Mechanical Engineering, THU-WHY
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
Thursday
Thursday, fifth day of the week...
thyratron
thyratron, gas-filled discharge chamber that contains a cathode filament, an anode plate, and one or more grids.......
thyristor
thyristor, any of several types of transistors having four semiconducting layers and therefore three p-n junctions;......
time zone
time zone, a zone on the terrestrial globe that is approximately 15° longitude wide and extends from pole to pole......
Time Zones in the United States
In the early history of the United States, telling time was not always easy. Communities set their own clocks,......
Timeline of the Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project had its origins in 1939, when U.S. scientists urged President Franklin D. Roosevelt to establish......
Titan rocket
Titan rocket, any of a series of U.S. rockets that were originally developed as intercontinental ballistic missiles......
Today in History—April 24: How an Anthrax Experiment Quarantined an Island
On this day in 1990, the longest quarantine of an island in history came to an end when the “island of death” was......
Today in History—April 5: The U.S. Joins the Metric System—Sort Of
Who gets to say how long an inch is anyway? On this day in 1893, physicist Thomas Corwin Mendenhall did. And it......
Today in History—August 16: The First Official Transatlantic Telegraph
The first successful transatlantic telegraph exchange between heads of state occurred on this day in 1858. It marked......
Today in History—January 25: Rule Number 1: Don’t Harm Humans
On this day in 1979, Robert Nicholas Williams died at work. Born in 1953, Williams lived in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.......
Today in History—July 16: The Day the End of the World Began
At 5:29 am on this day in 1945, the first atomic bomb exploded in the New Mexican desert. The test, conducted at......
Today in History—March 31: How WWI Invented Daylight Saving Time
World War I was raging, and countries were increasingly desperate for coal—desperate enough to bend time. The idea......
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......
turbine
turbine, any of various devices that convert the energy in a stream of fluid into mechanical energy. The conversion......
- Introduction
- Axial Flow, Compressor, Generator
- Axial, Radial, Mixed-Flow
- Selection, Specific Speed
- Water Power, History, Technology
- Steam, Efficiency, Power
- Staging, Efficiency, Power
- Control, Efficiency, Design
- Steam, Technology, History
- Wind Power, Renewable Energy, Blades
- Wind Farms, Renewable Energy, Efficiency
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 not visible in an ordinary......
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) was an American conglomerate with major operations in aerospace products......
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, circuit board that processes graphical data from a computer and generates a video signal to be sent......
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 and 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,......
Why Are Some Time Zones 30 Minutes Off Instead of an Hour?
Ideally, time zones would be slices of Earth’s surface 15 degrees of longitude wide that keep the same time. However,......
Why are there different time zones?
Different time zones occur because of the way in which Earth spins. Earth rotates 360 degrees every 24 hours, and......