Mechanical Components Handbook

From mechanical principles to practical component selection.

A reliable machine begins with correctly designed, sized, and selected components. Shafts, bearings, gears, fasteners, couplings, and power-transmission elements must work together under real operating loads, manufacturing tolerances, and service conditions.

Mechanical Components Handbook by Marcus E. Velland provides a structured engineering reference for understanding, evaluating, selecting, and integrating essential machine elements.

Organized into 17 technical chapters, this handbook connects mechanical-design principles with worked calculations, engineering figures, comparative tables, selection procedures, and practical verification checklists.

Inside, readers will explore:

• Mechanical-component selection, design requirements, and load paths

• Stress analysis, fatigue, reliability, and material selection

• Fits, tolerances, threaded fasteners, keys, splines, and interference connections

• Shaft sizing, rotating members, and rolling-element bearings

• Sliding bearings, lubrication, and wear considerations

• Gears, gear trains, belts, pulleys, chains, and sprockets

• Couplings, universal joints, clutches, brakes, and springs

• Seals, gaskets, housings, power screws, and linear-motion components

• Integrated design verification and documented engineering decisions

Designed for technical learning and professional reference, the book emphasizes understanding the controlling loads, identifying critical failure modes, comparing alternatives, and evaluating how individual components affect an entire mechanical assembly.

Worked examples help readers follow engineering calculations from assumptions through interpretation. Technical figures, selection workflows, practice problems, and checklists support the application of these principles.

SI units are used primarily, with US customary equivalents included where useful.

Who this book is for:

• Mechanical design engineers

• Machine designers and engineering technologists

• Manufacturing and industrial engineers

• Maintenance and reliability professionals

• Upper-level mechanical engineering students

• Technical professionals working with mechanical power-transmission systems

Whether evaluating a shaft, comparing bearing arrangements, selecting a gear drive, or checking component interfaces, Mechanical Components Handbook offers a disciplined approach to mechanical-design decisions.