What is Mechanism: Definition and 526 Discussions

In engineering, a mechanism is a device that transforms input forces and movement into a desired set of output forces and movement. Mechanisms generally consist of moving components which may include:

Gears and gear trains;
Belts and chain drives;
Cams and followers;
Linkages;
Friction devices, such as brakes or clutches;
Structural components such as a frame, fasteners, bearings, springs, or lubricants;
Various machine elements, such as splines, pins, or keys.The German scientist Franz Reuleaux defines machine as "a combination of resistant bodies so arranged that by their means the mechanical forces of nature can be compelled to do work accompanied by certain determinate motion". In this context, his use of machine is generally interpreted to mean mechanism.
The combination of force and movement defines power, and a mechanism manages power to achieve a desired set of forces and movement.
A mechanism is usually a piece of a larger process, known as a mechanical system or machine. Sometimes an entire machine may be referred to as a mechanism; examples are the steering mechanism in a car, or the winding mechanism of a wristwatch.
However, typically, a set of multiple mechanisms is called a machine.

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  1. jeffberube

    Negating the cantilever effect for this latching mechanism

    Please excuse my poor explanation in advance, I'm not an engineer. I have a latching mechanism that has an off center piston and needs to get actioned from a 'cantilevered' position. Please see attached (crappy) sketch of desired effect vs real world behaviour. Is there any solutions to negate...
  2. B

    B Quark confinement and the Higgs mechanism

    There is something that perflexed me. First here are the references to my questions: http://www.latticeguy.net/mypubs/pub017.pdf http://bose.res.in/~bossar/chandu.pdf What I'd like to know is the following: Without superstrings. Quark confinement and asymptotic freedom says as you pull the...
  3. B

    B Thermal Dependence of the Higgs Mechanism

    I'm familiar with the Higgs mechanism.. but what perplexed me so much is the temperature dependence. I know about superconductivity or magnetic-temperature analogy.. or generally I understand what's written in wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgs_mechanism "Below some extremely high...
  4. bland

    I Explaining Spacetime Dragging: Gravity, EM & Smooth Objects

    I'm looking for a simple explanation or decent analogy whereby something that is symmetrical and smooth like a black hole or even a spinning neutron star can drag spacetime as if spacetime was a viscous liquid. It guess it might make sense to me if gravity was unified with EM. I can see how two...
  5. J

    B Mechanism for Energy Released via the Strong Force in Fusion

    Hi, I was wondering if there is a mechanism to explain how the strong force leads to an energy release when two light nuclei such as hydrogen fuse together. I get that the products of fusion have less mass than the reactants and that this "missing" mass is converted into energy in accordance...
  6. F

    Design of a window opener mechanism -- problems

    I have been struggling with this problem for a long time now, and are hoping you can help me. The assignment was to design a mechanism for opening a window with less effort. My way of solving this is to store energy in a spiral torsional spring as the window closes, which would be released when...
  7. A

    Designing a Log Cutting Mechanism - Get Suggestions Here

    Good afternoon guys, I want to discuss with you guys a few things... So i already design a log cutting mechanism as you can see in the picture below. But there is so much defect on my mechanism.. The biggest thing that stressed me out, its still uneasy to use because after cut the log, the user...
  8. A

    How to calculate the force to cut a log?

    Good morning guys, So i want to make mechanism to cut log with diameter 5 cm and 120 cm length. So how i can calculate the force to cut this log perpendicular and paralel. What is tbe formula i can use? And how i can determine the saw thickness and rpm needed to cut this log? Thanks guys for...
  9. M

    Mechanism of discharge in DBD? (dieletric barrier discharge)

    Hallo all, I'm investigating in using a dieletric barrier discharge for gas treatment, if I have two electrodes isolated by dieletric and the discharge gap between both of them has AIR.. how the ionization of air will take place, from where the source of electron which is going to start the...
  10. Paul Woods

    I What mechanism enables interaction of the fields?

    In Quantum Field Theory, I am led to believe that there is a different field for each type of particle. When particles interact, it is an exchange of vibration between the fields. What mechanism is at play when one field influences another in this way? It seems I've only ever found...
  11. H Tomasz Grzybowski

    A Mechanism of α decay - truth about structure of nuclei

    α decay probably implies that heavy enough nuclei which undergo this decay, consist relatively loosely bound α particles and extra neutrons. I haven't found any theory which views nuclei in this way. I value truth in science, and would like to know it, also regarding stucture of nuclei and...
  12. A

    Velocity of a piston in a piston-shaft mechanism

    Homework Statement In the figure, a piston P is connected to a cylinder. The piston is connected to a rotating wheel with two shafts AB and BC. The shaft AB is connected on the periphery of the wheel. The wheel is rotating with angular speed ω= 100 rad s-1. At the moment A,C and the center of...
  13. I

    Switch cover Snap-up spring mechanism?

    Hi. I'm searching for a name of the spring mechanism that snaps-up and snaps-down this type of Switch cover https://cdn.sparkfun.com//assets/parts/6/9/9/0/11310-03a.jpg . on the left side of this red cover, you can clearly see the spring and few other things, that makes it to resist any change...
  14. A

    Automotive Air compression firing mechanism

    Hello, I am high school student working on a project to design an air cylinder, which would fire seed pellets from the drone at specific time intervals with sufficient pressure to embed them into the soft soil. I looked up on the Internet about airguns and other stuff but couldn't find...
  15. M

    Where Can I Find an Affordable One-Way Rotation Mechanism?

    Does anyone know if the following is available as an off-the-shelf component and what would it be called? One-way rotation mechanism Has detents or stops at specified intervals (such as every 90 degrees) Fairly small - for attaching an approximately 2" diameter wheel or circular disc to Doesn't...
  16. Deepak K Kapur

    B Mechanism of Curvature of Space: Does it Happen Instantly?

    Hi all, How does matter curve space (what's the mechanism)? Does this Curvature happen instantaneously or does it happen at light speed? Thanks in advance.
  17. A

    Electrical hinge mechanism of some sort?

    I'm not sure if this is the right thread to post this, but here it is! I'm currently trying to create a prop for one of my friends, since I found it an interesting challenge. This is a simple drawing of what I'm trying to do: The button, battery and so on it not my problem, it's that I've no...
  18. J

    I Why do people ignore sweat dropping off as a cooling mechanism

    Hello, I understand how evaporation contributes significantly to heat loss through the loss of KE from the vibrating water particles on the skin; However, what about the sweat droplets that come off of a person. This water has Kinetic Energy and is now being displaced from the body(the...
  19. B

    Mechanism behind solution color change due to pH change

    I would like to ask for somebody to point me in the right direction - any literature I could read - regarding the mechanism behind color changes that an organic solution undergoes due to changes in pH. I am not referring to organic indicators or dyes, specifically. I have observed in my...
  20. T

    What is the best type of locking mechanism for a watch band?

    Can anyone help me in what they think would work as far as placing a locking mechanism on a watch band?? I need it to lock onto the wrist. So it can not be taken off by the wearer. I do not want it to need any type of key or source that can be lost. I have been recommended a bluetooth type of...
  21. M

    The brake mechanism used to reduce recoil

    Homework Statement The brake mechanism used to reduce recoil in certain types of guns consists essentially of a piston which is attached to the barrel and may move in a fixed cylinder filled with oil as the barrel recoils with an initial velocity v0, the piston moves and oils is forced through...
  22. davenn

    A New ideas on the mechanism of solar CME's

    hi guys solar activity has been a love of mine since the early 1970's and am always looking out for new research info :smile: some recent studies and lots of computer animations have come up with new understandings of the mechanisms that instigate CME's and other mass ejections from the sun...
  23. H

    Locking Mechanism reducing load on locking pin

    Hi, I wanted to make a locking mechanism. The problem was the forces on the actuator (solenoid in this case) where getting too high In image 2, the wedge shaped lock plate was exerting too much force on the actuator, which would unlock and could potentially break the actuator. Or I would have...
  24. T

    I Seesaw Mechanism of vMSM and Left Right Symmetric Extension

    I know the seesaw mechanism is a model used to explain both neutrinos having mass and why their dirac mass/yukawa coupling is so much smaller than for the other fermions. The seesaw mechanism needs the right handed neutrino to exist. How does the seesaw mechanism for the vMSM differ from that...
  25. hdp12

    Designing a Mechanism to Cut Aluminum Bar: Help Needed!

    Hi there So we have a group design project in my mechanical systems 2 class and it basically goes as follows: design a mechanism to cut a half inch aluminum bar in half using a standard hacksaw blade and 4 AA batteries. You have to use a motor w/ input > 5000 rpm for the 'main' component we...
  26. FallenApple

    I What Causes GRBs: Ampere's Law or Something Else?

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  27. Arun John

    Mechanism for vertical movement while rotating horizontally

    Hi I am trying to make a CAD model of something like the scoop sampler shown below. http://www.rolls-royce.com/~/media/Files/R/Rolls-Royce/documents/customers/nuclear/scoop-sampling-tcm92-50918.pdf This is for a university coursework that requires design of bespoke machines. I am trying to...
  28. C

    Iodine Clock Kinetics: Which Mechanism is Supported?

    1. Homework Statement An iodine clock kinetics experiment was performed by varying the composition of reactant solutions and measuring resulting rates of reaction (based on the data given, I have determined the rate law to be R = [I-]1[S2O82-]1). Which of these four proposed mechanisms below...
  29. S

    A Adhesion mechanism between titanium and gold?

    Hi all, I sputtered titanium (10 nm) - gold (~ 100 nm) films at room temperature on oxidized silicon substrates. The titanium acts as an adhesion promoter between the SiO2 and the gold film. My Question: What is the adhesion mechanism between the titanium and gold film at room temperature...
  30. Mohamed_Wael

    Automotive Mode shapes of half-rhombus mechanism

    I want to determine the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of the given mechanism ( it consists of 2 inclined beams connected together by a compliant link, the bottom end is fixed and the upper end is a roller support). I have done Finite element modeling but I need to get some analytical...
  31. C

    A Understanding the Mass of the Higgs Triplet in Neutrino Mass Mechanism

    Hi, I would like to understand what is the MΔ which appears in the neutrino mass mechanism with Type-II seesaw. It seems to be the Higgs triplet mass. But I do not understand what is (physically) the masse of this triplet when we define it with 3 components : Δ=(Δ++,Δ+,Δ°). It is different from...
  32. marellasunny

    500 kg Solar CSP reflector dish mechanism problem

    I am currently re-fabricating solar concentrator dishes to allow for automatic tracking of the sun during the day and month. The industry term for these dishes is 'CSP' (Concentrated Solar Power). Task at hand: The CSP parabolic dishes are currently manually adjusted to the position of the sun...
  33. Bolhuso

    I Where did the Dark Energy (or similar mechanism) come from?

    Hi all! I'm new to this forum and, as a matter of fact I only recently rediscovered my interest for physics. I am starting to catch up, yet I find that Wikipedia sometimes falls sort for some basic questions, and I was hopping that this community could gently help me understand some concepts...
  34. Sanchayan Ghosh

    Understanding the four bar linkage DOF

    Hello guys, I have a doubt with understanding DOFs. I have taken the example of the four bar linkage. According to Grueblr's condition, the DOF of this mechanism is 1. \mbox{DOF} = 3(l-1) + 2j_1 + 2j_2\\l=4\ j_1=4\ j_2=0\\\mbox{DOF} = 1 In the above figure, the links next to the ground link...
  35. person123

    Controlled Energy Release Mechanism

    I am working on a mechanism which controls the release of energy while remaining energy efficient. An image of the concept is shown below. (The image is meant simply to get an idea of how it would work- it is by no means perfect). A source of energy (from a spring being released, for example)...
  36. EserRose

    How do I determine θ'' and tension in a speed-governing mechanism?

    Homework Statement In the speed-governing mechanism m = 0.2 kg, L = 10cm, (rods AB have negligible mass), w = 500 rpm, θ = 40°,θ' = 0 . Determine θ'' at that instant and the tension in the rod. Homework Equations F=[ω][/2]rThe Attempt at a Solution First, I calculated ω = 500 rpm * 2π /60 =...
  37. J

    Zero-force members prevent a truss from becoming a mechanism -- Why?

    My professor explained to us that the purpose of a zero-force member in a truss is to increase the stability of the truss during construction, to provide added support if the loading is changed and to prevent the structure from becoming a mechanism. It is this latter point that I do not...
  38. S

    Looking for locking spring mechanism for cassette-like application

    Hi, I want to apologize in advance because I have not studied mechanical engineering in any profound sense other than in my hobbyist projects (I focus more on software engineering). Currently I am creating a real life Raspberry Pip Boy 3000 MK 4 from the Fallout 4 video game with instead of...
  39. Evangeline101

    Proposing a reaction mechanism

    1. Homework Statement 2. Homework Equations rate law equation 3. The Attempt at a Solution a) I would expect this reaction to be a multi-step reaction because there are six reactant molecules, as shown in the overall chemical equation. For this reaction to be one-step, all six molecules...
  40. person123

    Rotating Friction Discs For Project Design

    The situation is part of a mechanism I have been working on. It is used for a bicycle to automatically store and release energy with a spring. It is somewhat similar to a car clutch. Homework Statement Two friction discs are rotating with different angular velocities and different torques. The...
  41. H

    Looking for software to simulate gas sensor mechanism

    Hello I'm looking for a graphical software to simulate a gas sensor mechanism. I thought "comsol multiphysics" could help me to determine the sensing mechanism of semiconductor gas sensor , but I didn't find any thing about this. I would appreciate you If you recommend an appropriate application...
  42. ReidMerrill

    Organic reaction mechanism help -- Looking for resources

    I have an assignment in which I must find a named reaction, the original reference to it, and show what experimental evidence was used to develop the reactions mechanism. So far I've had no luck finding anything. It's hard enough finding the original reference and so far I haven't been able to...
  43. Mayan Fung

    B Ice Skating Mechanism: Exploring the Real Science

    As far as I know, ice skating works because high pressure lowers ice melting point. A thin layer of water forms between the blades and the ice which greatly reduces the friction. Just now, I am reading a thermodynamic book. For the phase boundary between ice and water, dP/dT ~ 135bar/K...
  44. Grinkle

    I What is the mechanism behind Hawking radiation?

    I thought Hawking radiation was a virtual particle pair emerging from nothing, one particle falling into the event horizon and the other particle tunneling out of the event horizon. Then I read this - https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/vacuum-fluctuation-myth/ and now I think a virtual...
  45. I

    Can't find this exact reaction mechanism online -- Help please....

    Homework Statement Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution Can't find this exact reaction mechanism online. Help? http://imgur.com/a/X9P7e I don't know what the mild oxidation does. Does it split the double bond into a ketone and aldehyde?
  46. FallenApple

    Mechanism For Oscillation of Cylinder

    Homework Statement [/B] Begin with a solid cylinder of mass M and radius R. A hole is bored through this cylinder with radius r < R/2, parallel to the axis of the cylinder and with the surface of the hole touching the cylinder’s axis. This modified cylinder then rolls on a horizontal surface...
  47. thunderstrike33

    Writing Vector Loops and Geometric Constraints for a Mechanism with a P1 Joint

    How would you write the vector loops and geometric constraints for this mechanism?
  48. Jimster41

    What causes oak trees to develop galls and how do they benefit the gall wasp?

    How does the Gall Wasp get an Oak tree to make these? http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/galls-oak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall_wasp I am not able to find anything other than "induced by chemicals secreted by the wasp" more or less. I have been looking at these over the last six...
  49. szc

    Single Direction Applied Force Locking Mechanism

    Having trouble researching/discovering any locking mechanisms that engage with force in a linear direction and then allow the engagement to be released with force in the same applied direction. I don't know if it has been done, any help/findings would be greatly appreciated. The only technology...
  50. G

    Diamagnetism Mechanism: Questions Answered

    Friends! I have some things unclear about diamagnetism in matter.Please see attached picture.
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