DESCRIPTION OF A

MECHANISM
Technical Description of a Mechanism

Mechanism descriptions should provide a clear understanding of

the object being described, including

1. General appearance and physical properties

2. Overall function/purpose
3. Component parts
4. How the parts interact to create a functioning whole.
A mechanism is generally defined as any object or system that
has a working part or parts. Most often the term suggests tools,
instruments, and machines. But other examples of mechanisms
could be the human body and systems like the universe or a city,
which is composed of parts that work together like parts of a
machine. A technical man constantly works with mechanisms
and always needs to understand them; what they do, what they
look like, what parts they have, and how these parts work
together.
Three fundamental divisions of the
description
There are three fundamental divisions of the description and
these are the introduction, the part-by-part description, and the
conclusion.
Because the description of a mechanism seldom constitutes an
article or report by itself, the introduction required is usually
rather simple. The two elements that need most careful attention
are:
1. the initial presentation of the mechanism
2. the organization of the description
FUNDAMENTAL
DIVISIONS OF
MECHANISM
 The Initial Presentation
At the beginning of a discussion of an unfamiliar mechanism, a reader
immediately needs three kinds of information: what it is, what its
purpose is, and what it looks like.

Organization of the description. It is possible to divide almost every

mechanism into parts. In the initial presentation of the description, the
purpose indicates the organization of the discussion that is to follow.
Since it is logical to describe the principal parts one at a time, a list of the
principal parts in the order in which one wishes to discuss them is a clear
indication of the organization of the remainder of the description.
The list of the principal parts should be in parallel form. The
parts are usually named in normal sentence form, like,

“The principal parts of the lathe are (1) the bed, (2) the
headstock, (3) the tailstock, and (4) the carriage.” But if the parts
are numerous, it may be preferable to present them in the form
of a list.
Introduction.
■ Plan the introduction to your description carefully. Make sure it
does all of the following things (but not necessarily in this order)
that apply to your particular description:

1. Indicate the specific object about to be described.

2. Indicate what the audience needs in terms of knowledge and
background to understand the description.
3. Provide a general description of the object.
4. Include an overview of the contents of the description.
Part-by-Part Description
After the introduction and the mechanism logically divided into parts, the description of
the first part follows. But the fact is that now, as far as method goes, it is almost as if
one had not written a line. The part that is to be discussed is a brand new mechanism.
The reader wants to know what it is. So again, it has to be introduced.
The lathe machine has been divided into the bed, the headstock, the tailstock and the
carriage and now we are about to describe the bed. The first problem is to tell the
reader what the bed is. The general procedure will be – as before – to define the part,
to state its purpose, to indicate its general appearance, and finally, if necessary, to
divide it into subparts.

What is done to the principal parts is also done to the subparts. In other words, the
mechanism as a whole is progressively broken down into smaller and smaller units until
common sense says it is time to stop. Then, each of these units is described in detail.
Aspects of the mechanism that needs
careful attention when describing in detail
a subpart of the mechanism.
■ When you write a description, you need to think about the
kinds of descriptive detail you can provide. Sometimes,
descriptions are rather weak in this area. Use the following list
to plan your description or to review a description you have
written. Think of the categories of descriptive detail you could
provide, or use the following list to identify categories you
have not used:

color materials texture, smell, taste

shape component parts finish
size properties patterns, designs
dimensions principles at work interactions
Conclusion of the Description
The last principal function of the description of a mechanism
is to let the reader know how it works, or how it is used, if
this has not been done in the general introduction. Emphasis
should naturally fall upon the action of the parts in relation to
one another. This part of the writing constitutes in effect a
description of a process usually highly condensed, and this
will be discussed elaborately in the next technique of
development.
Summary of the Principles of Organization
Description of a Mechanism
I. Introduction
A. What the mechanism is
B. Purpose
C. General appearance
D. Division into principal parts
II. Part-by-part description
A. Part number 1
1. What the part is
2. Purpose
3. Appearance
4. Division into subparts
a. Subpart number 1
(1) What the subpart is
(2) Purpose
(3) Appearance
(4) Detailed description
(a) Shape
(b) Size
(c) Relationship to other parts
(d) Methods of attachment
(e) Material
(f) Finish
b, c, etc.- same as “a”
B, C, etc. – same as “A”
SAMPLE DESCRIPTIONS
Mars Curiosity Rover
 Template for Description of Mars Curiosity Rover
Definition Curiosity Rover – a NASA robot designed to explore Mars

Travels around the Gale Crater on Mars, collecting data to send back to Earth. Its mission
Function is to see if Mars could ever have supported life, and if humans could survive there someday

Car-sized, 6 wheel robot, about 7’ tall, with a roughly square chassis that has several
Overview appendages connected to it that house sensors of various types

•Main body protects the computer, electronics and instrument systems

•“Neck and head” like a mast coming out of the centre of the chassis, this houses many of
the rover’s cameras
•Six legs – “rocker bogie” design – wide apart, allows all wheels to remain on uneven
Components terrain
•Arm – roughly 7 ’ long, (with “shoulder, elbow and wrist” joints), with a “hand” at the
end, extends out of the front of the chassis. This contains many tools for drilling, collecting
samples, etc.
•“Tail” – contains radio-isotopic power source that powers the rover

•Overall view (front and side? Top view?)

Visuals •View of arm with labeled components
•View of head and neck with labeled components

Conclusion/Supplemental Information about lifespan? Travel speed? Energy use?

References NASA website – Mars Curiosity Rover page
Activity
Practice technical description

Choose a common, everyday object (such as one of the objects in the Figure and
draft a technical description for an audience unfamiliar with the object. Start by
imagining a target audience and purpose, and then try filling in the Technical
Description Template with detailed information. Using the information in your
template, draft a short description of 1-2 paragraphs, and add properly-captioned
visuals.
Activity
Practice Mechanical Description

Parts of Lycoming O-200 Reciprocating Engine cylinder.

DESCRIPTION OF A
PROCESS
Process discussion is an information structure—it's one of those fundamental
combinations of content and organizational patterns you use in many different
situations in technical writing. For example, instructions are an application of
technical writing; instructions make heavy use of process discussion.

The focus of this chapter is some basic guidelines for writing noninstructional
process discussions. These process discussions answer such questions as:

1. How does this mechanism work?

2. What are the typical steps in this natural, mechanical, social, biological,
psychological phenomenon?
3. How does this event (mechanical, natural, human, social) happen?
When we ask questions like these, we expect a systematic step-by-step explanation of how the
mechanism works or how the phenomenon happens. We're not looking to perform it ourselves,
just to understand it.
Process discussion. Step by step, this text explains how computers "recognize" speech
This next illustration conveys a general idea of how seawater is converted into fresh water:
Process discussions focus on things like formation of lightning, snow,
hurricanes, cold fronts, tornadoes; gestation of a human embryo; pollination of a
flower; automatic operations of a photocopier or a computer; occurrence of
supernova, black holes, red giants, or white dwarfs. Process discussions explain
the workings of such mechanisms as automobile batteries, light bulbs,
telephones, televisions, microwave ovens, stereo receivers.

As mentioned previously, the focus in this chapter is noninstructional process.

However, while explaining how doctors perform open heart surgery or how a
nuclear power plant operates might sound like instructions, they aren't!
Normally, documents on these topics would give people an overview of what
goes on in these processes.
 FORMAT OF
PROCESS
DISCUSSIONS
 Process Description Example
■ Internal Combustion Engine
– Mechanism Description – the engine, the cylinder head, the block, the valves, the pistons,
the crankshaft, …
– Process Description
■ The Intake stroke
■ The Compression Stroke
■ The Ignition (Combustion) Stroke
■ The Exhaust Stroke
■ Introduction
– Define the mechanism with a technical definition and add extensions necessary for the
reader to understand the discussion.
– Describe the purpose function, and operation of the mechanism.
– List the major steps of the mechanism’s operation in the order that they will be discussed.
 Discussion
 Step 1
 Define the Step with a logical definition and discuss it in

reasonable depth.
 Describe the equipment, material, or concepts involved with this

step.
 Describe what happens during this step.

 Show the relationship between this step and the next.

 Steps 2
 Repeat as for step 1

■ Conclusion
 Summarize and provide closure.
Group Activity: Description of a Process
■ Four strokes and five events of a reciprocating
engine (Otto Cycle)

Format
1. Title
2. Introduction
3. Audience and scope
4. Process
5. Conclusion
6. Reference