Machine Elements & Features

Machine elements and features are the building blocks of machines, and they include a wide variety of components, such as gears, bearings, shafts, springs, couplings, and many others. These elements are designed to perform specific functions within a machine, such as transmitting power, providing support, controlling motion, and absorbing shock and vibration. Machine elements and features are typically designed to be durable, reliable, and efficient, and they are often subject to rigorous performance requirements. Understanding the properties, design, and selection of machine elements and features is essential for designing and building machines that can meet the demands of modern industry.

Full Outline

Simple Machines
- Lever
- Inclined Plane
- Wheel and Axle
- Pulley
- Wedge
- Screw
Fluid Conveying, Control and Actuation [See Fluid Power Components]
- Fluid Power Components
- Industrial Gas
- Plumbing, Fittings, Pipe, Tubing. See also metal shapes
- Actuators
- Valves
Tension Members
- Cable and Rope
- Thimbles, etc.
Rails, Ways, DIN rail, Unistrut
- See also, metal shapes
- Thompson Rod
- Mounted Rod Rails
- Ball Spline Linear Shaft
Bearings
Compression Members and Rods
- See also: Axles, Shafts, Spindles and Arbors
- Pitman, Connecting Rods
- Push Rods
- Control Rods
Axles, Shafts, Spindles and Arbors
- See also: Rods, Rails, Round Bar
- Keys, Keyways and Keyseats
- Splines
- Ratchets
- Cams and Cranks
  - Crankshaft
  - Swashplate
  - Geneva Mechanism
  - Intermittent Gearing
- Clutches & Intermittent Drives
  - Overrunning Clutch, See also: Ratchets
- Couplings and Clutches
  - Detent (also linear)
  - Hirth Joint
  - Universal Joint
  - Heim Joint
  - See also: Ratchets
  - Overrunning Clutch
Machine Tapers and Collets
- Machine Tapers
- Collets
Wheels and Tires, Rolls
Seals and Gaskets
- O-Rings
Hinges and Pivot Joints
- Ball Pivot
Cogs, Gears and Sprockets
- Involute Development
- Planetary Gears
- Design of Spur Gears
- Racks
- Worm Gears
- Sprockets
- Roller Chain
- Timing Pulleys & Belts
- Harmonic Drive
- See also: Ratchets
Springs
- Compression
- Tension
- Conical
- Torsion
- Wave Disk
- Linear Wave
- Strip, Constant-Force
Fasteners
- See also, screw threads
- See also, Adhesives & Sealants
- Integral fasteners
  - Permanent or Nonpermanent Categories
  - Tabs
  - Boss (staking)
  - Fits – Press fit, shrink fit
  - Keder Rail
  - Crimp (see ferrule)
  - Swage
  - Bead, roll
  - Sheet metal seams
  - Snap Fit Connections
- Discrete Fasteners
  - Threaded
    - Bolts
    - Screws
    - Nuts
    - Inserts
  - Non-Threaded
    - Pints
    - Retaining Rings
    - Nails
    - Rivets
    - Ferrules
- Actuators, Levers, Handwheels
Design Features
- Draft Angle
- Boss
- Grooves and Glands
- Knurls
- Keyways & Keyseats
- Screw Thread
- Fillets & Rounds
- Chamfer
- Taper
- Gusset
- Hole Features
  - Countersink
  - Counterbore
  - Counterdrill
  - Spotface