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Mechanical Engineering vocabulary · Mechanics and Materials

Torque

Meaning in mechanical engineering, with examples

/tɔːrk/nounCore term

In mechanical engineering, torque means: A turning force that makes something rotate around an axis, such as a shaft or a bolt. It equals force times distance and is measured in newton meters (N·m).

In Turkish: tork, döndürme momenti, burulma momenti

How it is used

Used for motors, gearboxes, shafts and fasteners. A motor produces torque, a gearbox increases it, and bolts are tightened to a specified torque with a torque wrench. In the US it is often given in pound-feet (lb-ft).

Example sentences

  1. Tighten the flange bolts to a torque of 45 N·m in a cross pattern.

  2. The motor produces its maximum torque at low speed.

Common collocations

  • tightening torque
  • torque wrench
  • peak torque
  • transmit torque
  • torque specification
  • shaftA long, round rotating part that carries gears, pulleys or wheels and transmits power and torque from one component to another.
  • gearboxA closed unit of gears, shafts and bearings in a housing that changes the speed and torque between a motor and the machine it drives.
  • tightenTo turn a bolt, nut or screw so that it holds parts together more firmly, often up to a specified torque. The opposite is loosen.
  • boltA threaded metal fastener with a head, used with a nut or a threaded hole to clamp parts together. It is described by its diameter, length, thread and strength class.
  • couplingA device that connects two shafts, for example a motor and a pump, so that torque is transmitted between them. Flexible types also allow a small amount of misalignment.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Mechanics and Materials

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