Category Archives: Mechanics

The Jacquard Loom

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Deskarati

The Jacquard Loom is a mechanical loom that has holes punched in pasteboard, each row of which corresponds to one row of the design. Multiple rows of holes are punched on each card and the many cards that compose the design of … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Invention, Mechanics | Leave a comment

The Jaguar XF and the history of CFD

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Deskarati

The Jaguar XF (codename: X250) is an executive car produced by British car manufacturer Jaguar which was first revealed in autumn 2007 as a replacement for the Jaguar S-Type. The car body was developed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) before the car ever saw a wind tunnel. Every … Continue reading →

Posted in Mathematics, Mechanics, Technology | 1 Comment

Lloyd Loom

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Deskarati

The Lloyd Loom process was invented in 1917 by the American Marshall B. Lloyd, who twisted kraft paper round a metal wire, placed the paper threads on a loom and wove them into what was to become the traditional Lloyd … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts, Mechanics | Leave a comment

McLaren provides some P1 supercar details

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Deskarati

The McLaren P1 has arrived … almost. We’ve already had a glimpse of the company’s brand-new halo supercar but as it’s still at design study stage, specs have yet to be finalized – and McLaren isn’t providing any official clues … Continue reading →

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Thomas Newcomen

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Deskarati

Thomas Newcomen (1663 – 1729) was an ironmonger by profession, but made a significant contribution to the Industrial Revolution with his invention of the atmospheric steam engine. Thomas Newcomen was born in Dartmouth, Devon in 1663 and established himself as an … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Invention, Mechanics | Leave a comment

World’s largest field test of connected vehicle technology

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Deskarati

Hot on the heels of Daimler announcing the largest ever field-test of its car-to-X vehicle communications system in Germany, a similar program being conducted by the U.S. Department of Transport (DoT) got underway this week in the Ann Arbor region … Continue reading →

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Wheel hub motor concept drives hybrid progress

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Deskarati

When news broke in 2009 that a former IBM engineer had devised a kit that turns any car into a plug-in hybrid for between $3,000 and $5,000, those interested in going-green technologies took notice and hoped it was more than … Continue reading →

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The century-old Edison-Puton Monowheel

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Deskarati

The annual Cholmondeley Pageant of Power in the U.K. never fails to deliver something special and this year that exotic ingredient is a 1910 Edison-Puton Monowheel. Capable of being ogled by engineers for hundreds of hours at a time, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Mechanics | 1 Comment

The World’s Tallest Tower

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Deskarati

Nearly a year after the magnitude-9.0 quake that pummeled Japan, construction of the world’s tallest tower, the Tokyo Sky Tree, is now complete. Builder Obayashi, which recently announced plans for a space elevator to start services by 2050, declared the … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Mechanics, Places, Tallest | Leave a comment

History of the Gyroscope

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Deskarati

A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation. The earliest known gyroscope-like instrument was made by German Johann … Continue reading →

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‘Double DRS’ Explained

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Deskarati

Formula 1 fans may be interested to know about the ‘Double DRS’ system that everybody is discussing this year, so we try to explain it here for you. This drawing above shows Mercedes clever ‘double DRS’ system in its entirety. Air is … Continue reading →

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Mercedes wins Chinese F1 GP – 57 years since Fangio’s last Silver Arrows victory

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Deskarati

Mercedes Benz won its first Formula One Grand Prix for 57 years in China today, completing the successful comeback many thought it could not achieve. Winning driver Nico Rosberg took pole position for the race ahead of teammate and seven … Continue reading →

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Jaguar to build new F-type sports car in Birmingham

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Deskarati

Jaguar Land Rover is to build a successor to its previous sports cars called the F-type at its factory in Birmingham. It will launch as a two-seater convertible with petrol engines made at Jaguar’s Castle Bromwich plant with the design to … Continue reading →

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Are Scramjets and Ramjets the same?

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Deskarati

They are both experimental engines designed for speeds faster than sound, or hypersonic. Both are jet engines with no moving parts which rely on the huge pressures produced by supersonic airflow into an engine to ignite the fuel. This removes … Continue reading →

Posted in Deskarati Q&A, Mechanics | 1 Comment

The Two Minute Pothole Patcher

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Deskarati

Nobody likes potholes, but it often seems that they’re one of those hardships we just have to put up with until they get almost impassable … after all, it’s a big deal to send out a road crew who will … Continue reading →

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The world’s fastest ever open top roadster

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Deskarati

Whether you think the Bugatti Veyron is the pinnacle of sports car development or agree with Professor Gordon Murray that it’s the “most pointless exercise on the planet”, we all somehow seem drawn to the name and its continuing outrageous … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Mechanics | Leave a comment

Wind turbine design and construction

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Deskarati

Wind turbines are designed to exploit the wind energy that exists at a location. Aerodynamic modeling is used to determine the optimum tower height, control systems, number of blades and blade shape. Wind turbines convert wind energy to electricity for distribution. … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Ecology, Mechanics | Leave a comment

Brian Cox joins the judges of new engineering “Nobel” prize

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Deskarati

Organisers have announced the judging panel for a new £1m prize billed as a “Nobel” for engineers. The 14-strong panel includes experts from a variety of disciplines, including TV physicist Brian Cox. The prize, funded by an endowment from a number … Continue reading →

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Fastest Cars in the World

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Deskarati

1. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport: 267 mph, 0-60 in 2.4 secs. Aluminum, Narrow Angle 8 Litre W16 Engine with 1200 hp, price is $2,400,000. Although the Bugatti Veyron lost the title to SSC Ultimate Aero on March 2007, Bugatti challenged the record in 2010 … Continue reading →

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Most powerful diesel engine in the world

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Deskarati

If the Seven Wonders of the World was updated for the 21 st century, the Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine could be a contender. If you are a student of the internal combustion engine in all its wonderous configurations, … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Mechanics | 2 Comments