Mechanical amplifier
[1] In some applications, mechanical amplification induced by nature or unintentional oversights in man-made designs can be disastrous, causing situations such as the 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse.
When employed appropriately, it can help to magnify small mechanical signals for practical applications.
[2] Amplifiers, in the most general sense, are intermediate elements that increase the magnitude of a signal.
Electrical amplifiers increase the power of the signal with energy supplied from an external source.
This is generally not the case with most devices described as mechanical amplifiers; all the energy is provided by the original signal and there is no power amplification.
The output thus achieved is generally larger than the input in terms of displacement, velocity or acceleration.
All mechanical vibrating systems possess a natural frequency fn, which is presented as the following in its most basic form.
The specific frequency vicinity of these modes depends on the nature and boundary conditions of each mechanical system.
It is essentially a mechanical amplifier and serves as a good candidate for a sensitive detector.
"[8]Parametric resonance is the physical phenomenon where an external excitation, at a specific frequency and typically orthogonal to the plane of displacement, introduces a periodic modulation in one of the system parameters resulting in a buildup in oscillatory amplitude.
Three major classifications exist, depending on the position of the pivot, input and output forces.
The fundamental principle of lever mechanism is governed by the following ratio, dating back to Archimedes.
This can provide translation (linear motion) or rotation as well as mechanically alter displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration, direction and torque depending on the type of gears employed, transmission configuration and gearing ratio.
