| Jack |
A lifting device that exerts large forces over small displacements, achieved by mechanical gearing or hydraulics. |
| J-integral |
A mathematical expression describing a line or surface integral that encloses the crack front from one crack surface to the other, used to characterize the fracture toughness of a material having appreciable plasticity before fracture. The J-integral eliminates the need to describe the behavior of the material near the crack tip by considering the local stress-strain field around the crack front; JIc is the critical value of the J-integral required to initiate crack extension from a preexisting crack. |
| Joint |
The part of a robot arm permitting either rotational or translational motion. Each joint provides a single degree of freedom, and thus a minimum of six is required if the robot is to be able to position and orientate the end effector anywhere within the workspace. A joint is described by four parameters: the joint angle, joint offset, joint twist, and link length. The joint angle is the angle between an extrapolation of the previous link length and the present link length, measured positive anticlockwise in a plane normal to the joint axis. This is variable in a rotational joint and fixed in a translational joint. The joint offset is the distance between the link length for the previous link and that for the present link, measured along the joint axis. This is variable for a translational joint and fixed for a rotational joint. The joint twist for the nth joint is the angle between the axes of joints Jn and Jn+1, measured positive anticlockwise in a plane normal to the link length and viewed from the position of the Jn+1 joint. The link length is the mutually perpendicular distance between planes passing through the axes of joint Jn and Jn+1. Both the joint twist and link length are fixed in all joints. |
| Joint diagrams |
Mathematical diagrams which illustrate the forces on and deflections of fasteners and joint members. |
| Joint space |
The description of the position and orientation of a robot in terms of the rotational angles and translational positions of the joints. Kinematic analysis, normally using homogeneous transforms, allows conversion between this description and the end‐effector position and orientation in x,y,z space. |
| Joule |
The SI unit of energy. One joule is the work done by a force of one newton acting over a distance of one metre. The symbol is J, where 1 J = 1 N m. |
| Junker machine |
A test machine, first proposed by Gerhard Junker, for testing the vibration resistance of fasteners. |
