Mechanical Systems Glossary
Mechanical Systems Glossary
Mechanical Systems Glossary
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GLOSARIO
Carrera: TSU Mecatrónica Área Automatización Cuatrimestre: Tercero (3°)
CNC – is the automated control of machining tools (drills, boring tools, lathes)
by means of a computer. An NC machine alters a blank piece of material
(metal, plastic, wood, ceramic, or composite) to meet precise specifications by
following programmed instructions and without a manual operator.
Computer-aided design – (CAD) is the use of computer
systems (or workstations) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or
optimization of a design.
Computer-aided manufacturing - (CAM) is the use of software to
control machine tools and related ones in the manufacturing of workpieces.
Gear - is a toothed part that meshes with another toothed part to transmit
power, change speed, or direction.
Groove - is a long, narrow cut or indentation in a surface.
Helical Gear - is a gear wheel having teeth set obliquely to the axis of rotation
Hoist - is a device used for lifting or lowering a load by means of a drum or lift-
wheel around which rope or chain wraps. It may be manually operated,
electrically or pneumatically driven and may use chain, fiber or wire rope as its
lifting medium.
Input Force - is defined as the force applied by the person on the machine.
Input Distance – is the distance that the pulley string is pulled.
Lift - rise to a higher position or level to a load.
Load - a heavy or bulky thing that is being carried or is about to be carried.
Lubrication - is the process or technique of using a lubricant to reduce friction
and wear in a contact between two surfaces.
Mass - is a dimensionless quantity representing the amount of matter in a
particle or object. The standard unit of mass in the International System (SI) is
the kilogram (kg).
Mechanical Advantage - is a measure of the force amplification achieved by
using a tool, mechanical device or machine system.
Mechanical Efficiency - is a dimensionless number that measures the
effectiveness of a machine in transforming the power input to the device to
power output.
Mechanical Work – is the product of force and distance.
Movable Pulley - is a pulley used to reduce the amount of input force to lift a
load.
Occurrence — Assesses the chance of a failure happening, with 1
representing the lowest occurrence and 10 representing the highest
occurrence. For example, a score of 1 may be assigned to a failure that
happens once in every 5 years, while a score of 10 may be assigned to a
failure that occurs once per hour, once per minute, etc.
Output Distance – is the distance that the object or load is raised.
Output Force - is defined as resulting force given by the machine on an
object when input force is applied.
Pinion – is a gear with a small number of teeth designed to mesh with a larger
wheel or rack.
Piston – is a disk or short cylinder fitting closely within a tube in which it moves
up and down against a liquid or gas, used in an internal combustion engine to
derive motion, or in a pump to impart motion.
Piston Rod - the rod that connects the piston of a reciprocating steam engine
to the crosshead
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GLOSARIO
Carrera: TSU Mecatrónica Área Automatización Cuatrimestre: Tercero (3°)
Pitch Diameter - is the diameter of the pitch circle and is used to calculate the
speed and torque to the driven shaft.
Predictive Maintenance - is a technique to predict the future failure point of a
machine component, so that the component can be replaced, based on a plan,
just before it fails. Thus, equipment downtime is minimized and the component
lifetime is maximized.
Pressure - continuous physical force exerted on or against an object by
something in contact with it.
Preventive Maintenance - involves the systematic inspection of equipment
where potential problems are detected and corrected in order to prevent
equipment failure before it happens.
Process Failure Mode Effects Analysis (PFMEA) - is a structured analytical
tool used by an organization, business unit, or cross-functional team to identify
and evaluate the potential failures of a process.
Pulley - is a wheel on an axle or shaft that is designed to support movement
and change of direction of a taut cable or belt, or transfer of power between the
shaft and cable or belt.
Rod - a thin straight bar, especially of wood or metal.
Rope - a length of strong cord made by twisting together strands of natural
fibers such as hemp or artificial fibers such as polypropylene.
RPN — Risk priority number = severity X occurrence X detection. By rule of
thumb, any RPN value exceeding 80 requires a corrective action. The
corrective action ideally leads to a lower RPN number.
Severity — Assesses the impact of the failure mode (the error in the process),
with 1 representing the least safety concern and 10 representing the most
dangerous safety concern. In most cases, processes with severity scores
exceeding 8 may require a fault tree analysis, which estimates the probability
of the failure mode by breaking it down into further sub-elements.
Shaft – is a pole or rod that forms the handle of a tool or a piece to transmit
mechanical rotation.
Spur Gear - is a gear with teeth that project outwards from a cylindrical
surface.
String - material consisting of threads of cotton, hemp, or other material
twisted together to form a thin length.
Torque – is a twisting force that tends to cause rotation.
Tribology - is the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative
motion. It includes the study and application of the principles of friction,
lubrication and wear.
Velocity Ratio or Speed Ratio - is the ratio between the velocities of the
driver and the follower or driven.
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GLOSARIO
Carrera: TSU Mecatrónica Área Automatización Cuatrimestre: Tercero (3°)
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