Early Crane Evolution
The first recorded concept or kind of a crane was utilized by the early Egyptians more than 4000 years ago. This apparatus was referred to as a shaduf and was utilized to transport water. The crane was made out of a pivoting long beam which 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.
Cranes that were built during the first century were powered by animals or by humans that were moving on a wheel or a treadmill. The crane consisted of a wooden long beam which was called a boom. The boom was connected to a base that rotates. The treadmill or the wheel was a power-driven operation which had a drum with a rope which wrapped around it. This rope also had a hook which carried the weight and was attached to a pulley at the top of the boom.
Within Europe, the huge cathedrals established in the Middle Ages were build using cranes. Cranes were also designed to unload and load ships within major ports. Over time, significant crane design advancements evolved. Like for example, a horizontal boom was added to and was called the jib. This boom addition enabled cranes to have the ability to pivot, therefore really increasing the machine's range of motion. After the 16th century, cranes had incorporated two treadmills on each side of a rotating housing which held the boom.
Cranes utilized animals and humans for power until the mid-19th century. This all changes rapidly once 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 rather than wood. The new designs proved longer lasting and more efficient. They could obviously run longer also with their new power sources and therefore carry out bigger jobs in less time.