How Does A Key Work?

A key is a smart tool designed to operate locks in order to keep our home locked and although they may seem obvious to us they are quite a genius device. Keys have a long history that allegedly started 6,000 years ago with the Ancient Egyptians who created the first key that was made out of wood. 

In the Middle Ages the Greeks and the Romans improved them and with the 1800’s industrial revolution keys have made their significant progress and became a tool you can’t live without. Today they open not only doors but also cars and safes.

The Key Structure

Keys have 2 parts, the blade and the bow while the blade is the part that goes into the keyhole the bow provides a grip in order to turn it. Keys have unique cuts that look like teeth along the blade edge and these teeth are what makes each key unique to match a specific lock. 

The teeth interact perfectly with the internal pins of the lock in such way that they align then inside the lock in order to lock your door.

To be more specific when you insert a key into a lock and turn it you essentially engage a series of tiny pins in different lengths and are spring loaded which means they sit at different heights within the lock cylinder. 

The unique pattern of grooves and cuts in the key blade is suitable for the arrangement of these pins and when the correct key is used the pins line up on the shear line and open the lock.