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Mechanization
 
 
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Mechanization or mechanisation (BE
British English

British English or UK English is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere....
) is providing human operators with machinery to assist them with the physical requirements of work. It can also refer to the use of machine
Machine

A machine is any device that uses energy to perform some activity. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work....
s to replace manual labor or animals. A step beyond mechanization is automation
Automation

Automation or industrial automation or numerical control is the use of control systems such as computers to control industry machinery and industrial processes, reducing the need for human intervention....
. The use of hand powered tools is not an example of mechanization.

The term is most often used in industry. The addition of powered machine tools, such as the steam powered
Steam engine

File:Steam-powered fire engine.jpgA steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines have a long history, going back at least 2000 years....
 lathe dramatically reduced the amount of time needed to carry out various tasks, and improves productivity.






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Mechanization or mechanisation (BE
British English

British English or UK English is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere....
) is providing human operators with machinery to assist them with the physical requirements of work. It can also refer to the use of machine
Machine

A machine is any device that uses energy to perform some activity. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work....
s to replace manual labor or animals. A step beyond mechanization is automation
Automation

Automation or industrial automation or numerical control is the use of control systems such as computers to control industry machinery and industrial processes, reducing the need for human intervention....
. The use of hand powered tools is not an example of mechanization.

The term is most often used in industry. The addition of powered machine tools, such as the steam powered
Steam engine

File:Steam-powered fire engine.jpgA steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines have a long history, going back at least 2000 years....
 lathe dramatically reduced the amount of time needed to carry out various tasks, and improves productivity. Today very little construction of any sort is carried out with hand tools.

Military usage

The term is also used in the military to refer to the use of tracked
Caterpillar track

File:279-7.jpgContinuous tracks are large tracks used on the so-called caterpillar tanks, engineering vehicle and certain other off-road vehicles....
 armoured vehicles
Armoured fighting vehicle

An armoured fighting vehicle is a military vehicle, protected by vehicle armour and armed with weapons. Most AFVs are equipped for driving in rugged terrain....
, particularly armoured personnel carrier
Armoured personnel carrier

Armoured personnel carriers are armoured fighting vehicles developed to transport infantry on the battlefield. They usually have only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortar ....
s, to move troops that would otherwise have marched or ridden trucks into combat. Mechanization dramatically improved the mobility and fighting capability of infantry
Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
. In the armed forces of industrialized countries, all infantry is typically mechanized, with the possible exception of airborne forces
Airborne forces

Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning....
.

Mechanization may also refer in the broader military sense to "motorization" or the replacement of horses with motor vehicles for all functions, including logistics, artillery tractors, etc.

Agriculture Usage

Similarly refers to the replacement of manual labor and simple hand tools with human, animal, electrical and internal combustion engine powered (driven) machinery. This can be as simple as foot powered open drum threshers to more complex two-wheel tractor
Two-wheel tractor

Two-wheel tractor, walking tractor or power tiller are generic terms understood in the USA and in parts of Europe as a rotary tiller or power tiller that may be wheeled and/or self-propelled but normally is not....
 to GPS guided combine harverster.

See also

  • Automation
    Automation

    Automation or industrial automation or numerical control is the use of control systems such as computers to control industry machinery and industrial processes, reducing the need for human intervention....