Pawl
Mechanical device to restrict movement / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Pawl (disambiguation).
A pawl is a movable lever that engages a fixed component to either prevent movement in one direction or restrain it altogether. As such, it is a type of latch and can also be considered a type of dog. It typically consists of a spring-loaded lever that engages a mating component at a steep enough angle to restrain it. Pawls are often tapered, being widened at their pivot for anchoring and narrow at their tip.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Trinquete_no_watermark.png)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Pawl_brake_%28English%29.png/640px-Pawl_brake_%28English%29.png)