WHAT IS TORQUE?
According to Webster –
Torque: A twisting or wrenching effect exerted by a force acting at a distance on a body, equal to the force multiplied by the perpendicular distance between the line of action of the force and the center of rotation at which it is exerted.
Simply put: Torque
is the measurement of rotational force.
A
BRIEF HISTORY OF TORQUE
The concept of torque originated with the studies of Archimedes on levers. Archimedes was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer.
The
Archimedes Screw
The
word ‘torque’ was coined by the ancient Romans, which in Latin was a twisted,
spiral shaped gold
or bronze neck ring. These
neck rings were worn by the Celts as a good
luck charm for going into battle.
The Great Torque, from Norfolk, England. Made of eight 'ropes' twisted together, each 'rope' has eight strands of gold.
Origin
of the Foot Pound (ft. lb.)
The
ancient Romans used the human foot as the
basis of the unit of
measure. The
Roman libra, meaning scales or weight, is the derivation of the abbreviation “lb.”
for pound.
Invention
of the Torque Wrench
The
flat beam torque wrench was invented by
Conrad Bahr in 1918 while working for the New York City Water Department. He designed it to prevent over tightening the bolts on water mains and steam pipe fittings underground.
