Machine element
Machine element refers to an elementary component of a machine. These elements consist of three basic types:
- structural components such as frame members, bearings, axles, splines, fasteners, seals, and lubricants,
- mechanisms that control movement in various ways such as gear trains, belt or chain drives, linkages, cam and follower systems, including brakes and clutches, and
- control components such as buttons, switches, indicators, sensors, actuators and computer controllers.[1]
While generally not considered to be a machine element, the shape, texture and color of covers are an important part of a machine that provide a styling and operational interface between the mechanical components of a machine and its users.
Machine elements are basic mechanical parts and features used as the building blocks of most machines.[2] Most are standardized to common sizes, but customs are also common for specialized applications.[3]
Machine elements may be features of a part (such as screw threads or integral plain bearings) or they may be discrete parts in and of themselves such as wheels, axles, pulleys, rolling-element bearings, or gears. All of the simple machines may be described as machine elements, and many machine elements incorporate concepts of one or more simple machines. For example, a leadscrew incorporates a screw thread, which is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder.
Many mechanical design, invention, and engineering tasks involve a knowledge of various machine elements and an intelligent and creative combining of these elements into a component or assembly that fills a need (serves an application).
Mechanical elements
- Belt, Chain, Cable drives
- Clutch
- Brake
- Gear train
- Cam and follower systems
- Linkage
- Simple machine
Types
- Shafts[4]
- Key[3]
- Spline[3]
- Bearing[3]
- Roller bearing
- Plain bearing
- Thrust bearing
- Ball bearing
- Linear bearing
- Pillow block
- Gears[4]
- Spur gear
- Helical gear
- Worm gear
- Herringbone gear
- Sprocket
- Fastener[5]
- Screw[3]
- Screw thread
- Power screw
- Nut[3]
- Clevis fastener
- Retaining ring
- Circlip
- E-ring
- Split pin cotter pin)
- Linchpin
- R-clip
- Rivet[3]
- Tapered pin**O-ring
- Screw[3]
- Belt[3]
- Clutch[6]
- Brake[6]
- Chain[3]
- Wire rope[3]
References
- Robert L. Norton, Machine Design, (4th Edition), Prentice-Hall, 2010
- Matthews, Clifford; American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2005), ASME engineer's data book (2nd ed.), ASME Press, p. 249, ISBN 978-0-7918-0229-8.
- Bhandari, V. B. (2007), Design of machine elements (2nd ed.), Tata McGraw-Hill, p. 10, ISBN 978-0-07-061141-2.
- Klebanov, Boris M.; Barlam, David; Nystrom, Frederic E. (2008), Machine elements: life and design, CRC Press, ISBN 978-0-8493-9563-5.
- Niemann, Gustav; Hirt, Manfred: Maschinenelemente Springer, Berlin 1975, 1983. ISBN 0-387-06809-0.
- Sharma, C. S.; Purohit, Kamlesh (2004), Design of machine elements, PHI Learning, p. vii–ix, ISBN 978-81-203-1955-4.
External links
Media related to Machine elements at Wikimedia Commons