20 April 2018

If you were blind, you'd know why this doorknob is knurled


From the International Building Code:
26.11.4 Special hardware: Doors opening into hazardous areas shall have door-opening hardware which is knurled or has a roughened surface to give tactile warning to persons with visual impairments. Hazardous areas shall include but not be limited to loading platforms, boiler rooms, and electrical equipment rooms.

Of course then I had to look up "knurl" -
knurl:
  1. A contorted knot in wood.
  2. A crossgrained protuberance; a nodule; a boss or projection.
  3. A lined or crossgrained pattern of ridges or indentations rolled or pressed into a part for grip.

etymology:

knur +‎ -le (diminutive), from Middle English knar (knot in wood), earlier sense “a stone”, of Unknown origin.
gnarl is a later variant, from gnarled, via knurled.
Knurl related to "gnarly."  Cool.  You learn something every day.

Image cropped for size from the original at the Mildly Interesting subreddit.

1 comment:

  1. knurling is an interesting machining process unlike most other operations done with power machine tools. it increases the diameter of the part being worked on. here is a short vid showing one way it is done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTmv_kYimrI those who work on engines occasionally will have used/worn engine parts (often combustion chamber valves) knurled to increase their shaft diameters to minimize oil loss when installed and moving in their locator holes.

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