Counterweight (counter -load ) - a load intended for full or partial balancing of gravity and the moments created by them, acting in machines or their parts, due to the use of its own weight [1] .
It is used to reduce energy costs when moving bodies relative to the surface of the Earth. It is used in cranes , elevators , excavators , loaders , manipulators and other cyclic machines. The constant balancing force of the counterweight is created by the force of gravity acting on its mass.
A significant advantage of the counterweight as a source of constant force is that no additional energy costs are required to create and maintain a constant balancing force . When operating machines equipped with a counterweight, engine energy and fuel are not consumed for lifting against the direction of gravity of the working equipment: cabs, bucket, boom, levers, etc. Due to this, the efficiency of machines with a counterweight can reach .
Pneumatic Counterweight
A pneumatic counterbalance uses compressed air pressure to create a constant force. It consists of a cylinder of compressed air connected to a cylinder with a piston. A rod connected to the cylinder piston maintains constant force. To maintain the balancing force does not require energy [1] .
See also
- Balance
- Counterweight (Radio Engineering)
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Tarasov, 2012 , p. 515-522.
Literature
- Tarasov V.N., Boyarkina I.V., Kovalenko M.V., Fedorchenko N.P., Fisenko N.I. Theoretical mechanics. - M .: TransLit, 2012 .-- 560 p. - ISBN 978-5-94976-455-8 .