Winged Corkscrew Description
Introduction
In the wine industry, a winged corkscrew is a mechanical device that removes a cork from the
narrow part of a wine bottle called the bottleneck. The cork is tightly wedged in
...
Winged Corkscrew Description
Introduction
In the wine industry, a winged corkscrew is a mechanical device that removes a cork from the
narrow part of a wine bottle called the bottleneck. The cork is tightly wedged in the bottleneck
and unable to be gripped by hand. In addition, "a force of 25 to 100 pounds, or 110 to 450
newtons, is needed to draw the cork out" (Hall). The operating principle of a winged corkscrew
uses the foundation of a screw, a simple machine. The screw pierces and embeds into the cork.
The winged lever arms lift up as the screw moves down into the cork. The user then pushes
down on the winged lever arms to pull the cork out of the bottleneck.
In physics, mechanical advantage of a winged corkscrew describes the amount of force utilized
internally to allow the screw to push into the cork and lift the cork out of the bottleneck using the
winged lever arms. Force is exerted on the top handle of the winged corkscrew causing the
handle to rotate and, simultaneously, thrust the screw into the cork. Rotational force, called
torque, and forward movement, called linear force, allow the winged corkscrew to use
mechanical advantage to embed and fasten the screw into the cork so it can be lifted and
removed from the bottleneck (Giancoli 256-260). According to Evergreenps.org, "the
mechanical advantage can be calculated by dividing the circumference of the screw by the pitch,
or lead, of the screw. The circumference is pi times diameter. The pitch, or lead, is the distance
between the threads, or grooves, on the screw. The closer the threads, the greater the mechanical
advantage, and less effort is needed to remove the cork from the bottleneck" ("Mechanical
Advantage"). (see Figure 1, Evergreenps)
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