Early Crane Evolution
More than 4000 years ago, early Egyptians created the first recorded kind of a crane. The original device was called a shaduf and was first used to transport water. The crane was made out of a pivoting long beam which balanced on a vertical support. On one end a bucket was attached and on the other end of the beam, a heavy weight was connected.
Cranes that were made during the first century were powered by animals or by humans 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 attached 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 additionally had a hook which carried the weight and was attached to a pulley at the top of the boom.
In Europe, the huge cathedrals established during the Middle Ages were build utilizing cranes. Cranes were also designed to unload and load ships within major ports. Eventually, significant crane design developments evolved. 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, hence greatly 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 used 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 as well as internal combustion or IC engines emerged. Moreover, cranes became designed out of cast iron and steel rather than wood. The new designs proved longer lasting and more efficient. They could obviously run longer also with their new power sources and therefore complete larger tasks in less time.