Early Crane Evolution
The very first recorded concept or kind 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 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.
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 called a beam. The boom was connected to a base that rotates. The treadmill or the wheel was a power-driven operation that 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 in the Middle Ages to build the huge cathedrals in Europe. These devices were also designed to unload and load ships in main ports. Eventually, major advancements in crane design evolved. Like for instance, a horizontal boom was added to and was referred to as the jib. This boom addition enabled cranes to have the ability to pivot, thus greatly increasing the range of motion for the machine. After the 16th century, each side of a rotating housing which held the boom incorporated two treadmills.
Cranes utilized humans and animals for power until the mid-19th century. This all changes quickly when steam engines were developed. At the turn of the century, Internal combustion or IC engines and electric motors emerged. Cranes also became designed out of cast iron and steel rather than wood. The new designs proved more efficient and longer lasting. They could obviously run longer too with their new power sources and hence finish bigger jobs in less time.