Mechanical Engineering, SEM-SäN
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
semiconductor device, electronic circuit component made from a material that is neither a good conductor nor a......
September, ninth month of the Gregorian calendar. Its name is derived from septem, Latin for “seven,” an indication......
series circuit, any electrically conducting pathway comprising an electric circuit along which the whole current......
servomechanism, automatic device used to correct the performance of a mechanism by means of an error-sensing feedback.......
sewing machine, any of various machines for stitching material (such as cloth or leather), usually having a needle......
shaft coupling, in machinery, a device for providing a connection, readily broken and restored, between two adjacent......
shaft seal, in machinery, a device that prevents the passage of fluids along a rotating shaft. Seals are necessary......
shaper, metal-cutting machine in which the workpiece is usually held in a vise or similar device that is clamped......
shears, any of numerous large or large-bladed scissors, usually designed for cutting specific materials. See...
shell, variously, an artillery projectile, a cartridge case, or a shotgun cartridge. The artillery shell was in......
Sherman tank, main battle tank designed and built by the United States for the conduct of World War II. The M4......
shi, the basic unit of weight in ancient China. The shi was created by Shi Huang Di, who became the first emperor......
Shimazu Nariakira was a mid-19th century Japanese daimyo (lord) of the Satsuma han, or feudal fief. His adoption......
ship’s bell, bell used as early as the 15th century to sound the time on board ship by striking each half hour......
James Short was a British optician and astronomer who produced the first truly parabolic—hence nearly distortionless—mirrors......
shotgun, smoothbore shoulder weapon designed to fire a number of pellets, or shot, that spread in a diverging pattern......
shrapnel, originally a type of antipersonnel projectile named for its inventor, Henry Shrapnel (1761–1842), an......
sidereal time, time as measured by the apparent motion about the Earth of the distant, so-called fixed, stars,......
siemens (S), unit of electrical conductance. In the case of direct current (DC), the conductance in siemens is......
Siemens AG, German energy technology and manufacturing company formed in 1966 through the merger of Siemens & Halske......
sievert (Sv), unit of radiation absorption in the International System of Units (SI). The sievert takes into account......
simple machine, any of several devices with few or no moving parts that are used to modify motion and the magnitude......
Isaac Singer was an American inventor who developed and brought into general use the first practical domestic sewing......
siphon, instrument, usually in the form of a tube bent to form two legs of unequal length, for conveying liquid......
slide rule, a device consisting of graduated scales capable of relative movement, by means of which simple calculations......
slider-crank mechanism, arrangement of mechanical parts designed to convert straight-line motion to rotary motion,......
sling, implement for propelling missiles, one of the first missile weapons used in warfare. It consisted of a small......
small arm, any handheld firearm. Since the introduction of the flintlock musket in the 17th century, military small......
smart bomb, type of precision-guided munition. Like a regular bomb, a smart bomb falls to the target solely by......
Smith & Wesson, American firearms manufacturer based in Springfield, Massachusetts. It is one of the most famous......
Dick Smith is an Australian aviator, filmmaker, explorer, businessman, and publisher, renowned for his aviation......
Snellen chart, chart used to measure visual acuity by determining the level of visual detail that a person can......
solar calendar, any dating system based on the seasonal year of approximately 365 14 days, the time it takes the......
solar cell, any device that directly converts the energy of light into electrical energy through the photovoltaic......
solar panel, a component of a photovoltaic system that is made out of a series of photovoltaic cells arranged to......
solar time, time measured by Earth’s rotation relative to the Sun. Apparent solar time is that measured by direct......
solenoid, a uniformly wound coil of wire in the form of a cylinder having a length much greater than its diameter.......
solid-state device, electronic device in which electricity flows through solid semiconductor crystals (silicon,......
Germain Sommeiller was a French engineer who built the Mount Cenis (Fréjus) Tunnel in the Alps, the world’s first......
sonar, (from “sound navigation ranging”), technique for detecting and determining the distance and direction of......
sone, unit of loudness. Loudness is a subjective characteristic of a sound (as opposed to the sound-pressure level......
sound card, integrated circuit that generates an audio signal and sends it to a computer’s speakers. The sound......
sound-level meter, device for measuring the intensity of noise, music, and other sounds. A typical meter consists......
spark plug, device that fits into the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine and carries two electrodes......
spear, a pole weapon with a sharp point, either thrown or thrust at an enemy or prey. It appears in an infinite......
spear-thrower, a device for throwing a spear (or dart) usually consisting of a rod or board with a groove on the......
speech recognition, the ability of devices to respond to spoken commands. Speech recognition enables hands-free......
speed, in photography, any of those standards that indicate (1) the size of the lens opening, or aperture, (2)......
speedometer, instrument that indicates the speed of a vehicle, usually combined with a device known as an odometer......
Albert Speer was a German architect who was Adolf Hitler’s chief architect (1933–45) and minister for armaments......
Spencer carbine, any of a family of rim-fire repeating arms—both carbines and rifles—that were widely used in the......
Elmer Ambrose Sperry was a versatile American inventor and industrialist, best known for his gyroscopic compasses......
spherical aberration, in optics, a phenomenon in which the outer parts of a lens do not bring light rays into the......
sphygmomanometer, instrument for measuring blood pressure. It consists of an inflatable rubber cuff, which is wrapped......
spinning jenny, early multiple-spindle machine for spinning wool or cotton. The hand-powered spinning jenny was......
spinning mule, Multiple-spindle spinning machine invented by Samuel Crompton (1779), which permitted large-scale......
Spitfire, the most widely produced and strategically important British single-seat fighter of World War II. The......
spring, in technology, elastic machine component able to deflect under load in a prescribed manner and to recover......
spring balance, weighing device that utilizes the relation between the applied load and the deformation of a spring.......
Springfield Armory, Weapons factory established at Springfield, Mass., by the U.S. Congress in 1794. It grew out......
Springfield rifle, any of several rifles that were standard infantry weapons of the U.S. Army most of the time......
square, in measurement, device consisting of two straightedges set at right angles to each other. It is used by......
standard atmosphere, unit of pressure, equal to the mean atmospheric pressure at sea level. It corresponds to the......
Standard Time, the time of a region or country that is established by law or general usage as civil time. The concept......
James Starley was a British inventor and father of the bicycle industry. In 1855 Starley moved to London, where......
Ernest Henry Starling was a British physiologist whose prolific contributions to a modern understanding of body......
stealth, any military technology intended to make vehicles or missiles nearly invisible to enemy radar or other......
steam engine, machine using steam power to perform mechanical work through the agency of heat. (Read James Watt’s......
Sten gun, 9-millimetre submachine gun that became the standard such weapon in the British Commonwealth armed forces......
Step Reckoner, a calculating machine designed (1671) and built (1673) by the German mathematician-philosopher Gottfried......
George Stephenson was an English engineer and principal inventor of the railroad locomotive. Stephenson was the......
Robert Stephenson was an outstanding English Victorian civil engineer and builder of many long-span railroad bridges,......
steradian, unit of solid-angle measure in the International System of Units (SI), defined as the solid angle of......
stere, metric unit of volume equal to one cubic metre, or 1,000 litres. The stere (from Greek stereos, “solid”)......
stereoscopy, science and technology dealing with two-dimensional drawings or photographs that when viewed by both......
John Stevens was an American lawyer, inventor, and promoter of the development of steam power for transportation.......
stimulated emission, in laser action, the release of energy from an excited atom by artificial means. According......
stocking frame, Knitting machine invented in 1589 that produced a stocking stitch. Knitted fabrics are constructed......
stone, British unit of weight for dry products generally equivalent to 14 pounds avoirdupois (6.35 kg), though......
stove, device used for heating or cooking. The first of historical record was built in 1490 in Alsace, entirely......
strain gauge, device for measuring the changes in distances between points in solid bodies that occur when the......
strategic missile, jet- or rocket-propelled weapon designed to strike targets far beyond the battle area. Strategic......
stroboscope, instrument that provides intermittent illumination of a rotating or vibrating object in order to study......
Stuka, a low-wing, single-engine monoplane—especially the Junkers JU 87 dive-bomber—used by the German Luftwaffe......
submachine gun, lightweight automatic small-arms weapon chambered for relatively low-energy pistol cartridges and......
submarine mine, underwater weapon designed to explode when a target presents itself. See...
Sukhoi Su-27, Russian air-superiority fighter plane, introduced into the air forces of the Soviet Union beginning......
Sunday, the first day of the week. It is regarded by most Christians as the Lord’s Day, or the weekly memorial......
sundial, the earliest type of timekeeping device, which indicates the time of day by the position of the shadow......
supercharger, in piston-type internal-combustion engines, air compressor or blower used to increase the intake......
surface-to-air missile (SAM), radar or infrared guided missile fired from a ground position to intercept and destroy......
surveyor’s chain, measuring device and arbitrary measurement unit still widely used for surveying in English-speaking......
surveyor’s level, instrument used in surveying to measure the height of distant points in relation to a bench mark......
Swiss Army knife, multibladed pocketknife that evolved from knives issued to Swiss soldiers beginning in 1886.......
switching theory, Theory of circuits made up of ideal digital devices, including their structure, behaviour, and......
sword, preeminent hand weapon through a long period of history. It consists of a metal blade varying in length,......
William Symington was a British engineer who developed (1801) a successful steam-driven paddle wheel and used it......
synchrocyclotron, improved form of cyclotron, a device that accelerates subatomic particles to high energies (see...
synchrotron, cyclic particle accelerator in which a charged particle—generally, a subatomic particle, such as an......
Eugen Sänger was a German rocket propulsion engineer whose projected “antipodal bomber,” with a range far greater......