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