Early Crane Evolution
The first recorded idea or type of a crane was used by the early Egyptians more than 4000 years ago. This apparatus was called a shaduf and was utilized to transport water. The crane was made out of a pivoting long beam that balanced on a vertical support. On one end a bucket was attached and on the other end of the beam, a heavy weight was connected.
In the first century, cranes were made to be powered by humans or animals that were moving on a wheel or a treadmill. These cranes had a long wooden boom referred to as a beam. The boom was connected to a rotating base. The treadmill or the wheel was a power-driven operation which had a drum with a rope that wrapped around it. This rope additionally had a hook which was connected to a pulley at the top of the boom and lifted the weight.
Cranes were utilized extensively throughout the Middle Ages to build the huge cathedrals in Europe. These devices were also utilized to load and unload ships in main ports. Over time, significant crane design advancements evolved. For instance, a horizontal boom was added to and became known as the jib. This boom addition allowed cranes to have the ability to pivot, therefore greatly increasing the range of motion for the machinery. Following the 16th century, cranes had included two treadmills on each side of a rotating housing that held the boom.
Cranes utilized animals and humans for power until the mid-19th century. This all changes rapidly when steam engines were developed. At the turn of the century, electric motors as well as internal combustion or IC engines emerged. Cranes also became designed out of steel and cast iron as opposed to wood. The new designs proved longer lasting and more efficient. They can obviously run longer too with their new power sources and thus carry out larger tasks in less time.