Early Crane Evolution
More than 4000 years ago, early Egyptians made the first recorded kind of a crane. The original apparatus was known as a shaduf and was initially utilized to transport water. The crane was made out of a long pivoting beam that 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.
In the first century, cranes were made to be powered by animals or humans that were moving on a wheel or a treadmill. These cranes had a long wooden boom referred to as a beam. The boom was attached to a rotating base. The treadmill or the wheel was a power-driven operation which had a drum with a rope which wrapped around it. This rope also had a hook that carried the weight and was connected to a pulley at the top of the boom.
Cranes were used extensively during the Middle Ages to build the enormous cathedrals within Europe. These devices were also utilized to load and unload ships in main ports. Eventually, major crane design advancements evolved. Like for example, 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 really increasing the range of motion for the machine. After the 16th century, each side of a rotating housing that held the boom incorporated two treadmills.
Cranes utilized humans and animals for power until the mid-19th century. This all changes quickly once steam engines were developed. 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 longer lasting and more efficient. They could obviously run longer as well with their new power sources and hence finish bigger tasks in less time.