The complex machines they are the result of a combination of two or more simple machines. They can be as small as a mechanical watch or as large as a construction crane. Examples of compound machines are cars, cranes or bicycles.
To be clearer, a compound machine is a mechanical device formed from a set of simple machines connected in series, such that the resulting force from one provides the applied force on the next..
One of the simplest and oldest compound machines is the wheelbarrow. The classic wheelbarrow is made up of two levers. On the one hand its handles, which give mechanical advantage in lifting your load.
On the other, by the wheel, which translates forward movement into rotary movement, reducing frictional resistance compared to dragging..
Composite machines have multiple parts that interact with each other, and at least some of them are in relative motion during use. This invariably causes internal friction, so compound machines lose efficiency compared to simple machines..
This is the reason why many compound machines require lubrication. On the other hand, a compound machine gives the full mechanical advantage of all its constituent parts, which is why it often has much greater capacities..
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Compound machines have operators who work in coordination. These operators can be energetic or mechanical.
But before getting into the different examples of compound machines, it is very important to have knowledge of simple machines.
Simple machines are generally easy to understand and work with. They include elements such as levers, which give mechanical advantages, as well as wedges, wheels of various kinds, pulleys or gears. If these elements are put together, a compound machine is formed.
Surprisingly, there are only six simple machines that are used to make complex machines:
These machines were studied during the Renaissance. The three simple machines in the lever family are the lever, pulley, and wheel and axle. The inclined plane, wedge, and screw are the three simple machines in the inclined plane family..
Simple machines of the lever family perform work by input of force applied at a certain distance from a fulcrum, which is a pivot point. An application of force on one side of the fulcrum results in a transfer of force to another part of the machine.
A saw has the fulcrum located in the center of a rigid arm, but the fulcrum could also be at the opposite end, as in the case of a wheelbarrow. In a pulley, the fulcrum is the wheel that the rope or chain rotates around.
The inclined plane family of simple machines makes use of a slope to allow something to move up or down, or in the case of a wedge, to separate things. A screw holds things together through an inclined plane wrapped around a central axis.
Simple machines from both the inclined plane family and the lever family can be found working together on a modern compound machine, such as an excavator..
It is a one-way, pedal-driven, man-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other.
Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century in Europe and in 2003, more than a billion have been produced worldwide, twice the number of cars that were put on the market. They are the main means of transportation in many regions.
It is a mechanical device that joins pages of paper or similar material by driving a thin metal staple through the sheets and folding the ends. Staplers are widely used in government, business, office, home, and school.
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist rope, wire ropes or chains, and pulleys, which can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally..
It is mainly used to lift heavy things and transport them to other places. The device uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantages.
It is a device used to open metal cans. Although food preservation using tin cans had been practiced since at least 1772 in the Netherlands, the first can openers were not patented until 1855 in England and 1858 in the United States..
It is a device used to lift large weights, through the operation of a lever. They can be mechanical or hydraulic.
It is a truck used to move disabled, improperly parked, impounded, or otherwise indisposed motor vehicles.
This may involve recovering a vehicle damaged in an accident, returning one to a manageable surface in an accident or bad weather, or towing or transporting one across the platform to a repair shop or other location..
It is a mechanical or electronic holding device that is released by a physical object (such as a key, a key card, a fingerprint, an RFID card, a security token, etc.), supplying secret information.
It is a machine that uses one or more rotating blades to cut a surface of grass at a uniform height.
The height of the cut grass can be set by the design of the mower, but is generally adjustable by the operator, usually by a single master lever or by a lever or nut and bolt on each of the wheels of the machine.
It is a device used to lift or lower a load by means of a lifting drum or wheel around which the rope or chain is wound. Can be manually actuated, electrically or pneumatically actuated
It is a three-wheeled vehicle with human (or gravity) propulsion.
Firearms are machines composed of several mechanisms divided into the barrel, the gearbox, the stock, the slide, the magazine, and the cylinder. They are designed for defense, hunting or for certain sports.
It is a compound machine designed to hold an object in order to be able to apply some mechanical operation such as drilling, milling, filing or cutting. The vise works from a lever (the handle) connected with a vise that works from a set of shafts and gears.
Also called a lighter, it is capable of emitting a flame with which to ignite or burn other bodies. It consists of a wheel, a stone, a button, a valve and a tank for liquid gas (propane or butane).
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