Machine

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This article is about devices that perform tasks. For other uses, see Machine (disambiguation).
Further information: Equipment (disambiguation)

James Albert Bonsack's cigarette rolling machine, invented in 1880 and patented in 1881.

A machine is a tool containing one or more parts that uses energy to perform an intended action.
Machines are usually powered by mechanical, chemical, thermal, or electrical means, and are
oftenmotorized. Historically, a power tool also required moving parts to classify as a machine.
However, the advent of electronics has led to the development of power tools without moving parts
that are considered machines.[1]
A simple machine is a device that simply transforms the direction ormagnitude of a force, but a large
number of more complex machines exist. Examples include vehicles, electronic systems, molecular
machines, computers, television, and radio.
Contents
[hide]

1 Etymology

2 History

3 Types
3.1 Mechanical

3.1.1 Simple machines

3.1.2 Engines

3.2 Electrical

3.2.1 Electrical machine

3.2.2 Electronic machine

3.2.3 Computing machines

3.3 Molecular machines
4 Machine elements

4.1 Mechanisms

4.2 Controllers

5 Impact
o

5.1 Industrial Revolution

5.2 Mechanization and automation

5.3 Automata

6 See also

7 References

8 Further reading

Etymology[edit]
The word machine derives from the Latin word machina,[1] which in turn derives from
the Greek (Doric makhana,Ionic mekhane "contrivance, machine, engine",[2] a
derivation from mekhos "means, expedient, remedy"[3]).
A wider meaning of "fabric, structure" is found in classical Latin, but not in Greek usage.
This meaning is found in late medieval French, and is adopted from the French into English in the
mid-16th century.
In the 17th century, the word could also mean a scheme or plot, a meaning now expressed by the
derived machination. The modern meaning develops out of specialized application of the term
to stage engines used in theater and to military siege engines, both in the late 16th and early 17th

centuries. The OED traces the formal, modern meaning to John Harris' Lexicon Technicum (1704),
which has:
Machine, or Engine, in Mechanicks, is whatsoever hath Force sufficient either to raise or
stop the Motion of a Body... Simple Machines are commonly reckoned to be Six in Number,
viz. the Ballance, Leaver, Pulley, Wheel, Wedge, and Screw... Compound Machines, or
Engines, are innumerable.
The word engine used as a (near-)synonym both by Harris and in later language derives
ultimately (via Old French) from Latin ingenium "ingenuity, an invention".

History[edit]
This section requires expansion.
(March 2012)

Flint hand axe found in Winchester

Perhaps the first example of a human made device designed to manage power is thehand axe,
made by chipping flint to form a wedge. A wedge is a simple machine that transforms lateral
force and movement of the tool into a transverse splitting force and movement of the workpiece.
The idea of a simple machine originated with the Greek philosopher Archimedesaround the 3rd
century BC, who studied the Archimedean simple machines: lever, pulley, and screw.[4][5] He
discovered the principle of mechanical advantage in the lever.[6] Later Greek philosophers
defined the classic five simple machines (excluding the inclined plane) and were able to roughly
calculate their mechanical advantage.[7] Heron of Alexandria (ca. 1075 AD) in his
work Mechanics lists five mechanisms that can "set a load in motion"; lever, windlass, pulley,
wedge, and screw,[5] and describes their fabrication and uses.[8] However the Greeks'
understanding was limited to statics (the balance of forces) and did not includedynamics (the
tradeoff between force and distance) or the concept of work.

During the Renaissance the dynamics of the Mechanical Powers, as the simple machines were
called, began to be studied from the standpoint of how much useful work they could perform,
leading eventually to the new concept of mechanical work. In 1586 Flemish engineer Simon
Stevin derived the mechanical advantage of the inclined plane, and it was included with the
other simple machines. The complete dynamic theory of simple machines was worked out by
Italian scientist Galileo Galilei in 1600 in Le Meccaniche ("On Mechanics").[9][10] He was the first to
understand that simple machines do not create energy, they merely transform it.[9]
The classic rules of sliding friction in machines were discovered by Leonardo da Vinci (1452
1519), but remained unpublished in his notebooks. They were rediscovered by Guillaume
Amontons (1699) and were further developed byCharles-Augustin de Coulomb (1785).[11]

Types[edit]
Types of machines and related components

Classification

Machine(s)

Simple machines

Inclined plane, Wheel and axle, Lever, Pulley, Wedge, Screw

Mechanical
components

Axle, Bearings, Belts, Bucket, Fastener, Gear, Key, Link chains, Rack and
pinion, Roller chains, Rope, Seals, Spring, Wheel

Clock

Atomic clock, Watch, Pendulum clock, Quartz clock

Compressors and Pum

ps

Archimedes' screw, Eductor-jet pump, Hydraulic ram, Pump, Trompe, Vacuum

pump

External
combustion
engines

Steam engine, Stirling engine

Internal
combustion
engines

Reciprocating engine, Gas turbine

Heat
engines

Heat pumps

Absorption refrigerator, Thermoelectric refrigerator, Regenerative cooling

Linkages

Pantograph, Cam, Peaucellier-Lipkin

Turbine

Gas turbine, Jet engine, Steam turbine, Water turbine, Wind generator, Windmill

Aerofoil

Sail, Wing, Rudder, Flap, Propeller

Electronic devices

Vacuum
tube, Transistor, Diode, Resistor, Capacitor, Inductor, Memristor,Semiconductor, C
omputer

Robots

Actuator, Servo, Servomechanism, Stepper motor, Computer

Miscellaneous

Vending machine, Wind tunnel, Check weighing machines, Riveting machines

Mechanical[edit]
Main articles: Machine (mechanical) and Mechanical engineering
The word mechanical refers to the work that has been produced by machines or the machinery.
It mostly relates to the machinery tools and the mechanical applications of science. Some of its
synonyms are automatic and mechanic.
Simple machines[edit]
Main article: Simple machine

Table of simple mechanisms, fromChambers' Cyclopdia, 1728.[12] Simple machines provide a "vocabulary"
for understanding more complex machines.

The idea that a machine can be broken down into simple movable elements ledArchimedes to
define the lever, pulley and screw as simple machines. By the time of the Renaissance this list
increased to include the wheel and axle, wedgeand inclined plane.
Engines[edit]
Main article: engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into usefulmechanical motion.[13]
[14]
Heat engines, including internal combustion enginesand external combustion engines (such
as steam engines) burn a fuel to createheat, which is then used to create motion. Electric
motors convert electrical energy into mechanical motion, pneumatic motors use compressed
air and others, such as wind-up toys use elastic energy. In biological systems,molecular
motors like myosins in muscles use chemical energy to create motion.

Electrical[edit]
Electrical means operating by or producing electricity, relating to or concerned with electricity. In
other words it means using, providing, producing, transmitting or operated by electricity.
Electrical machine[edit]
Main article: Electrical machine
An electrical machine is the generic name for a device that convertsmechanical
energy to electrical energy, converts electrical energy to mechanical energy, or
changes alternating currentfrom one voltage level to a different voltage level.
Electronic machine[edit]
Main article: Electronics

Electronics is the branch of physics, engineering and technology dealing with electrical
circuits that involve active electrical components such as vacuum
tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection
technologies. The nonlinear behaviour of active components and their ability to control electron
flows makes amplification of weak signals possible and is usually applied
to information and signal processing. Similarly, the ability of electronic devices to act as switches
makes digital information processing possible. Interconnection technologies such as circuit
boards, electronic packaging technology, and other varied forms of communication infrastructure
complete circuit functionality and transform the mixed components into a working system.
Computing machines[edit]
Computers store and manipulate the flow of electrons, with patterns in this storage and flow
being interpreted as information manipulation. See State machine and Turing machine.
Charles Babbage designed various machines to tabulate logarithms and other functions in 1837.
His Difference engine is the first mechanical calculator. This machine is considered a forerunner
of the modern computer, though none were built in Babbage's lifetime.

Molecular machines[edit]
Study of the molecules and proteins that are the basis of biological functions has led to the
concept of a molecular machine. For example, current models of the operation of
the kinesin molecule that transports vesicles inside the cell as well as themyosin molecule that
operates against actin to cause muscle contraction; these molecules control movement in
response to chemical stimuli.
Researchers in nano-technology are working to construct molecules that perform movement in
response to a specific stimulus. In contrast to molecules such as kinesin and myosin,
these nanomachines or molecular machines are constructions like traditional machines that are
designed to perform in a task.

Machine elements[edit]
Main article: machine element
Machines are assembled from standardized types of components. These elements consist of
mechanisms that control movement in various ways such as gear
trains, transistor switches, belt or chain drives, linkages, cam and follower
systems,brakes and clutches, and structural components such as frame members
and fasteners.
Modern machines include sensors, actuators and computer controllers. The shape, texture and
color of covers provide astyling and operational interface between the mechanical components
of a machine and its users.

Mechanisms[edit]
Assemblies within a machine that control movement are often called "mechanisms." [15]
[16]
Mechanisms are generally classified as gears and gear trains, cam and follower mechanisms,
and linkages, though there are other special mechanisms such as clamping linkages, indexing
mechanisms and friction devices such as brakes and clutches.
For more details on mechanical machines see Machine (mechanical) and Mechanical systems.

Controllers[edit]
Controllers combine sensors, logic, and actuators to maintain the performance of components of
a machine. Perhaps the best known is the flyball governor for a steam engine. Examples of

these devices range from a thermostat that as temperature rises opens a valve to cooling water
to speed controllers such the cruise control system in an automobile. Theprogrammable logic
controller replaced relays and specialized control mechanisms with a programmable
computer. Servo motors that accurately position a shaft in response to an electrical command
are the actuators that make robotic systems possible.

Impact[edit]
Industrial Revolution[edit]
Main article: Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from 1750 to 1850 where changes in agriculture,
manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social,
economic and cultural conditions of the times. It began in the United Kingdom, then
subsequently spread throughout Western Europe, North America, Japan, and eventually the rest
of the world.
Starting in the later part of the 18th century, there began a transition in parts of Great Britain's
previously manual labour and draft-animalbased economy towards machine-based
manufacturing. It started with the mechanisation of the textile industries, the development
of iron-making techniques and the increased use of refined coal.[17]

Mechanization and automation[edit]

Main articles: Mechanization and automation

A water-powered mine hoist used for raising ore. This woodblock is fromDe re metallica by Georg Bauer
(Latinized name Georgius Agricola, ca. 1555) an early mining textbook that contains numerous drawings
and descriptions of mining equipment.

Mechanization or mechanisation (BE) is providing human operators with machinery that assists
them with the muscular requirements of work or displaces muscular work. In some fields,
mechanization includes the use of hand tools. In modern usage, such as in engineering or

economics, mechanization implies machinery more complex than hand tools and would not
include simple devices such as an un-geared horse or donkey mill. Devices that cause speed
changes or changes to or from reciprocating to rotary motion, using means such
as gears, pulleys or sheavesand belts, shafts, cams and cranks, usually are considered
machines. After electrification, when most small machinery was no longer hand powered,
mechanization was synonymous with motorized machines.[18]
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for
human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope ofindustrialization, automation
is a step beyond mechanization. Whereas mechanization provides human operators with
machinery to assist them with the muscular requirements of work, automation greatly decreases
the need for human sensory and mental requirements as well. Automation plays an increasingly
important role in the world economy and in daily experience.

Automata[edit]
Main article: automaton

The Digesting Duck by Jacques de Vaucanson, hailed in 1739 as the first automaton capable of digestion

An automaton (plural: automata or automatons) is a self-operating machine. The word is

sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot. An alternative
spelling, now obsolete, is automation.[19]

See also[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Machines.

Main articles: Outline of machines and Outline of industrial machinery

Darwin among the Machines

Desiring-production

History of technology

Machine (mechanical)

Technology

Automaton

References[edit]
1.

^ Jump up to:a b The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition. Houghton
Mifflin Co., 1985.

2.

Jump up^ "", Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on
Perseus project

3.

Jump up^ "", Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on
Perseus project

4.

Jump up^ Asimov, Isaac (1988), Understanding Physics, New York, New York, USA:
Barnes & Noble, p. 88, ISBN 0-88029-251-2.

5.

^ Jump up to:a b Chiu, Y. C. (2010), An introduction to the History of Project Management,

Delft: Eburon Academic Publishers, p. 42, ISBN 90-5972-437-2

6.

Jump up^ Ostdiek, Vern; Bord, Donald (2005). Inquiry into Physics. Thompson
Brooks/Cole. p. 123. ISBN 0-534-49168-5. Retrieved2008-05-22.

7.

Jump up^ Usher, Abbott Payson (1988). A History of Mechanical Inventions. USA:
Courier Dover Publications. p. 98. ISBN 0-486-25593-X.

8.

Jump up^ Strizhak, Viktor; Igor Penkov; Toivo Pappel (2004). "Evolution of design, use,
and strength calculations of screw threads and threaded joints". HMM2004 International
Symposium on History of Machines and Mechanisms. Kluwer Academic publishers.
p. 245. ISBN 1-4020-2203-4. Retrieved 2008-05-21.

9.

^ Jump up to:a b Krebs, Robert E. (2004). Groundbreaking Experiments, Inventions, and

Discoveries of the Middle Ages. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 163. ISBN 0-313-32433-6.
Retrieved 2008-05-21.

10.

Jump up^ Stephen, Donald; Lowell Cardwell (2001). Wheels, clocks, and rockets: a
history of technology. USA: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 8587. ISBN 0-393-32175-4.

11.

Jump up^ Armstrong-Hlouvry, Brian (1991). Control of machines with friction. USA:
Springer. p. 10. ISBN 0-7923-9133-0.

12.

Jump up^ Chambers, Ephraim (1728), "Table of Mechanicks", Cyclopaedia, A Useful

Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (London, England), Volume 2: 528, Plate 11.

13.

Jump up^ "Motor". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2011-05-09. a person or thing

that imparts motion, esp. a contrivance, as a steam engine, that receives and modifies
energy from some natural source in order to utilize it in driving machinery.

14.

Jump up^ Dictionary.com: (World heritage) "3. any device that converts another form of
energy into mechanical energy to produce motion"

15.

Jump up^ Reuleaux, F., 1876 The Kinematics of Machinery, (trans. and annotated by A.
B. W. Kennedy), reprinted by Dover, New York (1963)

16.

Jump up^ J. J. Uicker, G. R. Pennock, and J. E. Shigley, 2003, Theory of Machines and
Mechanisms, Oxford University Press, New York.

17.

Jump up^ Beck B., Roger (1999). World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston,
Illinois: McDougal Littell.

18.

Jump up^ Jerome (1934) gives the industry classification of machine tools as being
"other than hand power". Beginning with the 1900 U.S. census, power use was part of the
definition of a factory, distinguishing it from a workshop.

19.

Jump up^ "U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Patent# 40891, Toy Automation". Google
Patents. Retrieved 2007-01-07.

Further reading[edit]

Oberg, Erik; Franklin D. Jones; Holbrook L. Horton; Henry H. Ryffel (2000). ed. Christopher
J. McCauley, Riccardo Heald, and Muhammed Iqbal Hussain, ed. Machinery's
Handbook (26th edition ed.). New York: Industrial Press Inc. ISBN 0-8311-2635-3.

Reuleaux, Franz; (trans. and annotated by A. B. W. Kennedy) (1876). The Kinematics of

Machinery. New York: reprinted by Dover (1963).

Uicker, J. J.; G. R. Pennock and J. E. Shigley (2003). Theory of Machines and Mechanisms.
New York: Oxford University Press.