Information about Wedge (mechanics)
| Wedge | |
|---|---|
) Woodsplitting wedge | |
| Classification | Hand tool |
| Used with | Sledgehammer |
| Related | Chisel Splitting maul Axe |
For other uses, see Wedge (disambiguation).
A wedge is a portable double inclined plane, used either to separate two objects, or portions of objects, or hold an object in place, through the application of force, perpendicular to the inclined surfaces, developed by conversion of force applied to the wide end. The mechanical advantage of a wedge depends on the ratio of its length to its thickness. Where a short wedge with a wide angle does the job faster, it requires more force than a long wedge with a smaller angle.
History
The origin of the wedge is unknown, because it has been in use as early as the Stone Age. Circa 3000 BC, in Ancient Egypt quarrys, bronze wedges were used to break away blocks of rock used for construction. Wood wedges, that swelled after being wet, were also used.Examples include axes, nails and teeth. Knives, scissors, and chisels can sometimes be used as wedges, however, they are more fundamentally cutting implements. A door stop (door wedge) can also be regarded as wedge, but its main function is to provide a friction between the door and the ground rather than to separate materials: nevertheless the friction generates a force which prevents the door from moving.
A fork or nail can also be considered a type of wedge. While a nail would slice into wood when hammered, a bolt would not be pushed in. This is because a nail is a wedge and a bolt is not. A nail is tapered to a point at its end, then gets thicker farther up towards the head of the nail.
Wedges can also be used to hold objects in place, such as engine parts (poppet valves), bicycle parts (stems and eccentric bottom brackets), and doors.
Mechanical advantage
)
To find the mechanical advantage of a wedge, take the length of the slope of the wedge and divide it by the length of the thick part of the wedge. Therefore the formula for a wedge is:
The thinner the angle of the wedge, the more mechanical advantage it will have.
Despite this, one reason that many wedges have a wide angle is that an elastic material, such as wood, will bind a narrow wedge more readily than a wide wedge. This is why splitting mauls have a much larger angle than an axe.
See also
External links
A hand tool is a device for doing a particular job that does not use a motor, but is powered solely by the person using it.
Examples are almost endless, from general tools like the hammer to specific tools like callipers.
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Examples are almost endless, from general tools like the hammer to specific tools like callipers.
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sledgehammer is a tool that consists of a large, flat head attached to a lever (or handle). The head is typically made of metal. The sledgehammer can apply more impulse than other hammers due to its large size.
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A chisel is a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge (such that wood chisels have lent part of their name to a particular grind) of blade on its end, for carving and/or cutting a hard material such as wood, stone, or metal.
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splitting maul (or mall) is a heavy, long-handled hammer used for splitting a piece of wood along its grain. One side of it is identical to a sledge hammer and the other side is an axe.
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The axe or ax is an ancient and ubiquitous tool that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, harvest timber, as a weapon and a ceremonial or heraldic symbol.
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wedge can refer to any of the following things:
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Concrete objects
- Wedge (mechanical device), a simple machine used to separate two objects, or portions of objects, through the application of force.
- Wedge (golf), a specialized type of club used at short ranges.
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- This article deals with the physical structure. For related terms see, canal inclined plane, cable railway, funicular, or fixed-wing aircraft (airplane).
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In physics, force is an action or agency that causes a body of mass m to accelerate. It may be experienced as a lift, a push, or a pull. The acceleration of the body is proportional to the vector sum of all forces acting on it (known as net force or resultant force).
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In physics and engineering, mechanical advantage (MA) is the factor by which a mechanism multiplies the force put into it. Following are simple machines where the mechanical advantage is calculated.
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- The beam shown is in static equilibrium around the fulcrum.
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The Stone Age is part of the history of the world that encompasses the first widespread use of technology in human evolution and the spread of humanity from the savannas of East Africa to the rest of the world.
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and
30th century
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A Doorstop is an object or device used to hold a door open or closed, or to prevent a door from opening too widely.
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This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
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quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone. Quarries are usually shallower than other types of open-pit mines.
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Bronze is any of a broad range of copper alloys, usually with tin as the main additive, but sometimes with other elements such as phosphorus, manganese, aluminium, or silicon. (See table below.) It was particularly significant in antiquity, giving its name to the Bronze Age.
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The WOOD callsign may refer to:
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- WOOD-TV – an NBC-affiliated television station in Grand Rapids, Michigan
- WOOD (AM) – an AM radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan
- WOOD-FM - an FM radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan
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The axe or ax is an ancient and ubiquitous tool that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, harvest timber, as a weapon and a ceremonial or heraldic symbol.
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nail is a pin-shaped, sharp object of hard metal, typically steel, used as a fastener. Nails for specialised purposes may also be made of stainless steel, brass or aluminium.
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knife is a sharp-edged (single or double edged) instrument consisting of a thin blade used for cutting and fitted with a handle. The knife can be used as a tool or a weapon.
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Scissors are a tool used for cutting thin material which requires little force.
They are used for cutting, for example: paper, cardboard, metal foil, thin plastic, food, cloth, rope, and wire. Scissors can also be used to cut hair.
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They are used for cutting, for example: paper, cardboard, metal foil, thin plastic, food, cloth, rope, and wire. Scissors can also be used to cut hair.
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A chisel is a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge (such that wood chisels have lent part of their name to a particular grind) of blade on its end, for carving and/or cutting a hard material such as wood, stone, or metal.
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Cutting is the separation of a physical object, or a portion of a physical object, into two portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. An implement commonly used for cutting is the knife or in medical cases the scalpel.
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For other uses, see Door stop (disambiguation).
A Doorstop is an object or device used to hold a door open or closed, or to prevent a door from opening too widely.
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Bolted joints are one of the most common elements in construction and machine design. They consist of cap screws or studs that capture and join other parts, and are secured with the mating of screw threads.
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The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of fuel and an oxidizer (typically air) occurs in a confined space called a combustion chamber. This exothermic reaction creates gases at high temperature and pressure, which are permitted to expand.
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A poppet valve is a valve consisting of a hole, usually round or oval, and a tapered plug, usually a disk shape on the end of a shaft also called a valve stem. The shaft guides the plug portion by sliding through a valve guide.
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racing bicycle is built using lightweight, shaped aluminium tubing and carbon fiber stays and forks. It sports a drop handlebar and thin tires and wheels for efficiency and aerodynamics.
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stem is the component on a bicycle that connects the handlebars to the steer tube of a bicycle fork. Depending on the type of headset the stem either clamps around the steer tube or inserts into the steer tube and is held into place with a wedge.
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In mechanical engineering, an eccentric is a circular disk (eccentric sheave) solidly fixed to a rotating axle with its centre offset from that of the axle (hence the word "eccentric").
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The bottom bracket on a bicycle contains a spindle to which the crankset is attached and the bearings that allow the spindle and cranks to rotate. (The chainrings and pedals are attached to the cranks.
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door is a panel or barrier, usually hinged, sliding, or electronic, that is used to cover an opening in a wall or partition going into a building or space. A door can be opened to give access and closed more or less securely.
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This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
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