Nautical capstan

A capstan is a rotating machine used to control or apply force to another element, usually linear. The term was first used for the capstan on a ship, which is used to control ropes that are wound around it. The rope is wound around one or more times, but is not stored on a capstan - that arrangement is usually called a winch. Ships' capstans were traditionally manually operated - consisting of a shaped wooden drum with handles inserted into the rim, at which men could push or pull. Modern capstans are powered electrically.

In physics, a net force acting on a body causes that body to accelerate; that is, to change its velocity. ... A ship is a large, usually decked watercraft. ... Rope is also the title of a movie by Alfred Hitchcock Coils of rope used for long-line fishing A rope is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength, for pulling and connecting. ... A winch is a machine that is used to wind up a rope. ...

The purpose of a ships or boats anchor is to attach the vessel to the ground at a specific point. ... A bilgeboard is lifting foil used in a sailboat, which resembles a cross between a centerboard and a leeboard. ... A centreboard is a form of removable keel on a small sailing boat or dinghy which can be removed to lower the draught (or depth) of the vessel. ... A daggerboard is a type of centreboard used by various sailing craft. ... A permanent covering over a compartment or a hull[1]. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the lid of the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface. ... A figurehead is a person, usually in a political role, who may hold an important title or office yet executes little actual power. ... Forecastle also spelled focsle (pronounced /f@Uks@l/) originally meant the upper deck of a sailing ship, forward of the foremast. ... The gunwale, pronounced gunnel, is the top edge of the side of a boat. ... A hull is the body or frame of a ship or boat. ... A jackline is a temporary wire strung from a ships bow to stern to which a safety harness can be attached, allowing a crewmember to move over the deck during a storm. ... A leeboard is a lifting foil used by a sailboat, much like a centerboard, but located on the leeward side of the boat. ... The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical pole which supports the sails. ... In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that constitutes the roof of a poop cabin built in the aft (rear) part of the superstructure of a ship. ... A rudder is a device used to steer a ship or other watercraft. ... Wheel of the French carrier Clémenceau. ... For other meanings of the term, see Stern (disambiguation). ... A tiller is a lever attached to a rudder post (american terminology) or rudder stock (english terminology) in order to provide the leverage for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ... A winch is a machine that is used to wind up a rope. ...

Tape recorder capstan

Capstans are also found in the mechanisms of tape recorders, where they have a similar function - they apply force to the tape causing it to be drawn off the spool, past the heads, and onto the take-up spool at a precise, constant speed. Such capstans are precision-machined spindles, with a very accurate surface profile - any out-of-roundness or imperfections cause an audible effect called "flutter". The tape is held against the capstan by a rubber wheel called the pinch wheel or pinch roller. Dual capstan - one on each site of the heads - assists in more linear tape travel across the heads and results in less variances in the recorded/playback signal.
In general, a tape recorder, tape deck, or tape machine is any device that records a fluctuating signal by moving a strip of magnetic tape across a tape head, which is a strong electromagnet. ... A spool is a bobbin: a cylinder or reel for winding yarn, thread, cable, film, etc. ...

Gear systems

The capstan is analogous to a rack and pinion arrangement found in gear systems. A rack and pinion is a pair of gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion. ... Spur gears found on a piece of farm equipment. ...

Sail A sail is a surface intended to generate thrust by being placed in a wind. ...