For grinding grain into flour, a mortar and pestle made of stone have long been used. Subsequently, a method of grinding grain appeared, but it was also quite laborious. Only much later such primitive methods were replaced by manual mechanisms. A big step forward was the invention of the water mill, which was powered by cheap natural energy.
Instructions
Step 1
A water mill is a hydraulic structure that uses the energy of water movement. To transfer the force from the water flow to the working body, a water wheel was invented, usually equipped with a gear transmission. To make the flow of water more powerful, the river on which the mill was installed was blocked off with a dam. In this artificial obstacle, a hole was left through which the jets penetrated. Water fell on the blades of the wheel, driving it into rotation.
Step 2
Apparently, irrigation machines became the prototype of the first water mills, by means of which they raised water from reservoirs to the fields to irrigate the cultivated areas. The first such devices were wooden rims on which ladles were mounted. When a wheel mounted on a horizontal axis was put into the river, it began to rotate. The scoops were successively submerged in the water and raised upward, after which they overturned into a special chute.
Step 3
The described principle was the basis for the operation of a water mill. Only now the rotating wheel did not supply water, but set in motion a special mechanism. Powerful jets of water affected the blades of the wheel, it rotated at a constant speed, and the force was transmitted to the shaft. This shaft ended with a device that made the direct grinding of the grain.
Step 4
One of the most critical components of a water mill is its transmission mechanism, designed to convert rotational energy. Mechanics of the past used a wheel drive for this purpose. It consisted of two wheels, the axes of rotation of which are parallel to each other. When the drive wheel began to rotate, friction arose between the elements of such a system. At this moment, the driven wheel was also set in motion.
Step 5
Subsequently, instead of smooth wheels, gear began to be used in the transmission. This solution increased the traction force and prevented slippage. A similar invention was made a long time ago - about one and a half to two thousand years ago. The biggest disadvantage of the gear transmission at that time was the complex technology of its manufacture, which required high precision when cutting teeth.
Step 6
The solution to the difficult problem of the invention of the transmission mechanism has made the water mill efficient and easy to use. This mechanism was further developed and for many centuries was used not only in agriculture for grinding grain, but also in industry, where it powered a variety of tools. Historians consider the invention of the water mill to be an important step towards advanced machine production.
