Technical System

2.5.
- TECHNICAL OR
GRAVITATIONAL UNIT
SYSTEMS
SYSTEMS OF TECHNICAL OR GRAVITATIONAL UNITS
A technical system of units is any system of units in which length, force, time and temperature are taken
as fundamental quantities.
There is no standardized technical system of formal measurement, but this name is usually applied
specifically to the one based on the decimal metric system and which takes the meter or centimeter as a
unit of length, the kilopond as a unit of force, the second as a unit of time. and the kilocalorie or calorie
as a unit of heat quantity. [] Being based on weight on Earth, it is also called the gravitational (or
gravitational) system of units and the terrestrial system of units.
Fundamental units
Not being formally defined by a regulatory body, the technical system itself does not define the units,
but rather takes those made by international organizations, specifically the General Conference of
Weights and Measures (CGPM). In addition, there may be variations depending on the time, place or
the needs of a particular area. Yes, there is a lot of agreement in considering the meter or centimeter ,
the kilopond and the second as fundamental.
Length
The meter is normally taken as a unit of length, although when it is impractical because it is a very large
unit, the centimeter is taken. The definition of this unit is the one given by the CGPM .
Force
The unit of force is the kilogram-force or kilopond, with symbols kgf and kp, respectively, defined as
the weight of a body of mass 1 kilogram (SI) under terrestrial conditions of normal gravity (g = 9.80665
m/s 2 ); Therefore this unit is invariable and does not depend on local gravity.
The ISO 80000 standard in its annex C, which reports on equivalences with discouraged units, defines it
as 1 kgf = 9.806 65 N, while clarifying: The symbols kgf (kilogram-force) and kp (kilopond) have been
used. This unit must be distinguished from the local weight of a body that has the mass of 1 kg.
Time
The unit of time is the second , with the symbol s. The same definition of the SI
Other units
Amount of heat
In technical systems of units, the custom, prior to the SI , is adopted of considering the quantity of heat
as a magnitude independent of mechanical energy, so it has a specific unit.
The kilocalorie is taken as a unit of heat quantity, although when it is impractical because it is a very
large or small unit, the calorie is taken. The definition of both units is that given by the CGPM . The
CGPM considers that today it is not necessary to maintain this separation and therefore, like the
kilopond, its use is discouraged in the International System of Units .
Derived units
The other units of the technical system ( speed , mass , work , etc.) are derived from the previous ones
through physical laws. That is why they are called derived units.
Mass
The unit of mass is derived using Newton's second law : F = m a, i.e.
m = F/a
and is defined as that mass that acquires an acceleration of 1 m/s 2 when a force of 1 kilopond (or
kilogram-force) is applied to it. Not having a specific name, it is called the technical unit of mass ,
which is abbreviated utm (it does not have a unit symbol):
1 utm = 1 kp / (1 m / s 2 ) (definition)
Job
Mechanical work and energy are expressed in kilopondimeters (kpm) or kilogrammeters (kgm) =
kiloponds (or kilogram-force) · meter
Definition: A kilogrammeter or kilopondimeter is the work done by a force of 1 kilopond or kilogram-

force , when it moves its point of application a distance of 1 meter in the same direction:
1 kilogrammeter or kilopondimeter = 1 kilogram-force or kilopond × 1 meter

1 kgm or kpm = 1 kgf or kp × 1 m (definition)
Pressure
Pressure is expressed in kgf/m 2 (kilogram-force per square meter). It has no specific name.
As kgf/m² is a very small unit, (kilogram-force per square centimeter), kgf/cm², is usually used, which is
called the technical atmosphere (symbol: at) whose value, like that of the Bar , is corresponds
approximately to normal atmospheric pressure. In common speech, it is also customary to refer to this
unit as kilograms of pressure.
1 kgf/cm² = 98,066.5 Pa = 1 at
For example, car tires are typically inflated to a pressure of about 2 kgf/cm².
In plumbing and irrigation, the pressure unit called meter of water column (mca) is sometimes used. or
mH 2 O) which is the pressure exerted on its base by a column of water one meter high.
1 mca = 0.1 kgf/cm² = 0.1 at

1 at = 10 mca
Equivalences between the Technical System and the SI
1 kp = 9.80665 N ≈ 1 daN
1 utm = 9.80665 kg
1 kpm (or kgm) = 9.80665 J
1 kp/m² = 9.80665 Pa
1 kp/cm² = 98.0665 kPa ( kilopascals )
1 kp/cm² = 14.22334258 pounds/square inch
Applications
Technical systems of units were mainly used in engineering . Although it is still used on occasion, the
technical system is currently out of use in almost all scientific or technical applications, after the
adoption of the International System of Units as the only legal system of units in almost all nations.
Until the approval of the SI , technical systems were developed due to the need for units that were
appropriate to ordinary phenomena ( practical units ) compared to the cegesimal system prevailing in
theoretical physics ( absolute units ).
Differences between the kilopond and the kilogram
Although it is sometimes stated that the kilopond is still used in daily life, mainly due to the use of the
verb weigh in everyday language (as in "weight 72 kilos"), from a metrological point of view what is
really used is the kilogram, measured with the help of one of the properties of mass, which is
gravitational attraction (and which would be the principle of measurement in the terminology of the
JCGM [] ). Systems of weights and measures are normally calibrated so that the result is the mass of the
bodies being measured, not the force of attraction that that mass may locally experience.
When the fundamental units were defined in the International System of Units, an attempt was made to
clarify the confusion between the concepts of mass and weight , which made it possible to clarify the
technical system of units:
 The technical system established the kilogram-force or kilopond as the fundamental unit, leaving
the mass as the derived unit, the utm .
 The International System established the kilogram (until then often called kilogram-mass, to
differentiate it from kilogram-force) as the fundamental unit of mass, while force is a derived
unit: the newton : 1 N = 1 kg ·1 m / 1 s 2 .
The confusion still persists. Let us note that a mass of 1 kg (SI), on Earth under normal gravity
conditions, weighs exactly 1 kp (STU) = 9.80665 N ( SI ). On the other hand, if that same mass of 1 kg
(SI) is weighed on the Moon, with an elastic spring scale , it will give a weight of 0.1666 kp (STU),
since the intensity of the gravitational attraction on the Moon is the sixth part of the earth's attraction),
although it retains its mass of 1 kg (SI) = 1/9.80665 utm (STU).

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2.5.

Definition: A kilogrammeter or kilopondimeter is the work done by a force of 1 kilopond or kilogram-

1 kilogrammeter or kilopondimeter = 1 kilogram-force or kilopond × 1 meter

1 mca = 0.1 kgf/cm² = 0.1 at

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