Engineering Knowledge Center
Short, careful explanations of engineering terms — each with a plain-English summary, the technical definition, formulas, a worked example, common mistakes and links to the matching calculators.
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Mechanical EngineeringForces, torque, stress, power and the machine elements that transmit them.2 articlesManufacturing & CNC MachiningTurning, milling, drilling, threading, cutting data and tool life.2 articlesIndustrial EngineeringProductivity, OEE, takt time, line balancing, lean and work study.2 articlesMetrology & Quality ControlTolerances, fits, measuring instruments, GD&T and measurement uncertainty.5 articlesEngineering MaterialsStrength, hardness and behaviour of steels, aluminium and other materials.2 articlesElectrical EngineeringVoltage, current, power, power factor, transformers and cables.2 articlesCivil EngineeringConcrete, loads, structural members and site measurement.2 articlesComputer & IT FundamentalsNumber systems, data storage and the basics of networking.2 articles
All articles
Binary NumbersThe base-2 number system computers use, written with only 0 and 1.Computer & IT FundamentalsClearance, Transition and Interference FitsHow the limits of a hole and a shaft decide whether they slide, locate or press together.Metrology & Quality ControlCutting SpeedHow fast the cutting edge moves across the work material, in m/min or SFM.Manufacturing & CNC MachiningDead Load and Live LoadPermanent loads from the structure itself, and variable loads from use and occupancy.Civil EngineeringGD&T Symbols and TermsReference chart of the geometric tolerance symbols, datums and feature control frames.Metrology & Quality ControlIP Address and Subnet MaskHow IPv4 addresses identify devices and how the subnet mask splits network and host parts.Computer & IT FundamentalsLeast CountThe smallest change in size that a measuring instrument can show.Metrology & Quality ControlLimits of Size and ToleranceThe largest and smallest acceptable sizes of a feature, and the tolerance between them.Metrology & Quality ControlMeasurement UncertaintyThe quantified doubt about a measurement result, combined from all its sources.Metrology & Quality ControlOverall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)A measure of how much of the planned time a machine spends making good parts at full speed.Industrial EngineeringPower FactorHow much of the apparent power drawn from the supply does useful work.Electrical EngineeringStress and StrainInternal force per unit area, and the stretch per unit length it causes.Mechanical EngineeringTakt TimeThe pace at which one unit must be finished to meet customer demand.Industrial EngineeringTensile StrengthThe maximum stress a material withstands in a tensile test before it necks and breaks.Engineering MaterialsTool LifeHow long a cutting edge lasts before it must be changed, and how speed controls it.Manufacturing & CNC MachiningTorqueThe turning effect of a force about an axis — force times lever arm.Mechanical EngineeringVoltage DropThe voltage lost along a cable because of its resistance (and reactance) when current flows.Electrical EngineeringWater–Cement RatioThe mass of water divided by the mass of cement in a concrete mix.Civil EngineeringYield StrengthThe stress at which a material starts to deform permanently.Engineering Materials
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