Mechanical-electrical analogies
There's 1:1 correspondence between mechanical and electrical quantities
Basic:
- voltage U in volts V ~ force F in newton N ~ moment M in Nm
- current I in ampere A ~ speed v in m/s ~ angular speed omega in rad/s
- power P=U*I ~ P=F*v ~ P=M*omega
- resistance R=U/I ~ R'=F/v ~ R=M/omega -- (conductivity just the inverse)
Electrostatic:
- charge Q in As ~ position x in m ~ angle alpha in rad
- capacity C in As/V ~ linear-stiffness k in N/m ~ angular-stiffness in kappa in Nm/rad
- electric field E in V/m ~ ...
- dielectric constant epsilon in (As)/(Vm) ~ ... ?
- D ...
Magnetostatic:
- ? ... ~ mass m in kg ~ moment of intertia kg*m^2
- ? ... ~ linear impulse kg*m/s ~ ...
Note that there are also 1:1 corresponcences to the inverse quanities (switching current with volatge - everything else follows automatically).
One can build mechanical circuitry (out of mechanical circuit elements) just as one does with electrical elements.
Limits of the correspondence
At a slightly closer look similarities break down
- There is no simple electrical analogy to gearboxes. One usually uses pulse width modulation for voltage.
Linear amplification corresponds to simple mechanical advantage of a lever. - escapements can be a extremely compact alternative to pulse with modulation for current (aka buck converters).
In general there are mechanical elements that combine more functionality in a smaller and simpler design. Conversely these smaller and simpler designs tend to mix different functionalities together. They don't do "separation of concerns" properly and thus are not as versatile or more difficult be used in automated design generation.
So it can have benefits to refrain from the usage of these classical macroscale function mangling elements incurring more space useup.
Pulse width modulation
- Drop voltage from a higher to a lower level => reduction of driving force
- Regulate current to a constant value => constant speed drive.
(when a constant voltage is behind there is a limit at which current cant be kept up to set value)
Related
- Fundamental law: Very accurate measurements require very big sensors. That holds for both electrical, mechanical and other systems.
- Mechanical pulse width modulation
- Mechanical circuit element
