generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. [19] A hydroelectric powerplant converts the mechanical energy of water in a storage dam into electrical energy. [20] An internal combustion engine is a heat engine that obtains mechanical energy from chemical energy by burning fuel. From this mechanical energy, the internal ...
However, large accumulations of elastic energy storage over time may negatively affect the timing of recoil. This results in power attenuation. [7] Though muscles produce and absorb mechanical power, tendons still have an integral role for dissipation of mechanical energy. This action is essential for activities like deceleration, when landing ...