Hinge

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An ornate brass door hinge Carrollton New Orleans hinge brass inside.jpg
An ornate brass door hinge
A barrel hinge Hamburgerpaumelle.JPG
A barrel hinge

A hinge is a mechanical bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation, with all other translations or rotations prevented; thus a hinge has one degree of freedom. Hinges may be made of flexible material or moving components. In biology, many joints function as hinges, such as the elbow joint.

Contents

History

Ancient remains of stone, marble, wood, and bronze hinges have been found. Some date back to at least Ancient Egypt, although it is nearly impossible pinpoint exactly where and when the first hinges were used. [1]

In Ancient Rome, hinges were called cardō and gave name to the goddess Cardea and the main street Cardo. This name cardō lives on figuratively today as "the chief thing (on which something turns or depends)" in words such as cardinal . [2]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the English word hinge is related to hang . [3]

Door hinges

Basic hinge Basic hinge.svg
Basic hinge
Barrel hinge
A barrel hinge consists of a sectional barrel (the knuckle) secured by a pivot. A barrel is simply a hollow cylinder. The vast majority of hinges operate on the barrel principle. [4]
Butt hinge / Mortise hinge
Any hinge designed to be set into a door frame and/or door is considered a butt hinge or mortise hinge. A hinge can also be made as a half-mortise, where only one half is mortised and the other is not. Most mortise hinges are also barrel hinges because of how they pivot (i.e., a pair of leaves secured to each other by knuckles through which runs a pin). [5]
Butterfly / Parliament (UK) hinge
A decorative variety of barrel hinge with leaves somewhat resembling the wings of a butterfly.
Case hinge
Similar to butt hinges, but usually more decorative; most commonly used in suitcases, briefcases, and the like.
Concealed hinge
Used for furniture doors (with or without a self-closing features and/or damping systems), they consist of two parts: (1.) the cup and arm, and (2.) the mounting plate. They are also called "cup hinges", or "Euro hinges", as they were developed in Europe and use metric installation standards. Most concealed hinges offer the advantage of full in situ adjustability for standoff distance from the cabinet face, as well as pitch and roll by means of two screws on each hinge.
Continuous / Piano hinge
This variety of barrel hinge runs the entire length of a door, panel, box, etc. They are manufactured with or without holes.
Flag hinge
A simple two-part hinge, where a single leaf, attached to a pin, is inserted into a leaf with a hole. This allows the hinged objects to be easily removed (such as removable doors). They are made in right- and left-hand configurations. [6]
H hinge
These H-shaped barrel hinges are used on flush-mounted doors. Small H hinges (3–4 in or 76–102 mm) tend to be used for cabinets, while larger ones (6–7 in or 150–180 mm) are for passage doors and closet doors.
HL hinge
Commonly used for passage doors, room doors, and closet doors in the 17th, 18th, and the 19th centuries. On taller doors, H hinges were occasionally used between them.
Pivot hinge
This hinge pivots in openings in the floor and the top of the door frame. Also referred to as double-acting floor hinges, they are found in ancient dry stone buildings and, rarely, in old wooden buildings. They are a low-cost alternative for use with lightweight doors. [7] Doors with these hinges may be called haar-hung doors.
Self-closing hinge
This is a spring-loaded hinge with a speed control function. The same as spring hinge, usually use spring to provide force to close the door and provide a mechanical or hydraulic damper to control door close speed. That can prevent door slamming problem while auto closes a door. [8]
Spring hinge
A spring-loaded hinge that provides assistance in closing or opening the hinge leaves. An inner spring applies force to keep the hinge closed or opened. [9]
Swing Clear hinge
Also called offset door hinges, they are ideal for residential and commercial doors, they allow doors to swing completely clear of their openings. [10] They can easily comply with Fair Housing Act (FHA) code by providing a minimum ADA 32” clearance when using a 34” door slab. [11]
Living hinge
A hinge of flexible plastic that creates a join between two objects without any knuckles or pins. Molded as a single piece, they never rust or squeak, and have several other advantages over other hinges, but are more susceptible to breakage. [12]

Other types of hinges include:

Building access

Since at least medieval times, there have been hinges to draw bridges for defensive purposes for fortified buildings. Hinges are used in contemporary architecture where building settlement can be expected over the life of the building. For example, the Dakin Building in Brisbane, California, was designed with its entrance ramp on a large hinge to allow settlement of the building built on piles over bay mud. This device was effective until October 2006, when it was replaced due to damage and excessive ramp slope.

Large structures

Hinges appear in large structures such as elevated freeway and railroad viaducts, to reduce or eliminate the transfer of bending stresses between structural components, typically in an effort to reduce sensitivity to earthquakes. The primary reason for using a hinge, rather than a simpler device such as a slide, is to prevent the separation of adjacent components. When no bending stresses are transmitted across the hinge, it is called a zero moment hinge.

Spacecraft

A variety of self-actuating, self-locking hinges have been developed for spacecraft deployable structures such as solar array panels, synthetic aperture radar antennas, booms, radiators, etc. [13]

Terminology

Components

Pin
The rod that holds the leaves together, inside the knuckle. Also known as a pintle .
Knuckle
The hollow—typically circular—portion creating the joint of the hinge through which the pin is set. The knuckles of either leaf typically alternate and interlock with the pin passing through all of them. (aka. loop, joint, node or curl)
Leaf
The portions (typically two) that extend laterally from the knuckle and typically revolve around the pin.

Characteristics

End play
Axial movement between the leaves along the axis of the pin. This motion allows the leaves to rotate without binding and is determined by the typical distance between knuckles (knuckle gap) when both edges of the leaves are aligned.
Gauge
Thickness of the leaves.
Hinge width
Length from the outer edge of one leaf to the outer edge of the other leaf, perpendicularly across the pin (aka open width).
Hinge length
The length of the leaves parallel to the pin.
Knuckle length
The typical length of an individual knuckle parallel to the pin.
Leaf width
Length from the center of the pin to the outer edge of the leaf.
Pitch
Distance from the end of a knuckle to the same edge of its adjacent knuckle on the same leaf
Door Stop
A colloquialism referring to loose angular movement of the leaves relative to the pin. [14]

Other types

Butler tray hinge
Folds to 90 degrees and also snaps flat. They are for tables that have a tray top for serving.
Card table hinge
Mortised into edge of antique or reproduction card tables and allow the top to fold onto itself.
Carpentier joint
A hinge consisting of several thin metal strips of curved cross section.
Drop-leaf table hinge
Mounted under the surface of a table with leaves that drop down. They are most commonly used with rule joints.
Hinged expansion joint
an expansion joint with hinges that allow the unit to bend in a single plane
Hinged handcuffs
a restraint device designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other consisting of two cuffs linked with a double or triple hinge. Hinged handcuffs cuffs tend to restrict movement more than chain-linked handcuffs, and they can be used to generate more leverage to force a suspect's hands behind the back, or to apply pain against the wrist, forcing the subject to comply and stop resisting. [15]
Hinge region
portion of antibody structure between the fragment antigen-binding region and the fragment crystallizable region
Living hinge
a hinge consisting of material that flexes
Piano hinge
(or coffin hinge) a long hinge, originally used for piano lids, but now used in many other applications where a long hinge is needed.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Door</span> Movable barrier that allows ingress and egress

A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a doorway or portal. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security by controlling access to the doorway (portal). Conventionally, it is a panel that fits into the doorway of a building, room, or vehicle. Doors are generally made of a material suited to the door's task. They are commonly attached by hinges, but can move by other means, such as slides or counterbalancing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortise and tenon</span> Woodworking joint

A mortiseand tenon joint connects two pieces of wood or other material. Woodworkers around the world have used it for thousands of years to join pieces of wood, mainly when the adjoining pieces connect at right angles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent suspension</span> Vehicle suspension in which each wheel is suspended independently

Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked. "Independent" refers to the motion or path of movement of the wheels or suspension. It is common for the left and right sides of the suspension to be connected with anti-roll bars or other such mechanisms. The anti-roll bar ties the left and right suspension spring rates together but does not tie their motion together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butterfly knife</span> Type of folding knife

A balisong, also known as a butterfly knife, fan knife or Batangas knife, is a type of folding pocketknife that originated in the Philippines. Its distinct features are two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. A latch sometimes holds the handles together; typically mounted on the one facing the cutting edge. An exceptionally large balisong is called a balisword.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortise lock</span> Lock with mortise cut into doorjamb

A mortise lock is a lock that requires a pocket—the mortise—to be cut into the edge of the door or piece of furniture into which the lock is to be fitted. In most parts of the world, mortise locks are found on older buildings constructed before the advent of bored cylindrical locks, but they have recently become more common in commercial and upmarket residential construction in the United States. The design is widely used in domestic properties of all vintages in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double wishbone suspension</span> Automotive independent suspension design

A double wishbone suspension is an independent suspension design for automobiles using two wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. Each wishbone or arm has two mounting points to the chassis and one joint at the knuckle. The shock absorber and coil spring mount to the wishbones to control vertical movement. Double wishbone designs allow the engineer to carefully control the motion of the wheel throughout suspension travel, controlling such parameters as camber angle, caster angle, toe pattern, roll center height, scrub radius, scuff, and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Door furniture</span> Items that are attached to a door or a drawer to enhance its functionality or appearance

Door furniture or door hardware refers to any of the items that are attached to a door or a drawer to enhance its functionality or appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Door closer</span> Mechanical device that closes a door in a controlled manner

A door closer is a mechanical device that regulates the speed and action of a door’s swing. Manual closers store the force used to open the door in some type of spring and reuse it to close the door. Automatic types use electricity to regulate door swing behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frame and panel</span> Wood construction in which a panel is enclosed in a rigid frame

Frame and panel construction, also called rail and stile, is a woodworking technique often used in the making of doors, wainscoting, and other decorative features for cabinets, furniture, and homes. The basic idea is to capture a 'floating' panel within a sturdy frame, as opposed to techniques used in making a slab solid wood cabinet door or drawer front, the door is constructed of several solid wood pieces running in a vertical or horizontal direction with exposed endgrains. Usually, the panel is not glued to the frame but is left to 'float' within it so that seasonal movement of the wood constituting the panel does not distort the frame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gudgeon</span> Socket used as part of a pivot or hinge

A gudgeon is a socket-like, cylindrical fitting attached to one component to enable a pivoting or hinging connection to a second component. The second component carries a pintle fitting, the male counterpart to the gudgeon, enabling an interpivoting connection that can be easily separated. Designs that may use gudgeon and pintle connections include hinges, shutters and boat rudders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latch</span> Mechanical fastener

A latch or catch is a type of mechanical fastener that joins two or more objects or surfaces while allowing for their regular separation. A latch typically engages another piece of hardware on the other mounting surface. Depending upon the type and design of the latch, this engaged bit of hardware may be known as a keeper or strike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butt joint</span> Woodworking joint

A butt joint is a wood joint in which the end of a piece of material is simply placed against another piece. The butt joint is the simplest joint. An unreinforced butt joint is also the weakest joint, as it provides a limited surface area for gluing and lacks any mechanical interlocking to resist external forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ball joint</span> Spherical bearing most commonly used in automobile steering mechanisms

In an automobile, ball joints are spherical bearings that connect the control arms to the steering knuckles, and are used on virtually every automobile made. They bionically resemble the ball-and-socket joints found in most tetrapod animals.

The piano action mechanism of a piano or other musical keyboard is the mechanical assembly which translates the depression of the keys into rapid motion of a hammer, which creates sound by striking the strings. Action can refer to that of a piano or other musical keyboards, including the electronic or digital stage piano and synthesizer, on which some models have "weighted keys", which simulate the touch and feel of an acoustic piano. The design of the key action mechanism determines the "weight" of the keys, i.e., the force required to sound a note; that is, the feeling of the heaviness of the touch of the keys. "A professional pianist is likely to care most about the piano's action, because that is what controls its responsiveness and relative lightness--or heaviness--of touch. Roughly speaking, a piano's action is light when its keys fall easily under the fingers, and heavy when a noticeable downward thrust is required. The action, in short, is what makes a piano playable or not to an individual musician."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric strike</span> Door locking hardware whose mechanism is electromechanical

An electric strike is an access control device used for door frames. It replaces the fixed strike faceplate often used with a latch. Like a fixed strike plate, it normally presents a ramped or beveled surface to the locking latch allowing the door to close and latch just like a fixed strike would. However, an electric strike's ramped surface can, upon command, pivot out of the way when the lock on the door is in the locked position and the door is opened, allowing a user to pull/push the door to open it without operating the mechanical lock or using a mechanical key. After the door is opened past the keeper, the keeper returns to its standard position and re-locks when power is removed or applied, depending upon the strike's configuration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Break action</span> Type of firearm action

Break action is a type of firearm action in which the barrel(s) are hinged much like a door and rotate perpendicularly to the bore axis to expose the breech and allow loading and unloading of cartridges. A separate operation may be required for the cocking of a hammer to fire the new round. There are many types of break-action firearms; break actions are universal in double-barreled shotguns, double-barreled rifles, combination guns, and are commonly found in single shot pistols, rifles, shotguns, including flare guns, grenade launchers, air guns, and some older revolver designs. They are also known as hinge-action, break-open, break-barrel, break-top, or, on old revolvers, top-break actions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wafer tumbler lock</span> Type of lock

A wafer tumbler lock is a type of lock that uses a set of flat wafers to prevent the lock from opening unless the correct key is inserted. This type of lock is similar to the pin tumbler lock and works on a similar principle. However, unlike the pin tumbler lock, where each pin consists of two or more pieces, each wafer in the lock is a single piece. The wafer tumbler lock is often incorrectly referred to as a disc tumbler lock, which uses an entirely different mechanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Window shutter hardware</span>

Window shutter hardware, usually made of iron, are hinges and latches that attach to the shutter and a window frame. The hinges hold the shutter to the structure and allow the shutter to open and close over the window. The latches secure the shutter in the closed position. Tie-back hardware can be used to hold the shutter in the open position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revolute joint</span> Kinematic pair which constrains bodies to pure rotation about a common axis

A revolute joint is a one-degree-of-freedom kinematic pair used frequently in mechanisms and machines. The joint constrains the motion of two bodies to pure rotation along a common axis. The joint does not allow translation, or sliding linear motion, a constraint not shown in the diagram. Almost all assemblies of multiple moving bodies include revolute joints in their designs. Revolute joints are used in numerous applications such as door hinges, mechanisms, and other uni-axial rotation devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geared continuous hinge</span> Type of continuous hinge used mostly on doors in high-traffic entrances

A geared continuous hinge is a type of continuous hinge used mostly on doors in high-traffic entrances and features gear teeth that mesh together under a cap that runs the length of the hinge. The hinges use a number of fasteners to attach the door to the frame from top to bottom to distribute a door’s weight more evenly along the frame to stop doors from sagging. They are often used in schools, hospitals, hotels, offices, airports, stadiums, storefronts and many other commercial and industrial buildings.

References

  1. "Door Hinges in Antiquity (Smith's Dictionary, 1875)" . Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  2. "Door Hinges in Antiquity (Smith's Dictionary, 1875)" . Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  3. "hinge". Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  4. Childers, Kathleen (25 August 2023). "Everything to Know About Barrel Hinges". Family Handyman. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  5. "What Is a Butt Hinge? The Basics of Butt Hinges and How They Work". Monroe Engineering. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  6. "The Beginner's Guide to Flag Hinges". Monroe Engineering. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  7. "Pivot Hinges". Guden. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  8. "Self-Closing Hinges". Watersonusa. 26 August 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  9. "Spring Hinges". Guden. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  10. Greene, Lori (27 May 2021). "QQ: Hinge Types – Swing-Clear". iDigHardware. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  11. "The Fair Housing Act's Requirement 3: Usable Doors" (PDF). United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  12. "What is a living hinge and its applications?". Essentra Components. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  13. Alan M. Watt; and Sergio Pellegrino. "Tape-Spring Rolling Hinges" p. 2.
  14. heyok (28 April 2014). "Jeep JK tail gate hinge slop". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 via YouTube.
  15. "On the Job: Lifesaving Handcuffing Tactics". 30 December 2014.