Early Crane Evolution
The very first recorded idea or kind of a crane was utilized by the early Egyptians more than 4000 years ago. This apparatus was called a shaduf and was used to transport water. The crane was made out of a pivoting long beam which balanced on a vertical support. On one end a heavy weight was attached and on the other end of the beam, a bucket was connected.
In the first century, cranes were made to be powered by animals or humans that were moving on a treadmill or a wheel. These cranes had a wooden long boom known as a beam. The boom was connected to a rotating base. The wheel or the treadmill was a power-driven operation that had a drum with a rope which 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 used extensively during the Middle Ages to build the huge cathedrals in Europe. These devices were also designed to unload and load ships in key ports. Eventually, major developments in crane design evolved. For example, a horizontal boom was added to and became known as the jib. This boom addition enabled cranes to have the ability to pivot, thus greatly 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 IC or internal combustion engines emerged. Additionally, cranes became designed out of cast iron and steel rather than wood. The new designs proved longer lasting and more efficient. They can obviously run longer too with their new power sources and therefore carry out bigger tasks in less time.