Early Crane Evolution
The very first recorded idea or kind of a crane was used by the early Egyptians over 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 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 attached.
Cranes that were built in the first century were powered by humans or by animals that were moving on a treadmill or a wheel. The crane consisted of a wooden long beam that was referred to as a boom. The boom was attached to a base which rotates. The wheel or the treadmill was a power-driven operation which had a drum with a rope which wrapped around it. This rope also had a hook that lifted the weight and was attached to a pulley at the top of the boom.
Cranes were utilized extensively during the Middle Ages to build the huge cathedrals in Europe. These devices were also designed to load and unload ships within key ports. Over time, major advancements in crane design evolved. Like for example, a horizontal boom was added to and was called the jib. This boom addition allowed cranes to have the ability to pivot, therefore greatly increasing the machine's range of motion. Following the 16th century, cranes had incorporated two treadmills on each side of a rotating housing that held the boom.
Even until the mid-19th century, cranes continued to rely on humans and animals for power. When steam engines were developed, this all quickly changed. At the turn of the century, electric motors and internal combustion or IC engines emerged. Cranes also became designed out of steel and cast iron rather than wood. The new designs proved more efficient and longer lasting. They can obviously run longer also with their new power sources and hence finish larger jobs in less time.