Heather Sopher March 28, 2007 Specification Sheet
General Description:
An umbrella is a small, portable canopy used primarily for protection from the rain and sunlight (“umbrella”). When closed (collapsed), an umbrella looks like a cylinder covered in fabric with a handle attached to its bottom. When opened, it appears as an upside-down bowl covered in fabric, with a rod extending downward from its center attached to the handle. An umbrella consists of the following parts: a handle, a rod, two springs, a runner, a wire frame, and a fabric covering. See Figure 1.
Figure 1: Components of an Umbrella (Indian Institute of Technology Madras) Specifications:
Part Purpose Appearance/Composition Dimensions
Place to grip Small cylinder or “J” shape at Diameter: 1-1.5” Handle umbrella when the bottom of the rod; made of Length: 2-5” open or closed plastic, wood, or metal Primary support; Long, skinny cylinder; made of necessary for metal, which depends on Diameter: 0.25-0.75” Rod runner to work; desired strength of umbrella Length: 10-20” encloses springs (typically aluminum) Keeps umbrella Small, rounded triangle Top Spring open when runner attached to rod; made of same Height: 0.5” is above it metal as rod Keeps umbrella Small, rounded rectangle sliver Height: 0.5” Bottom Spring closed when attached to rod; made of same Width: 0.125” runner is below it metal as rod Pushes wire Small hollow cylinder enclosed Diameter: 0.25-0.75” Runner frame upward to around rod; made of plastic or Length: 1.5-3” open umbrella metal Long, thin spokes extending Secondary (Each spoke) radially from top of rod to form Wire Frame support; supports Diameter: 0.25” an upside-down bowl; made of fabric covering Length: 2-4’ same metal as rod Piece of circular fabric Repels rain; Fabric Covering enveloping wire frame; made Diameter: 5-10’ blocks sunlight of olefin or nylon
Works Cited:
Indian Institute of Technology Madras. “Morphology of an Umbrella.” 26 Mar. 2007
"umbrella." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 25 Mar. 2007.