Early Crane Evolution
More than 4000 years ago, early Egyptians made the very first recorded kind of a crane. The original apparatus was called a shaduf and was initially 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 connected and on the other end of the beam, a bucket was connected.
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 known as a boom. The boom was connected to a base that rotates. The wheel or the treadmill was a power-driven operation which had a drum with a rope which wrapped around it. This rope additionally 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 made utilizing cranes. Cranes were also used to load and unload ships in major ports. Over time, significant crane design developments evolved. Like for example, 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 machine. Following the 16th century, cranes had incorporated two treadmills on each side of a rotating housing which held the boom.
Even until the mid-19th century, cranes continued to depend on animals and humans for power. Once steam engines were developed, this all quickly changed. At the turn of the century, electric motors and 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 could obviously run longer also with their new power sources and thus carry out larger jobs in less time.