(mechanical engineering) A kind of gear in which the two wheels working together lie in different planes and have their teeth cut at right angles to the surfaces of two cones whose apices coincide with the point where the axes of the wheels would meet.
A chain in which the alternate links are broad blocks connected by thin side links pivoted to the ends of the blocks, used with sprocket wheels to transmit power, as in a bicycle.
(engineering) An apparatus for testing the power of a steam engine or other motor by weighing the amount of friction that the motor will overcome; a friction brake.
The average (mean) pressure which, if imposed on the pistons uniformly from the top to the bottom of each power stroke, would produce the measured (brake) power output.
(engineering) One of a set of wheels that move each other without cogs or teeth, having the rubbing surfaces covered with stiff hairs, cloth, or leather instead.
(automotive) The alignment on the roll axis of the wheels of a road vehicle, where positive camber signifies that the wheels are closer together at the bottom than the top.
(automotive) One of the angles made by the wheels of a vehicle; specifically, the angle between the vertical axis of a wheel and the vertical axis of the vehicle when viewed from the front or rear.
(engineering) A wheel with one or more projections (cams) or depressions upon its periphery or upon its face, one which is set or shaped eccentrically, so that its revolutions impart a varied, reciprocating, or intermittent motion.
(automotive) The angle of the axis around which a car's front wheels rotate when the steering wheel is turned, with a vertical axis being defined as zero caster.
The large forward ring on a bicycle that a chain attaches to, in order to transfer energy to a wheel. It consists of one or more sprockets that are driven by the cranks and pedals of the bicycle.
(engineering) One of a set of wheels of different sizes and number of teeth, that may be changed or substituted for one another in machinery, to produce a different but definite rate of angular velocity in an axis, as in cutting screws, gear, etc.
(watches) chaton (movement component: a circular piece of metal inserted in a round hole, in which a ruby is inserted. The ruby is used as bearing for the pin (or pivot) of a shaft of a wheel)
A flat circular object consisting of concentric portions printed with codes or patterns that appear at certain positions as the wheel is rotated, used as a form of copy protection distributed with older video games.
A bent piece of an axle or shaft, or an attached arm perpendicular, or nearly so, to the end of a shaft or wheel, used to impart a rotation to a wheel or other mechanical device; also used to change circular into reciprocating motion, or reciprocating into circular motion.
The component of a bicycle drivetrain that converts the reciprocating motion of the rider's legs into rotational motion used to drive the chain, which in turn drives the rear wheel.
In watchmaking, an object of circular shape with contrate teeth, which meshes with the winding pinion and with the ratchet-wheel on the barrel-arbor used to wind-up the watch, respectively, to set the time.
A meters-deep, corkscrew-shaped formation of compact earth found in the American Midwest that is the infilled burrow of an ancient beaver genus, Palaeocastor
An arrangement of bevel gears permitting the rotation of two shafts at two different speeds whilst supplying the same torque; used on the drive axles or between the driven wheels of automobiles to aid cornering.
Alternative form of drivetrain [(mechanical engineering) The mechanical parts of the powertrain, the gears and shafts, that connect the engine to the wheels in a vehicle.]
A device for producing straight-line motion from circular motion, on the principle that a pin fastened in the periphery of a gear wheel will describe a straight line when the wheel rolls around inside a fixed internal gear of twice its diameter.
(machinery, industrial equipment) The final gear train between the transmission and the ground. In automotive and heavy equipment, this is the differential gear and axle assembly that turns the wheels or track sprockets.
(mechanical engineering) A rotating mass used to maintain the speed of a machine within certain limits while the machine receives or releases energy at a varying rate, or as a form of energy storage.
(rail transport) The metal plate which forms the base platform of a steam locomotive and supports the boiler and the driver's cab, particularly in the United Kingdom.
A type of bicycle hub incorporating a ratcheting mechanism, with a cassette, or set of sprockets, mounted onto a splined shaft of the hub to engage the chain.
(countable) A wheel with grooves (teeth) engraved on the outer circumference, such that two such devices can interlock and convey motion from one to the other; a gear wheel.
An enclosure for the bicycle chain and sprocket assemblages commonly employed by utility bicycles. It protects the chain from mud and dirt and may also contain an oil bath to keep the chain lubricated.
Alternative form of gear case [An enclosure for the bicycle chain and sprocket assemblages commonly employed by utility bicycles. It protects the chain from mud and dirt and may also contain an oil bath to keep the chain lubricated.]
(machinery) A kind of bracket, or angular piece of iron, fastened in the angles of a structure to give strength or stiffness; especially, the part joining the barrel and the fire box of a locomotive boiler.
A tooth in the larger of two geared wheels which makes its number of teeth prime to the number in the smaller wheel, thus preventing the frequent meeting of the same pairs of teeth.
(historical, chiefly attributive) A way of arranging benches back to back, resembling a knifeboard; common on the open upper deck of early double-deck omnibuses and trams.
A cylinder with a set of teeth of incremental lengths which, when coupled to a counting wheel, can be used in the calculating engine of a class of mechanical calculators.
(mechanics) A type of differential that allows its output shafts to rotate at different speeds but can limit the maximum difference in angular velocity between the output shafts, allowing greater torque to be applied to the slower-spinning shaft(s) and generally resulting in better traction than older-design differentials.
An early power transmission system used extensively during the Industrial Revolution, with a single central power source distributing power to all of the machinery in a building.
Alternative form of line shaft [An early power transmission system used extensively during the Industrial Revolution, with a single central power source distributing power to all of the machinery in a building.]
(engineering) Any intermediate rod or piece for transmitting force or motion, especially a short connecting rod with a bearing at each end; specifically (in steam engines) the slotted bar, or connecting piece, to the opposite ends of which the eccentric rods are jointed, and by means of which the movement of the valve is varied, in a link motion.
(engineering, dated) A valve gear consisting of two eccentrics with their rods, giving motion to a slide valve by an adjustable connecting bar (the link) in such a way that the motion of the engine can be reversed, or the cut-off varied.
A wooden wheel that was found along with an axle in 2002 in the Ljubljana Marshes in Slovenia. Radiocarbon dating shows that it is approximately 5,150 years old, deeming it the oldest wooden wheel yet discovered.
(automotive) A kind of automotive differential that provides increased traction by restricting each of the two wheels on an axle to the same rotational speed without regard to available traction or differences in resistance seen at each wheel.
(automotive, originally late 1950s and into 1960s) A wheel for a motor vehicle, made from an alloy of magnesium, typically lighter and offering better heat conduction than steel wheels.
(uncommon, especially but not exclusively attributive) Alternative spelling of main wheel [Any of the main wheels of a device (such as an aircraft or wheelchair) that has multiple wheels.]
(mechanics) A type of differential gear used in automobile construction, allowing for output shafts to have different angular velocity, while equalizing torque applied to each output shaft.
A pivoted catch designed to fall into a notch on a ratchet wheel so as to allow movement in only one direction (e.g. on a windlass or in a clock mechanism), or alternatively to move the wheel in one direction.
A wheel, usually with radial handles projecting from the rim, for traversing the saddle of a machine tool, especially an automatic machine tool, by hand.
An assembly of meshed gears consisting of a central (sun) gear, a coaxial internal gear-wheel and one or more intermediate pinions supported on a revolving carrier.
Alternative form of ponce wheel [A small metal wheel with evenly spaced points or spikes used for making a series of small holes in soft material such as fabric, leather, wood or paper, so as to leave an indelible but hardly visible mark.]
Any of the elementary forms or parts of machines: three primary (the lever, inclined plane, and pulley) and three secondary (the wheel-and-axle, wedge, and screw).
(engineering, countable) One of the simple machines; a sheave, a wheel with a grooved rim, in which a pulled rope or chain lifts an object (more useful when two or more pulleys are used together, as in a block and tackle arrangement, such that a small force moving through a greater distance can exert a larger force through a smaller distance).
A mechanism for attaching a wheel to a bicycle, consisting of a rod threaded on one end and with a lever-operated cam assembly on the other. The rod is inserted into the hollow axle of the wheel, a special nut is threaded on, and the lever is closed to tighten the cam and secure the wheel to the fork.
(mechanical engineering) A bar with teeth on its face or edge, to work with a pawl as a ratchet allowing movement in one direction only, used for example in a handbrake or crossbow.
A pair of gears, consisting of a circular pinion that engages with the teeth of a flat bar, that converts rotational into linear motion; used in the steering mechanism of cars, and in some railways.
(dated) A kind of motor speed controller permitting gradual variation in speed, and reversal. It is especially suitable for use with motor-driven machine tools.
A type of chain drive used to transmit mechanical power in many kinds of machinery, such as conveyors and bicycles, consisting of a series of short cylindrical rollers held together by side links and driven by a sprocket.
(mechanical engineering) Deviation of the axis of rotation of a rotating object (especially a milling cutter or workpiece) relative to that object's centerline; the specific amount of deviation.
(engineering) A piece for receiving or communicating reciprocating motion from or to a cogwheel, consisting of a sector of a circular gear, or ring, having cogs on the periphery, or face.
(engineering) A spiral cam, or a flat piece of metal of spirally curved outline, used for giving motion to, or changing the position of, another part, as the hammer tail of a striking clock.
(mechanics) Ridges or teeth on a drive shaft that mesh with grooves in a mating piece and transfer torque to it, maintaining the angular correspondence between them.
(automotive) An adapted driving device that attaches a spinnable knob to the steering wheel, allowing free spinning for those who can only grip the wheel with one limb, to be well attached to the wheel and allow the wheel to turn fully while gripped.
A mechanical linkage of the type of an elbow or knee joint, consisting of two bars so connected that they may be brought quite or nearly into a straight line, and made to produce great endwise pressure when brought into this position.
(automotive) The pull of a front-wheel drive car's steering to one side (i.e. away from straight ahead) when accelerating. This is an undesirable phenomenon and arises from the driveline components that take the engine's power to the two wheels.
(engineering) An instrument for drawing ellipses, one part of which consists of a cross with two grooves at right angles to each other, the other being a beam carrying two pins (which slide in those grooves), and also the describing pencil.
A circular plate or a cross, with two or more cross grooves intersecting at the centre, used on the end of a shaft to transmit motion to another shaft not in line with the first.
A similar rotational bearing comprising a rotating arc or ring sliding in the groove of a stationary arc, used in machinery to allow a workpiece to be moved relative to a fixed tool.
Alternative form of twincam [A type of sports car engine that has two overhead camshafts within the cylinder head, resulting in more horsepower than a standard single cam engine.]
A coupling that allows different parts of a machine not in line with each other some freedom of movement at the same time as transmitting rotary motion.
A machine formed by a combination of a lever with the wheel and axle, in such a manner as to convert the reciprocating motion of the lever into a continued rectilinear motion of some body to which the power is applied.
(medicine) An instrument for neurological use, having a wheel with evenly spaced radiating sharp pins that is rolled across the skin to test the patient's sensation.
A simple machine consisting of a wheel (or similar lever) that turns an axle around which a cord is wound; its mechanical advantage is the ratio of the diameters of the wheel and axle.
The shaped part of the bodywork of a car or other vehicle that allows the wheel to be accessed, and in the case of front wheels, enable them to be steered.
A wheel and axle combination, such as the front and back bicycle wheels (with axles) sold as a ready-made set; or an axle and mounted left and right pair of railroad wheels.
A gear arrangement consisting of a screw (the worm) whose thread meshes with a gear wheel in such a way as to turn the direction of drive through a right angle.
A worm and wheel, a gear arrangement consisting of a screw (the worm) whose thread meshes with a gear wheel to turn the direction of drive through a right angle, typically with a large (1:10 to 1:60) speed reduction and similar torque increase.
Alternative form of worm wheel [A wheel that is a part of a worm gear or worm drive.]
Note: Concept clusters like the one above are an experimental OneLook
feature. We've grouped words and phrases into thousands of clusters
based on a statistical analysis of how they are used in writing. Some
of the words and concepts may be vulgar or offensive. The names of the
clusters were written automatically and may not precisely describe
every word within the cluster; furthermore, the clusters may be
missing some entries that you'd normally associate with their
names. Click on a word to look it up on OneLook.