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• Purpose Of The Tangential Slots In An Oil Burner Nozzle
• Purpose Of Tangential Slots Definition

Mates in Onshape are different than mates in old CAD systems. There is only one Onshape Mate between any two instances, and the movement (degrees of freedom) between those two instances is embedded in the Mate. Mates contain their own coordinate systems, so you ever only need to use one Mate to define the degrees of freedom between two entities. At the time of placing a mate between two entities, Onshape will offer points on each entity to which to align with the mate's coordinate system. The suggested locations are based on the underlying geometry of the part and changing the geometry will change the location of the mate. This can be undesirable in certain situations, but you can also:

The average tangential distance exceeded that of radial distance by almost 18-fold. Notably, radial migration was absent at 7 dpi, suggesting that tangential movement preceded any radial migration (Fig. 1E); no correlation between tangential and radial migration was observed among individual cells that exhibited both (Fig. 1E; R = 0.08, P = 0. Tangential point definition: a point at which a geometric line, curve, plane, or curved surface touches another. Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples.

• Add an explicit mate connector to an entity exactly where you want it if the geometry does not already allow an implicit mate connector while creating a mate. For more information, see Mate Connector.
• Insert a layout or reference sketch in an Assembly to use for aligning mate connectors.

Shortcut: m

Use the shortcut key j to hide/show mates in an assembly.

Note that you are able to mate entities to the Origin in an Assembly. You are also able to Fix an entity in order to test the movement of assigned Mates using the context menu or drag.
Entities include: parts, assemblies, subassemblies, sketches, and surfaces.

Mate dialog

Mates are defined through the Mate dialog:

You select the type of mate to create, then select the mate connectors (one for each part). You are also able to check the box to apply limits of movement. Other options/action include:

• - Flip the primary axis, Z orientation, of the instances.
• - Reorient the secondary axis; rotate the quadrant orientation (in the XY plane) of the instances by 90 degrees at a click.
• - Preview the animation of unlimited movement of the mate, ignoring all other mates in the assembly.
• Solve - Solve all assembly mates including this one.

Many mates offer the ability to set an Offset distance for defining a fixed space between the parts being mated, as well as distance Limits for movement.

Limits are visualized in the graphics area as dashed lines with bars at the ends. The dashed lines represent the direction and distance of the movement and the solid lines represent the limit.

Offset distances are visualized in the graphics area as dashed lines between the Mates, displaying the value and the axis. Enter the distance in the dialog.

When you click on a Mate, graphics are displayed to indicate the direction of the X, Y, and Z as defined by the Mate along the with the offset and the range of limits dimensions (if any).

Applying an offset should be viewed as moving the entire coordinate system. The offset is relative to the Mate connector selected first.

When the Offset box is checked, many mates also offer an option to specify rotation about a specific axis: Slider, Revolute, Pin Slot, Planar, and Fastened mates include the option, as see below:

Select the axis about which to rotate, above, then enter the degrees of rotation

When you open a Mate dialog and select two Mate connectors, a head-up display appears at your cursor:

Click the checkmark in the head-up display to commit the current mate and start a new Mate. The Mate dialog box stays open, and you are free to continue selecting Mates.

Offset distances are visualized in the graphics area as dashed lines between the Mates, with editable values. Drag the part to a desired position, double-click the distance value and enter a new value. These values are not persisted; you are able to use them to estimate values to enter in the Offset field in the dialog, or place parts in precise positions in order to take measurements. For example:

Mate values for axes and rotational movement (above).

Mate value in edit (above).

Mate context menu

Use the Mate context menu to access the following commands:

• Rename - Specify a different name for the Mate
• Edit... - Change the Mate definition
• Reset - After an assembly is dragged to test movement of Mates, use Reset to return the assembly to its starting/home position (assuming constraints don't restrict that)
• Animate - Drive the assembly from a single Mate (or single DOF within a mate)
• Hide - Remove from view (Show displays the Mate again)
• Show all mates - Show all Mate connectors
• Isolate - Dim and inactivate all other parts except those selected (or associated with a selected Mate). When in Isolate mode, Exit isolate appears at the top of this menu. For more information, see Managing Assemblies.
• Make transparent - Dim parts nearest to the mate selected. Use the slider on the Make transparent dialog to extend the transparency out to other parts either by distance from, or by connectivity to, the selected mate.
• Suppress - Visualize the assembly without the Mate (and without deleting the Mate)
• Clear selection - Clear all selections
• Delete - Remove the Mate from the assembly

Reordering mate features

Once a Mate is created and listed in the Mate Features list, select a Mate (or Ctrl-click to select more than one) and drag/drop to reorder them in the list. This will help put the most important mate features higher and more visible in the list. Onshape solves mates simultaneously so order won't affect a Mate.

You have the ability to specify Mate values of all mates except Ball, Fastened, and Tangent. Onshape provides visual cues for distances, and provides distance values, in default units, from the second Mate connector selected to the first. Specify limits in positive and negative values.

In this example, the Mate connector on the box was the first one selected in the dialog; the Mate connector on the cylinder was the second selected. Notice that the Y value is negative and the X value is positive.

Now, switch the order of Mate connector selection and notice the distance values:

Notice that in this scenario, the Y value is positive and the X value is positive. This is due to the order of measurement from one Mate connector to the other. It's important to remember that the measurement is made from the second selected Mate connector to the first, along the coordinate system.

Use these distance visualizations to estimate the value to enter in the Limits box:

1. When the Limits check box is present for a Mate, click to enable degrees of freedom fields to enter values for the minimum and maximum distances, as measured from the second Mate connector selected, to the first selected.
2. Using the distance visualization as a guide (drag the part to activate), enter a minimum and maximum value.
3. Use the Play button to animate the movement, including limits.

You are able to use expressions and trigonometric functions in numeric fields in Assemblies.

Use the Animate command (found in the context menu for mates and mate indicators) to drive the assembly from a single Mate (or single DOF within a Mate). Other Mates and relations in the assembly are also enforced and honored.

If you have defined limits for the Mate, those values are used as the start and stop points during the animation.

1. Right-click on a mate or mate indicator and select Animate.
2. Animate works with only one degree of freedom at a time, so if the Mate has more than one, you are prompted to select one.
3. Enter Start and End values. If Limits are specified in the Mate definition, those values are automatically populated in the Start value and End value fields. If no Limits are specified in the Mate dialog, enter values now.
   1. Start value - The minimum distance measured along the degree of freedom’s axis. (By default, the value as specified in the Mate Minimum Limit.)
   2. End value - The maximum distance measured along the degree of freedom’s axis. (By default, the value as specified in the Mate Maximum Limit.)

      Note that you are able to enter up to 36000 degrees here (100 revolutions), specifically helpful for visualizing degrees of freedom in high-ratio gears and rack and pinion relations.

4. Specify Steps, a linear map from the start to end value, inclusive, interpolated at each step. The minimum number of steps is 2. By default, playback is around 60 steps/second.
5. Select a playback type, Single or Reciprocate to play the animation of the degrees of freedom once or continuously until you manually stop it, respectively.

Current value is a read-only field and is populated during animation as the Mate moves through the degrees of freedom, in your specified units. When the motion stops (either automatically or manually), Current value displays the point at which the motion was stopped.

Animate supports all Mate types but it’s not recommended to use Fastened, Tangent, or Ball as the driving mate.

Tips

• The Animate command works with various graphics modes, like Isolate, Mate indicators and Mate connectors.
• Animate helps you explore the relationships between Mates, their constraint systems, and gives you a way to show off your design (especially with the playback loop feature, specifically for rotational degrees of freedom).

Offset entities during assembly

Offsetting entities from one another during assembly is available for the following Mate types:

• Planar offset - Along the Z axis
• Slider offset - Along the X and Y axes
• Revolute offset - Along the Z axis
• Pin slot offset - Along the Z axis
• Fastened offset - Along the X, Y, and Z axes

Purpose Of The Tangential Slots In An Oil Burner Nozzle

You are also able to drag the entities and observe the distance values in the graphics area. These will help determine the specific values to enter in the dialog.

You are able to use expressions and trigonometric functions in numeric fields in Assemblies.

Copying/Pasting assembled entities

You are able to copy and paste entities that have been mated in an Assembly:

1. Select the entities.
2. From the context menu, select Copy items:
3. From the context-menu, paste the items:

The entities are pasted directly where the mouse click occurs.

Notice that the entities, mate connectors, and mates are also duplicated in the Assembly list.

Mate indicators

In addition to being visible in the Assembly list, mates have indicators in the graphics area as well. You have the ability to hide the entities and mate connectors in the Assembly list in order to see these mate indicators more clearly. These indicators give hints at the type of motion they define as well as the current state: blue/white indicates good Mates, gray indicates suppressed or inactive, and red indicates a problem:

Fastened

Revolute

Slider

Planar

Cylindrical

Pin slot, with an arrow in the direction of the slot

Ball

Tangent

Parallel

Group

More tips for visualizing Mates:

• Select a part, right-click for the context menu and select Show mates.
• Hover over a Mate, right-click for the context menu where you are able to take action on the Mate.
• Select a Mate, Mate connector, or Mate relation in the graphics area and its associated instances and Mate feature are highlighted in the list.

Concepts

• There is exactly one Mate between any two instances.
• Fixing an entity is different from applying a Mate. Fix (found in the context menu) is specific to the assembly in which it is applied; it does not carry over to any other assembly that entity is inserted into.
• The Mate positions two instances in relationship to each other, aligning a Mate connector on each instance.

  Before Mate

  After Mate

• The initial position is often a best guess. There are two tools to correct the position:
• The Flip primary axis tool flips the major (Z) orientation.
• The Reorient secondary axis tool adjusts the orientation in 90 degree increments
• The play button animates the allowed movement between the Mate being created.
• The Solve button regenerates the mate in process and the movement of all Mates, so you have the ability to see how your changes affect the entire assembly.

The Mate type then specifies the degrees of freedom behavior.

Example

1. Select a Mate (for example ) to open the dialog:
2. Select one automatic Mate connector on each entity (you can also Mate to the Origin):
3. If necessary, adjust the orientation using Flip Primary Axis or Rotate Secondary Axes.
4. Accept the Mate .

In the example above, only automatic Mate connectors were used. In most mating cases, automatic Mate connectors will work fine. In some less common cases, it may be useful to create Mate connectors ahead of time. You have the ability to create Mate connectors in either the Assembly or in the Part Studio.

Mates: iOS

Mates in Onshape are different than mates in traditional CAD systems. There is only one Onshape Mate between any two instances, and the movement (degrees of freedom) between those two instances is embedded in the Mate.

Note that you are able to mate an entity to the Origin in an Assembly. You are also able to Fix an entity, in order to test the movement of assigned Mates, using the context menu. Entities include: parts, assemblies, subassemblies, sketches, and surfaces.

Mate dialog

Mates are defined through the Mate dialog:

Select the type of Mate to create, then select the Mate connectors (one for each part).

Mate type - The Mate type field displays the type of Mate you are using. Tap to open a list of Mate types and tap to select one.

Mate connectors - The next section, Mate connectors, is highlighted in blue. This indicates that a selection from the graphics area is required. Two Mate connectors (one from each instance being mated) must be selected.

Offset - Tap to set an offset distance for defining a fixed space between the parts being mated.

Limits - Tap to set distance limits for movement.

- Flip the primary axis, Z orientation of the instances.

- Reorient the secondary axis; rotate the quadrant orientation (in the XY plane) of the instances by 90 degrees at a tap.

Solve - Tap to solve all assembly Mates including the current one.

You have the ability to specify movement limits of all Mates except Ball, Fastened, and Tangent.

Inside the dialog of a Mate that allows limits (Revolute, Slider, Planar, Cylindrical, and Pin slot) toggle the Limits button on and limit fields appear.

Enter desired limit specifications and tap Solve to visualize the changes.

Offset entities during assembly

Offsetting entities from one another during assembly is available for the following Mate types:

• Planar offset - Along the Z axis
• Slider offset - Along the X and Y axes
• Revolute offset - Along the Z axis
• Pin slot offset - Along the Z axis
• Fastened offset - Along the X,Y, and Z axes

You are also able to drag the entities and observe the distance values in the graphics area. These will help determine the specific values to enter in the dialog.

You are able to use expressions and trigonometric functions in numeric fields in Assemblies.

Mate indicators

In addition to being visible in the Assembly list, Mates have indicators in the graphics area as well. You are able to hide the entities and Mate connectors in the Assembly list in order to see these Mate indicators more clearly. These indicators give hints at the type of motion they define as well as the current state: blue/white indicates good Mates, gray indicates suppressed or inactive, and red indicates a problem.

Fastened

Revolute

Slider

Planar

Cylindrical

Pin slot, with an arrow in the direction of the slot

Ball

Tangent

Parallel

Group

More tips for visualizing Mates:

• Two-finger tap for the context menu, tap Show all to show everything listed in the Instance list, including Mate connectors and Mate indicators.
• Tap on a Mate in the Instance list.

Concepts

• There is exactly one Mate between any two instances.
• Fixing an entity is different from applying a Mate. Fix (found in the context menu) is specific to the assembly in which it is applied; it does not carry over to any other assembly that entity is inserted into.
• The Mate positions two part instances in relationship to each other, aligning a Mate connector on each instance.

  Before Mate

  After Mate

• The initial position is often a best guess. There are two tools to correct the position:

The Flip primary axis tool flips the major (Z) orientation.

The Reorient secondary axis tool adjusts the orientation in 90 degree increments.

• The Solve button regenerates the mate in process and the movement of all Mates, so you have the ability to see how your changes affect the entire assembly.

The Mate type specifies the movement behavior.

Mates: Android

Mates in Onshape are different than mates in traditional CAD systems. There is only one Onshape Mate between any two instances, and the movement (degrees of freedom) between those two instances is embedded in the Mate.

Note that you are able to mate an entity to the Origin in an Assembly. You are also able to Fix an entity, in order to test the movement of assigned Mates, using the context menu. Entities include: parts, assemblies, subassemblies, sketches, and surfaces.

Mate dialog

Mates are defined through the Mate dialog:

Select the type of Mate to create, then select the Mate connectors, inferred or existing (one for each part).

Mate type - The Mate type field displays the type of Mate you are using. Tap to open a list of Mate types and tap to select one.

Mate connectors - The next section, Mate connectors, is highlighted in blue. This indicates that a selection from the graphics area is required. Two Mate connectors (one from each instance being mated) must be selected.

Offset - Tap to set an offset distance for defining a fixed space between the parts being mated.

Limits - Tap to set distance limits for movement.

- Flip the primary axis, Z orientation of the instances.

- Reorient the secondary axis; rotate the quadrant orientation (in the XY plane) of the instances by 90 degrees at a tap.

Solve - Tap to solve all assembly Mates including the current one.

You are able to specify movement limits of all Mates except Ball, Fastened, and Tangent.

Inside the dialog of a Mate that allows limits (Revolute, Slider, Planar, Cylindrical, and Pin slot) toggle the Limits button on and limit fields appear.

Enter desired limit specifications and tap Solve to visualize the changes.

Offset entities during assembly

Offsetting entities from one another during assembly is available for the following Mate types:

• Planar offset - Along the Z axis
• Slider offset - Along the X and Y axes
• Revolute offset - Along the Z axis
• Pin slot offset - Along the Z axis
• Fastened offset - Along the X,Y, and Z axes

You are also able to drag the entities and observe the distance values in the graphics area. These will help determine the specific values to enter in the dialog.

You are able to use expressions and trigonometric functions in numeric fields in Assemblies.

Mate indicators

In addition to being visible in the Assembly list, Mates have indicators in the graphics area as well. You have the ability to hide the entities and Mate connectors in the Assembly list in order to see these Mate indicators more clearly. These indicators give hints at the type of motion they define as well as the current state: blue/white indicates good Mates, gray indicates suppressed or inactive, and red indicates a problem.

Fastened

Revolute

Slider

Planar

Cylindrical

Pin slot, with an arrow in the direction of the slot

Ball

Tangent

Purpose Of Tangential Slots Definition

Parallel

Group

More tips for visualizing Mates:

• Two-finger tap for the context menu, tap Show all to show everything listed in the Instance list, including Mate connectors and Mate indicators.
• Tap on a Mate in the Instance list.

Concepts

• There is exactly one Mate between any two instances.
• Fixing an entity is different from applying a Mate. Fix (found in the context menu) is specific to the assembly in which it is applied; it does not carry over to any other assembly that entity is inserted into.
• The Mate positions two part instances in relationship to each other, aligning a Mate connector on each instance.

  Before Mate

  After Mate

• The initial position is often a best guess. There are two tools to correct the position:

The Flip primary axis tool flips the major (Z) orientation.

The Reorient secondary axis tool adjusts the orientation in 90 degree increments.

• The Solve button regenerates the Mate in process and the movement of all Mates, so you have the ability to see how your changes affect the entire assembly.

The Mate type specifies the movement behavior.

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Last Updated: December 10, 2020

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Join Britannica's Publishing Partner Program and our community of experts to gain a global audience for your work! Alfred L. Gardner

Sloth, (suborder Phyllophaga), tree-dwelling mammal noted for its slowness of movement. All five living species are limited to the lowland tropical forests of South and Central America, where they can be found high in the forest canopy sunning, resting, or feeding on leaves. Although two-toed sloths (family Megalonychidae) are capable of climbing and positioning themselves vertically, they spend almost all of their time hanging horizontally, using their large hooklike extremities to move along branches and vines. Three-toed sloths (family Bradypodidae) move in the same way but often sit in the forks of trees rather than hanging from branches.

What kind of animal is a sloth?

Sloths are mammals. They are part of the order Pilosa, which is also home to anteaters. Together with armadillos, sloths and anteaters form the magnorder Xenarthra.

How many types of sloths are there?

A total of five species of sloths exist: the pygmy three-toed sloth, the maned sloth, the pale-throated three-toed sloth, the brown-throated three-toed sloth, and Linnaeus's two-toed sloth. All sloths are either two-toed or three-toed.

Where do sloths live?

Sloths live in the lowland tropical areas of South and Central America. They spend most of their life in the forest canopy. Two-toed sloths tend to hang horizontally from branches, while three-toed sloths often sit in the forks of trees.

What do sloths eat?

Sloths are omnivores. Because they spend most of their time in trees, they like to munch on leaves, twigs, flowers, and other foliage, though some species may eat insects and other small animals.

Why are sloths so slow?

Sloths are slow because of their diet and metabolic rate. They eat a low-calorie diet consisting exclusively of plants, and they metabolize at a rate that is only 40–45 percent of what is expected for mammals of their weight. Sloths must move slowly to conserve energy.

Sloths have long legs, stumpy tails, and rounded heads with inconspicuous ears. Although they possess colour vision, sloths’ eyesight and hearing are not very acute; orientation is mainly by touch. The limbs are adapted for suspending the body rather than supporting it. As a result, sloths are completely helpless on the ground unless there is something to grasp. Even then, they are able only to drag themselves along with their claws. They are surprisingly good swimmers. Generally nocturnal, sloths are solitary and are aggressive toward others of the same sex.

Sloths have large multichambered stomachs and an ability to tolerate strong chemicals from the foliage they eat. The leafy food is digested slowly; a fermenting meal may take up to a week to process. The stomach is constantly filled, its contents making up about 30 percent of the sloth’s weight. Sloths descend to the ground at approximately six-day intervals to urinate and defecate (see Sidebar: A moving habitat). Physiologically, sloths are heterothermic—that is, they have imperfect control over their body temperature. Normally ranging between 25 and 35 °C (77 and 95 °F), body temperature may drop to as low as 20 °C (68 °F). At this temperature the animals become torpid. Although heterothermicity makes sloths very sensitive to temperature change, they have thick skin and are able to withstand severe injuries.

All sloths were formerly classified in the same family (Bradypodidae), but two-toed sloths have been found to be so different from three-toed sloths that they are now classified in a separate family (Megalonychidae).

Three-toed sloths

The three-toed sloth (family Bradypodidae) is also called the ai in Latin America because of the high-pitched cry it produces when agitated. All four species belong to the same genus, Bradypus, and the coloration of their short facial hair bestows them with a perpetually smiling expression. The brown-throated three-toed sloth (B. variegatus) occurs in Central and South America from Honduras to northern Argentina; the pale-throated three-toed sloth (B. tridactylus) is found in northern South America; the maned sloth (B. torquatus) is restricted to the small Atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil; and the pygmy three-toed sloth (B. pygmaeus) inhabits the Isla Escudo de Veraguas, a small Caribbean island off the northwestern coast of Panama.

Although most mammals have seven neck vertebrae, three-toed sloths have eight or nine, which permits them to turn their heads through a 270° arc. The teeth are simple pegs, and the upper front pair are smaller than the others; incisor and true canine teeth are lacking. Adults weigh only about 4 kg (8.8 pounds), and the young weigh less than 1 kg (2.2 pounds), possibly as little as 150–250 grams (about 5–9 ounces) at birth. (The birth weight of B. torquatus, for example, is only 300 grams [about 11 ounces].) The head and body length of three-toed sloths averages 58 cm (23 inches), and the tail is short, round, and movable. The forelimbs are 50 percent longer than the hind limbs; all four feet have three long, curved sharp claws. Sloths’ coloration makes them difficult to spot, even though they are very common in some areas. The outer layer of shaggy long hair is pale brown to gray and covers a short, dense coat of black-and-white underfur. The outer hairs have many cracks, perhaps caused by the algae living there. The algae give the animals a greenish tinge, especially during the rainy season. Sexes look alike in the maned sloth, but in the other species males have a large patch (speculum) in the middle of the back that lacks overhair, thus revealing the black dorsal stripe and bordering white underfur, which is sometimes stained yellow to orange. The maned sloth gets its name from the long black hair on the back of its head and neck.

Three-toed sloths, although mainly nocturnal, may be active day or night but spend only about 10 percent of their time moving at all. They sleep either perched in the fork of a tree or hanging from a branch, with all four feet bunched together and the head tucked in on the chest. In this posture the sloth resembles a clump of dead leaves, so inconspicuous that it was once thought these animals ate only the leaves of cecropia trees because in other trees it went undetected. Research has since shown that they eat the foliage of a wide variety of other trees and vines. Locating food by touch and smell, the sloth feeds by hooking a branch with its claws and pulling it to its mouth. Sloths’ slow movements and mainly nocturnal habits generally do not attract the attention of predators such as jaguars and harpy eagles. Normally, three-toed sloths are silent and docile, but if disturbed they can strike out furiously with the sharp foreclaws.

Reproduction is seasonal in the brown- and pale-throated species; the maned sloth may breed throughout the year. Reproduction in pygmy three-toed sloths, however, has not yet been observed. A single young is born after less than six months’ gestation. Newborn sloths cling to the mother’s abdomen and remain with the mother until at least five months of age. Three-toed sloths are so difficult to maintain in captivity that little is known about their breeding behaviour and other aspects of their life history.