A gooseneck is a semi-rigid, flexible joining element made from a coiled metal hose. Similar to its natural counterpart, it can be bent in almost any direction and remain in that position. [1] Areas of application for goosenecks are movable brackets for lights, magnifying glasses, microphones and other devices. [2] The hollow shape of the gooseneck allows electrical cables or fiber-optic cables to be accommodated inside, for example.
A gooseneck contains a wire with a round cross-section inside, which is shaped like a spring in the shape of a helix. A wire with a triangular cross-section is wound around this, so that the tips of the triangle protrude between the round wires into the inner spiral. [1] If the gooseneck is bent in one direction, the distance between the round wires is slightly larger on the outside and slightly smaller on the inside. Correspondingly, the tips of the triangles slip outside between the round wires or are pushed out inside. The bend in the gooseneck is retained due to the friction between the inner spiral and the outer casing, so that the gooseneck remains in the set position. [3]
Goosenecks are used as fixtures when quick, freely positionable alignment is required.
As components of lamps, their high flexibility is used to adjust the lighting to individual needs. Power for the lamp is supplied through the inside of the gooseneck. The same applies to illuminated magnifiers, where the magnifying glass is held in addition to the lamp. [4]
Goosenecks are also used in fiber-optics. In microscope illumination, glass fibres are bundled inside the gooseneck to guide the light from a cold light source directly to the area to be examined. Additional stands or mounts are not required due to the rigid shape of the gooseneck.
In automobiles, gooseneck constructions are used to hold navigation systems or mobile phones. In the 1970s, car audio equipment manufacturer Blaupunkt produced a series of car radios with a control unit on a gooseneck; in the models Berlin, Sylt and BEQ-S (Equalizer).
In some cases, the flexible arms are also useful when carrying out work in inaccessible places. Magnets or grippers at the end of the gooseneck can be used to "fish out" small parts from inaccessible places, a mirror or lighting allows views into hidden corners. A gooseneck on a stick lighter allows convenient lighting in hard-to-reach positions.
When used as a coolant hose on machine tools, a hose is drawn through the inside of the gooseneck. A jet of liquid can then be metered with pinpoint accuracy. [1] Today, however, liquid or air for cooling and rinsing is usually passed through a chain of plastic fittings (articulated hose) that are fitted together like a ball joint and which, with suitable holding force, maintain their bend in a clamping manner.
Flex arms are a type of goosenecks that usually use an assembly of ball-and-socket joints to make a holder of arbitrary lengths.[ citation needed ]
A fire hose is a high-pressure hose that carries water or other fire retardant to a fire to extinguish it. Outdoors, it attaches either to a fire engine, fire hydrant, or a portable fire pump. Indoors, it can permanently attach to a building's standpipe or plumbing system.
A flashlight (US) or torch (CE) is a portable hand-held electric lamp. Formerly, the light source typically was a miniature incandescent light bulb, but these have been displaced by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) since the early 2000s. A typical flashlight consists of the light source mounted in a reflector, a transparent cover to protect the light source and reflector, a battery, and a switch, all enclosed in a case.
A Bowden cable is a type of flexible cable used to transmit mechanical force or energy by the movement of an inner cable relative to a hollow outer cable housing. The housing is generally of composite construction, consisting of an inner lining, a longitudinally incompressible layer such as a helical winding or a sheaf of steel wire, and a protective outer covering.
In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs were popular in the United States from about the 1920s to 1950s. The installations in Times Square, many originally designed by Douglas Leigh, were famed, and there were nearly 2,000 small shops producing neon signs by 1940. In addition to signage, neon lighting is used frequently by artists and architects, and in plasma display panels and televisions. The signage industry has declined in the past several decades, and cities are now concerned with preserving and restoring their antique neon signs.
A fiberscope is a flexible optical fiber bundle with an eyepiece on one end and a lens on the other that is used to examine and inspect small, difficult-to-reach places such as the insides of machines, locks, and the human body.
A borescope is an optical instrument designed to assist visual inspection of narrow, difficult-to-reach cavities, consisting of a rigid or flexible tube with an eyepiece or display on one end, an objective lens or camera on the other, linked together by an optical or electrical system in between. The optical system in some instances is accompanied by illumination to enhance brightness and contrast. An internal image of the illuminated object is formed by the objective lens and magnified by the eyepiece which presents it to the viewer's eye.
A hose is a flexible hollow tube designed to carry fluids from one location to another. Hoses are also sometimes called pipes, or more generally tubing. The shape of a hose is usually cylindrical.
A power cable is an electrical cable, an assembly of one or more electrical conductors, usually held together with an overall sheath. The assembly is used for transmission of electrical power. Power cables may be installed as permanent wiring within buildings, buried in the ground, run overhead, or exposed. Power cables that are bundled inside thermoplastic sheathing and that are intended to be run inside a building are known as NM-B.
Bend radius, which is measured to the inside curvature, is the minimum radius one can bend a pipe, tube, sheet, cable or hose without kinking it, damaging it, or shortening its life. The smaller the bend radius, the greater the material flexibility. The diagram to the right illustrates a cable with a seven-centimeter bend radius.
A light fixture, light fitting, lamp, or luminaire is an electrical device containing an electrical component called a lamp that provides illumination. All light fixtures have a fixture body and one or more lamps. The lamps may be in sockets for easy replacement—or, in the case of some LED fixtures, hard-wired in place.
Wire rope is composed of as few as two solid, metal wires twisted into a helix that forms a composite rope, in a pattern known as laid rope. Larger diameter wire rope consists of multiple strands of such laid rope in a pattern known as cable laid. Manufactured using an industrial machine known as a strander, the wires are fed through a series of barrels and spun into their final composite orientation.
A microphone stand is a free-standing mount for a microphone. It allows the microphone to be positioned in the studio, on stage or on location without requiring a person to hold it.
Track lighting is a method of lighting where light fixtures are attached anywhere on a continuous track device which contains electrical conductors. This is in contrast to directly routing electrical wiring to individual light positions. Tracks can either be mounted to ceilings or walls, lengthwise down beams, or crosswise across rafters or joists. They can also be hung with rods from especially high places like vaulted ceilings.
Wire wrapping is one of the oldest techniques for making handmade jewelry. This technique is done with jewelry wire and findings similar to wire to make components. Wire components are then connected to one another using mechanical techniques with no soldering or heating of the wire. Frequently, in this approach, a wire is bent into a loop or other decorative shape and then the wire is wrapped around itself to finish the wire component. This makes the loop or decorative shape permanent. The technique of wrapping wire around itself gives this craft its name of wire wrapping.
A gooseneck is a 180° pipe fitting at the top of a vertical pipe that prevents entry of water. Common implementations of goosenecks are ventilator piping or ducting for bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans, ship holds, landfill methane vent pipes, or any other piping implementation exposed to the weather where water ingress would be undesired. It is so named because the word comes from the similarity of pipe fitting to the bend in a goose's neck.
Often task lighting refers to increasing illuminance to better accomplish a specific activity. However, the illuminance level is not the only factor governing visibility. Contrast is also important, and a poorly positioned light source may cause contrast reduction, resulting in loss of visibility. The most important purpose of task lighting in the office is not increasing illuminance, but improving contrast. General lighting can be reduced because task lighting provides focused light where needed.
A gooseneck lamp is a type of light fixture in which a lamp or lightbulb is attached to a flexible, adjustable shaft known as a "gooseneck" to allow the user to position the light source without moving the fixture or item to be illuminated. Gooseneck lamps are often used to position a light for reading, or in industry, to provide spot illumination for machining operations. These lamps can come in any color. Gooseneck lamps may be free standing floor lamps, desk lamps, or have magnetic bases in industrial applications.
Stage lighting accessories are components manufactured for conventional (non-automated) stage lighting instruments. Most conventional fixtures are designed to accept a number of different accessories designed to assist in the modification of the output. These accessories are intended to either provide relatively common functionality not originally provided in a fixture, or to extend the versatility of a lighting instrument by introducing features. Other accessories have been designed to overcome limitations or difficulties some fixtures present in specific applications.
A metal hose is a flexible metal line element. There are two basic types of metal hose that differ in their design and application: stripwound hoses and corrugated hoses.
An electrical conduit is a tube used to protect and route electrical wiring in a building or structure. Electrical conduit may be made of metal, plastic, fiber, or fired clay. Most conduit is rigid, but flexible conduit is used for some purposes.
Media related to Gooseneck arms at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of Gooseneck at Wiktionary