counterweight system
Load-offsetting apparatus
A counterweight system uses balanced masses to offset the weight of a moving load, reducing the force needed to operate it.
Elevators use counterweights so motors lift only the difference between car and counterweight, not the full load.
Theater fly systems use counterweights to raise and lower scenery.
The principle extends to drawbridges, cranes, and window sashes.
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
- pulleyGrooved wheel for rope
- elevatorVertical conveyance between floors
- craneLifter or wader
- leverPivoting bar for lifting
mass · dead load · live load · tension · cable · hoist · anchor · pendulum · ballast · fulcrum · suspension · load · winch · gravity · scaffold · rigging · traction · mechanical
counter, weight, system, counterweight, weights, weighted, weighting, weighty, weightless