Mechanization (or mechanisation ) is the process of changing from working largely or exclusively by hand or with animals to doing that work with machinery. In an early engineering text, a machine is defined as follows:
82-441: Every machine is constructed for the purpose of performing certain mechanical operations, each of which supposes the existence of two other things besides the machine in question, namely, a moving power, and an object subject to the operation, which may be termed the work to be done. Machines, in fact, are interposed between the power and the work, for the purpose of adapting the one to the other. In every fields, mechanization includes
164-540: A hay rick ("corn" in British English retains its older sense of " grain " generally, not " maize "). Ricks are made in an area inaccessible to livestock, called a rick-yard or stack-yard . The corn-rick is later broken down and the sheaves threshed to separate the grain from the straw. Collecting spilt grain from the field after reaping is called gleaning , and is traditionally done either by hand, or by penning animals such as chickens or pigs onto
246-579: A manual task , cutting of both grain and hay may be called reaping, involving scythes , sickles , and cradles , followed by differing downstream steps. Traditionally all such cutting could be called reaping, although a distinction between reaping of grain grasses and mowing of hay grasses has long existed; it was only after a decade of attempts at combined grain reaper/hay mower machines (1830s to 1840s) that designers of mechanical implements began resigning them to separate classes. Mechanical reapers substantially changed agriculture from their appearance in
328-440: A scythe , or a scythe fitted with a grain cradle . Reaping is usually distinguished from mowing , which uses similar implements, but is the traditional term for cutting grass for hay, rather than reaping cereals . The stiffer, dryer straw of the cereal plants and the greener grasses for hay usually demand different blades on the machines. The reaped grain stalks are gathered into sheaves (bunches), tied with string or with
410-502: A (near-) synonym both by Harris and in later language derives ultimately (via Old French ) from Latin ingenium 'ingenuity, an invention'. The hand axe , made by chipping flint to form a wedge , in the hands of a human transforms force and movement of the tool into a transverse splitting forces and movement of the workpiece. The hand axe is the first example of a wedge , the oldest of the six classic simple machines , from which most machines are based. The second oldest simple machine
492-430: A conveyor. Power steering for automobiles uses hydraulic mechanisms, as does practically all earth moving equipment and other construction equipment and many attachments to tractors. Pneumatic (usually compressed air) power is widely used to operate industrial valves. By the early 20th century machines developed the ability to perform more complex operations that had previously been done by skilled craftsmen. An example
574-441: A gang of 20 to 40 men will require a financial compensation for their work at least equal to the required expended food calories (which is at least 4 to 20 times higher). In most situations, the worker will also want compensation for the lost time, which is easily 96 times greater per day. Even if we assume the real wage cost for the human labour to be at US $ 1.00/day, an energy cost is generated of about $ 4.00/kWh. Despite this being
656-401: A lever is modeled as a hinged or revolute joint . Wheel: The wheel is an important early machine, such as the chariot . A wheel uses the law of the lever to reduce the force needed to overcome friction when pulling a load. To see this notice that the friction associated with pulling a load on the ground is approximately the same as the friction in a simple bearing that supports the load on
738-521: A low wage for hard labour, even in some of the countries with the lowest wages, it represents an energy cost that is significantly more expensive than even exotic power sources such as solar photovoltaic panels (and thus even more expensive when compared to wind energy harvesters or luminescent solar concentrators). For simplification, one can study mechanization as a series of steps. Many students refer to this series as indicating basic-to-advanced forms of mechanical society. Machine A machine
820-420: A machine is "a device for applying power or changing its direction."McCarthy and Soh describe a machine as a system that "generally consists of a power source and a mechanism for the controlled use of this power." Human and animal effort were the original power sources for early machines. Waterwheel: Waterwheels appeared around the world around 300 BC to use flowing water to generate rotary motion, which
902-470: A machine provides a way to understand the performance of devices ranging from levers and gear trains to automobiles and robotic systems. The German mechanician Franz Reuleaux wrote, "a machine is a combination of resistant bodies so arranged that by their means the mechanical forces of nature can be compelled to do work accompanied by certain determinate motion." Notice that forces and motion combine to define power . More recently, Uicker et al. stated that
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#1732781183359984-838: A mechanical system is assembled from components called machine elements . These elements provide structure for the system and control its movement. The structural components are, generally, the frame members, bearings, splines, springs, seals, fasteners and covers. The shape, texture and color of covers provide a styling and operational interface between the mechanical system and its users. The assemblies that control movement are also called " mechanisms ." Mechanisms are generally classified as gears and gear trains , which includes belt drives and chain drives , cam and follower mechanisms, and linkages , though there are other special mechanisms such as clamping linkages, indexing mechanisms , escapements and friction devices such as brakes and clutches . The number of degrees of freedom of
1066-500: A mechanism, or its mobility, depends on the number of links and joints and the types of joints used to construct the mechanism. The general mobility of a mechanism is the difference between the unconstrained freedom of the links and the number of constraints imposed by the joints. It is described by the Chebychev–Grübler–Kutzbach criterion . The transmission of rotation between contacting toothed wheels can be traced back to
1148-412: A point farther from the pivot is greater than the velocity of a point near the pivot, forces applied far from the pivot are amplified near the pivot by the associated decrease in speed. If a is the distance from the pivot to the point where the input force is applied and b is the distance to the point where the output force is applied, then a/b is the mechanical advantage of the lever. The fulcrum of
1230-430: A pressure vessel; the expanding steam drives a piston or a turbine. This principle can be seen in the aeolipile of Hero of Alexandria. This is called an external combustion engine . An automobile engine is called an internal combustion engine because it burns fuel (an exothermic chemical reaction) inside a cylinder and uses the expanding gases to drive a piston . A jet engine uses a turbine to compress air which
1312-534: A programmable drum machine , where they could be made to play different rhythms and different drum patterns. During the Renaissance , the dynamics of the Mechanical Powers , as the simple machines were called, began to be studied from the standpoint of how much useful work they could perform, leading eventually to the new concept of mechanical work . In 1586 Flemish engineer Simon Stevin derived
1394-413: A ruling on the invention of the polarizing reaper design. It was determined that the money made from reapers was in large part due to Obed Hussey. S. T. Shubert, the acting commissioner of patents, declared that Hussey's improvements were the foundation of their success. It was ruled that the heirs of Obed Hussey would be monetarily compensated for his hard work and innovation by those who had made money from
1476-505: A sawlike cutter bar that cut stalks far more effectively than McCormick's. Only once Cyrus McCormick was able to acquire the rights to Hussey's cutter-bar mechanism (around 1850) did a truly revolutionary machine emerge. Other factors in the gradual uptake of mechanized reaping included natural cultural conservatism among farmers (proven tradition versus new and unknown machinery); the poor state of many new farm fields, which were often littered with rocks, stumps, and areas of uneven soil, making
1558-459: A specific application of output forces and movement, (iii) a controller with sensors that compare the output to a performance goal and then directs the actuator input, and (iv) an interface to an operator consisting of levers, switches, and displays. This can be seen in Watt's steam engine in which the power is provided by steam expanding to drive the piston. The walking beam, coupler and crank transform
1640-646: A system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement. They can also include computers and sensors that monitor performance and plan movement, often called mechanical systems . Renaissance natural philosophers identified six simple machines which were the elementary devices that put a load into motion, and calculated the ratio of output force to input force, known today as mechanical advantage . Modern machines are complex systems that consist of structural elements, mechanisms and control components and include interfaces for convenient use. Examples include:
1722-483: A towed artillery unit is considered motorized while a self-propelled one is mechanized. When we compare the efficiency of a labourer, we see that he has an efficiency of about 1%–5.5% (depending on whether he uses arms, or a combination of arms and legs). Internal combustion engines mostly have an efficiency of about 20%, although large diesel engines , such as those used to power ships, may have efficiencies of nearly 50%. Industrial electric motors have efficiencies up to
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#17327811833591804-479: A twist of straw. Several sheaves are then leant against each other with the ears off the ground to dry out, forming a stook . After drying, the sheaves are gathered from the field and stacked, being placed with the ears inwards, then covered with thatch or a tarpaulin ; this is called a stack or rick . In the British Isles a rick of sheaves is traditionally called a corn rick , to distinguish it from
1886-421: A variety of materials including coal, ores, grains, sand, gravel and wood products. Construction equipment includes cranes , concrete mixers , concrete pumps , cherry pickers and an assortment of power tools. Powered machinery today usually means either by electric motor or internal combustion engine. Before the first decade of the 20th century powered usually meant by steam engine, water or wind. Many of
1968-403: A wide range of vehicles , such as trains , automobiles , boats and airplanes ; appliances in the home and office, including computers, building air handling and water handling systems ; as well as farm machinery , machine tools and factory automation systems and robots . The English word machine comes through Middle French from Latin machina , which in turn derives from
2050-606: Is a classification of machinery which includes sub classes by engine type, such as internal combustion, combustion turbine and steam. Inside factories, warehouses, lumber yards and other manufacturing and distribution operations, material handling equipment replaced manual carrying or hand trucks and carts. In mining and excavation, power shovels replaced picks and shovels. Rock and ore crushing had been done for centuries by water-powered trip hammers , but trip hammers have been replaced by modern ore crushers and ball mills . Bulk material handling systems and equipment are used for
2132-436: Is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolecules, such as molecular machines . Machines can be driven by animals and people , by natural forces such as wind and water , and by chemical , thermal , or electrical power, and include
2214-410: Is burned with fuel so that it expands through a nozzle to provide thrust to an aircraft , and so is also an "internal combustion engine." Power plant: The heat from coal and natural gas combustion in a boiler generates steam that drives a steam turbine to rotate an electric generator . A nuclear power plant uses heat from a nuclear reactor to generate steam and electric power . This power
2296-423: Is called the cam (also see cam shaft ) and the link that is driven through the direct contact of their surfaces is called the follower. The shape of the contacting surfaces of the cam and follower determines the movement of the mechanism. A linkage is a collection of links connected by joints. Generally, the links are the structural elements and the joints allow movement. Perhaps the single most useful example
2378-603: Is distributed through a network of transmission lines for industrial and individual use. Motors: Electric motors use either AC or DC electric current to generate rotational movement. Electric servomotors are the actuators for mechanical systems ranging from robotic systems to modern aircraft . Fluid Power: Hydraulic and pneumatic systems use electrically driven pumps to drive water or air respectively into cylinders to power linear movement . Electrochemical: Chemicals and materials can also be sources of power. They may chemically deplete or need re-charging, as
2460-401: Is made by chipping stone, generally flint, to form a bifacial edge, or wedge . A wedge is a simple machine that transforms lateral force and movement of the tool into a transverse splitting force and movement of the workpiece. The available power is limited by the effort of the person using the tool, but because power is the product of force and movement, the wedge amplifies the force by reducing
2542-420: Is the case with batteries , or they may produce power without changing their state, which is the case for solar cells and thermoelectric generators . All of these, however, still require their energy to come from elsewhere. With batteries, it is the already existing chemical potential energy inside. In solar cells and thermoelectrics, the energy source is light and heat respectively. The mechanism of
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2624-807: Is the glass bottle making machine developed 1905. It replaced highly paid glass blowers and child labor helpers and led to the mass production of glass bottles. After 1900 factories were electrified , and electric motors and controls were used to perform more complicated mechanical operations. This resulted in mechanized processes to manufacture almost all goods. In manufacturing, mechanization replaced hand methods of making goods. Prime movers are devices that convert thermal, potential or kinetic energy into mechanical work. Prime movers include internal combustion engines, combustion turbines (jet engines), water wheels and turbines, windmills and wind turbines and steam engines and turbines. Powered transportation equipment such as locomotives, automobiles and trucks and airplanes,
2706-421: Is the planar four-bar linkage . However, there are many more special linkages: A planar mechanism is a mechanical system that is constrained so the trajectories of points in all the bodies of the system lie on planes parallel to a ground plane. The rotational axes of hinged joints that connect the bodies in the system are perpendicular to this ground plane. A spherical mechanism is a mechanical system in which
2788-516: The Antikythera mechanism of Greece and the south-pointing chariot of China . Illustrations by the renaissance scientist Georgius Agricola show gear trains with cylindrical teeth. The implementation of the involute tooth yielded a standard gear design that provides a constant speed ratio. Some important features of gears and gear trains are: A cam and follower is formed by the direct contact of two specially shaped links. The driving link
2870-517: The Greek ( Doric μαχανά makhana , Ionic μηχανή mekhane 'contrivance, machine, engine', a derivation from μῆχος mekhos 'means, expedient, remedy' ). The word mechanical (Greek: μηχανικός ) comes from the same Greek roots. A wider meaning of 'fabric, structure' is found in classical Latin, but not in Greek usage. This meaning is found in late medieval French, and is adopted from
2952-584: The Twelfth Dynasty (1991–1802 BC). The screw , the last of the simple machines to be invented, first appeared in Mesopotamia during the Neo-Assyrian period (911–609) BC. The Egyptian pyramids were built using three of the six simple machines, the inclined plane, the wedge, and the lever. Three of the simple machines were studied and described by Greek philosopher Archimedes around
3034-497: The lever , pulley and screw as simple machines . By the time of the Renaissance this list increased to include the wheel and axle , wedge and inclined plane . The modern approach to characterizing machines focusses on the components that allow movement, known as joints . Wedge (hand axe): Perhaps the first example of a device designed to manage power is the hand axe , also called biface and Olorgesailie . A hand axe
3116-472: The mechanical reaper , a more accurate statement is that he independently reinvented aspects of it, created a crucial original integration of enough aspects to make a successful whole, and benefited from the influence of more than two decades of work by his father, as well as the aid of Jo Anderson, a slave held by his family. After the first reapers were developed and patented, other slightly different reapers were distributed by several manufacturers throughout
3198-456: The 13th century, water wheels powered sawmills and trip hammers , to pull cloth and pound flax and later cotton rags into pulp for making paper. Trip hammers are shown crushing ore in De re Metallica (1555). Clocks were some of the most complex early mechanical devices. Clock makers were important developers of machine tools including gear and screw cutting machines, and were also involved in
3280-415: The 1830s until the 1860s through 1880s, when they evolved into related machines, often called by different names (self-raking reaper, harvester, reaper-binder , grain binder, binder), that collected and bound the sheaves of grain with wire or twine . Hand reaping is done by various means, including plucking the ears of grains directly by hand, cutting the grain stalks with a sickle , cutting them with
3362-516: The 3rd century BC: the lever, pulley and screw. Archimedes discovered the principle of mechanical advantage in the lever. Later Greek philosophers defined the classic five simple machines (excluding the inclined plane) and were able to roughly calculate their mechanical advantage. Hero of Alexandria ( c. 10 –75 AD) in his work Mechanics lists five mechanisms that can "set a load in motion"; lever, windlass , pulley, wedge, and screw, and describes their fabrication and uses. However,
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3444-551: The French into English in the mid-16th century. In the 17th century, the word machine could also mean a scheme or plot, a meaning now expressed by the derived machination . The modern meaning develops out of specialized application of the term to stage engines used in theater and to military siege engines , both in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The OED traces the formal, modern meaning to John Harris ' Lexicon Technicum (1704), which has: The word engine used as
3526-622: The Greeks' understanding was limited to statics (the balance of forces) and did not include dynamics (the tradeoff between force and distance) or the concept of work . The earliest practical wind-powered machines, the windmill and wind pump , first appeared in the Muslim world during the Islamic Golden Age , in what are now Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, by the 9th century AD. The earliest practical steam-powered machine
3608-533: The Muslim world. A music sequencer , a programmable musical instrument , was the earliest type of programmable machine. The first music sequencer was an automated flute player invented by the Banu Musa brothers, described in their Book of Ingenious Devices , in the 9th century. In 1206, Al-Jazari invented programmable automata / robots . He described four automaton musicians, including drummers operated by
3690-409: The axle of a wheel. However, the wheel forms a lever that magnifies the pulling force so that it overcomes the frictional resistance in the bearing. The classification of simple machines to provide a strategy for the design of new machines was developed by Franz Reuleaux , who collected and studied over 800 elementary machines. He recognized that the classical simple machines can be separated into
3772-469: The bodies in the system form lines in space that do not intersect and have distinct common normals. A flexure mechanism consists of a series of rigid bodies connected by compliant elements (also known as flexure joints) that is designed to produce a geometrically well-defined motion upon application of a force. Reaper A reaper is a farm implement or person that reaps (cuts and often also gathers) crops at harvest when they are ripe. Usually
3854-411: The bodies move in a way that the trajectories of points in the system lie on concentric spheres. The rotational axes of hinged joints that connect the bodies in the system pass through the center of these circle. A spatial mechanism is a mechanical system that has at least one body that moves in a way that its point trajectories are general space curves. The rotational axes of hinged joints that connect
3936-487: The combined work capability of a human is also much lower than that of a machine. An average human worker can provide work good for around 0,9 hp (2.3 MJ per hour) while a machine (depending on the type and size) can provide for far greater amounts of work. For example, it takes more than one and a half hour of hard labour to deliver only one kWh – which a small engine could deliver in less than one hour while burning less than one litre of petroleum fuel. This implies that
4018-504: The crop involved is a cereal grass. The first documented reaping machines were Gallic reapers that were used in Roman times in what would become modern-day France. The Gallic reaper involved a comb which collected the heads, with an operator knocking the grain into a box for later threshing . Most modern mechanical reapers cut grass ; most also gather it, either by windrowing or picking it up. Modern machines that not only cut and gather
4100-578: The double acting steam engine practical. The Boulton and Watt steam engine and later designs powered steam locomotives , steam ships , and factories . The Industrial Revolution was a period from 1750 to 1850 where changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times. It began in the United Kingdom , then subsequently spread throughout Western Europe , North America , Japan , and eventually
4182-503: The early machines and machine tools were hand powered, but most changed over to water or steam power by the early 19th century. Before electrification , mill and factory power was usually transmitted using a line shaft . Electrification allowed individual machines to each be powered by a separate motor in what is called unit drive . Unit drive allowed factories to be better arranged and allowed different machines to run at different speeds. Unit drive also allowed much higher speeds, which
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#17327811833594264-406: The field. Hand reaping is now rarely done in industrialized countries, but is still the normal method where machines are unavailable or where access for them is limited (such as on narrow terraces). The more or less skeletal figure of a reaper with a scythe – known as the "Grim Reaper" – is a common personification of death in many Western traditions and cultures. In this metaphor, death harvests
4346-529: The first mechanical devices used in agriculture was the seed drill invented by Jethro Tull around 1700. The seed drill allowed more uniform spacing of seed and planting depth than hand methods, increasing yields and saving valuable seed. In 1817, the first bicycle was invented and used in Germany. Mechanized agriculture greatly increased in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries with horse drawn reapers and horse powered threshing machines . By
4428-411: The grass but also thresh its seeds (the grain ), winnow the grain, and deliver it to a truck or wagon, called combine harvesters or simply combines, which are the engineering descendants of earlier reapers. Hay is harvested somewhat differently from grain; in modern haymaking , the machine that cuts the grass is called a hay mower or, if integrated with a conditioner , a mower-conditioner. As
4510-646: The late nineteenth century steam power was applied to threshing and steam tractors appeared. Internal combustion began being used for tractors in the early twentieth century. Threshing and harvesting was originally done with attachments for tractors, but in the 1930s independently powered combine harvesters were in use. In the mid to late 19th century, hydraulic and pneumatic devices were able to power various mechanical actions, such as positioning tools or work pieces. Pile drivers and steam hammers are examples for heavy work. In food processing, pneumatic or hydraulic devices could start and stop filling of cans or bottles on
4592-417: The lever, pulley and wheel and axle that are formed by a body rotating about a hinge, and the inclined plane, wedge and screw that are similarly a block sliding on a flat surface. Simple machines are elementary examples of kinematic chains or linkages that are used to model mechanical systems ranging from the steam engine to robot manipulators. The bearings that form the fulcrum of a lever and that allow
4674-481: The lifespan and operability of a reaping machine questionable; and some amount of fearful Luddism among farmers that the machine would take away jobs, most especially among hired manual labourers . Another strong competitor in the industry was the Manny Reaper by John Henry Manny and the companies that succeeded him. Even though McCormick has sometimes been simplistically credited as the [sole] "inventor" of
4756-529: The linear movement of the piston into rotation of the output pulley. Finally, the pulley rotation drives the flyball governor which controls the valve for the steam input to the piston cylinder. The adjective "mechanical" refers to skill in the practical application of an art or science, as well as relating to or caused by movement, physical forces, properties or agents such as is dealt with by mechanics . Similarly Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "mechanical" as relating to machinery or tools. Power flow through
4838-523: The living, like a farmer harvests the crops. A mechanical reaper or reaping machine is a mechanical, semi-automated device that harvests crops. Mechanical reapers and their descendant machines have been an important part of mechanized agriculture and a main feature of agricultural productivity . The 19th century saw several inventors in the United States claim innovation in mechanical reapers. The various designs competed with each other, and were
4920-422: The low 90% range, before correcting for the conversion efficiency of fuel to electricity of about 35%. When we compare the costs of using an internal combustion engine to a worker to perform work, we notice that an engine can perform more work at a comparative cost. 1 liter of fossil fuel burnt with an IC engine equals about 50 hands of workers operating for 24 hours or 275 arms and legs for 24 hours. In addition,
5002-564: The mathematical development of gear designs. Clocks were some of the earliest mass-produced items, beginning around 1830. Water-powered bellows for blast furnaces, used in China in ancient times, were in use in Europe by the 15th century. De re Metallica contains drawings related to bellows for blast furnaces including a fabrication drawing. Improved gear designs decreased wear and increased efficiency. Mathematical gear designs were developed in
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#17327811833595084-758: The mechanical advantage of the inclined plane, and it was included with the other simple machines. The complete dynamic theory of simple machines was worked out by Italian scientist Galileo Galilei in 1600 in Le Meccaniche ("On Mechanics"). He was the first to understand that simple machines do not create energy , they merely transform it. The classic rules of sliding friction in machines were discovered by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), but remained unpublished in his notebooks. They were rediscovered by Guillaume Amontons (1699) and were further developed by Charles-Augustin de Coulomb (1785). James Watt patented his parallel motion linkage in 1782, which made
5166-405: The mid 17th century. French mathematician and engineer Desargues designed and constructed the first mill with epicycloidal teeth ca. 1650. In the 18th century involute gears , another mathematical derived design, came into use. Involute gears are better for meshing gears of different sizes than epicycloidal. Gear cutting machines came into use in the 18th century. The Newcomen steam engine
5248-421: The mid-1800s. After the early decades of the 19th century, iron increasingly replaced wood in gearing and shafts in textile machinery. In the 1840s self acting machine tools were developed. Machinery was developed to make nails ca. 1810. The Fourdrinier paper machine for continuous production of paper was patented in 1801, displacing the centuries-old hand method of making individual sheets of paper. One of
5330-408: The movement. This amplification, or mechanical advantage is the ratio of the input speed to output speed. For a wedge this is given by 1/tanα, where α is the tip angle. The faces of a wedge are modeled as straight lines to form a sliding or prismatic joint . Lever: The lever is another important and simple device for managing power. This is a body that pivots on a fulcrum. Because the velocity of
5412-419: The output of one crank to the input of another. Additional links can be attached to form a six-bar linkage or in series to form a robot. A mechanical system manages power to accomplish a task that involves forces and movement. Modern machines are systems consisting of (i) a power source and actuators that generate forces and movement, (ii) a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve
5494-403: The primary elements of a machine. Starting with four types of joints, the rotary joint, sliding joint, cam joint and gear joint, and related connections such as cables and belts, it is possible to understand a machine as an assembly of solid parts that connect these joints called a mechanism . Two levers, or cranks, are combined into a planar four-bar linkage by attaching a link that connects
5576-482: The reaper. It was also ruled that McCormick's reaper patent would be renewed for another seven years. Although the McCormick reaper was a revolutionary innovation for the harvesting of crops, it did not experience mainstream success and acceptance until at least 20 years after it was patented by Cyrus McCormick. This was because the McCormick reaper lacked a quality unique to Obed Hussey's reaper. Hussey's reaper used
5658-467: The rest of the world. Starting in the later part of the 18th century, there began a transition in parts of Great Britain 's previously manual labour and draft-animal-based economy towards machine-based manufacturing. It started with the mechanisation of the textile industries, the development of iron-making techniques and the increased use of refined coal . The idea that a machine can be decomposed into simple movable elements led Archimedes to define
5740-667: The subject of several lawsuits. Obed Hussey in Ohio patented a reaper in 1833, the Hussey Reaper . Made in Baltimore, Maryland , Hussey's design was a major improvement in reaping efficiency. The new reaper only required two horses working in a non-strenuous manner, a man to work the machine, and another person to drive. In addition, the Hussey Reaper left an even and clean surface after its use. The McCormick Reaper
5822-484: The use of hand tools. In modern usage, such as in engineering or economics, mechanization implies machinery more complex than hand tools and would not include simple devices such as an ungeared horse or donkey mill. Devices that cause speed changes or changes to or from reciprocating to rotary motion, using means such as gears , pulleys or sheaves and belts, shafts , cams and cranks , usually are considered machines. After electrification , when most small machinery
5904-399: The wheel and axle and pulleys to rotate are examples of a kinematic pair called a hinged joint. Similarly, the flat surface of an inclined plane and wedge are examples of the kinematic pair called a sliding joint. The screw is usually identified as its own kinematic pair called a helical joint. This realization shows that it is the joints, or the connections that provide movement, that are
5986-575: The world. The Champion (Combined) Reapers and Mowers , produced by the Champion Interest group ( Champion Machine Company , later Warder, Bushnell & Glessner , absorbed in IHC 1902) in Springfield, Ohio in the second half of the 19th century, were highly successful in the 1880s in the United States. Springfield is still known as "The Champion City". Generally, reapers developed into
6068-696: Was a steam jack driven by a steam turbine , described in 1551 by Taqi ad-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf in Ottoman Egypt . The cotton gin was invented in India by the 6th century AD, and the spinning wheel was invented in the Islamic world by the early 11th century, both of which were fundamental to the growth of the cotton industry . The spinning wheel was also a precursor to the spinning jenny . The earliest programmable machines were developed in
6150-564: Was actually invented in 1831, giving him the true claim to the general design of the machine. Over the next few decades the Hussey and McCormick reapers would compete with each other in the marketplace, despite being quite similar. By the 1850s, the original patents of both Hussey and McCormick had expired and many other manufacturers put similar machines on the market. In 1861, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued
6232-613: Was applied to milling grain, and powering lumber, machining and textile operations . Modern water turbines use water flowing through a dam to drive an electric generator . Windmill: Early windmills captured wind power to generate rotary motion for milling operations. Modern wind turbines also drives a generator. This electricity in turn is used to drive motors forming the actuators of mechanical systems. Engine: The word engine derives from "ingenuity" and originally referred to contrivances that may or may not be physical devices. A steam engine uses heat to boil water contained in
6314-609: Was designed by Robert McCormick in Walnut Grove , Virginia . However, Robert became frustrated when he was unable to perfect his new device. His son Cyrus asked for permission to try to complete his father's project. With permission granted, the McCormick Reaper was patented by his son Cyrus McCormick in 1834 as a horse-drawn farm implement to cut small grain crops. This McCormick reaper machine had several special elements: Cyrus McCormick claimed that his reaper
6396-790: Was especially important for machine tools . A step beyond mechanization is automation . Early production machinery, such as the glass bottle blowing machine (ca. 1890s), required a lot of operator involvement. By the 1920s fully automatic machines, which required much less operator attention, were being used. The term is also used in the military to refer to the use of tracked armoured vehicles , particularly armoured personnel carriers , to move troops ( mechanized infantry ) that would otherwise have marched or ridden trucks into combat. In military terminology, mechanized refers to ground units that can fight from vehicles, while motorized refers to units ( motorized infantry ) that are transported and go to battle in unarmoured vehicles such as trucks. Thus,
6478-409: Was first used, to pump water from a mine, in 1712. John Smeaton introduced metal gears and axles to water wheels in the mid to last half of the 18th century. The Industrial Revolution started mainly with textile machinery, such as the spinning jenny (1764) and water frame (1768). Demand for metal parts used in textile machinery led to the invention of many machine tools in the late 1700s until
6560-564: Was no longer hand powered, mechanization was synonymous with motorized machines. Extension of mechanization of the production process is termed as automation and it is controlled by a closed loop system in which feedback is provided by the sensors. In an automated machine the work of different mechanisms is performed automatically. Water wheels date to the Roman period and were used to grind grain and lift irrigation water. Water-powered bellows were in use on blast furnaces in China in 31 AD. By
6642-456: Was the inclined plane (ramp), which has been used since prehistoric times to move heavy objects. The other four simple machines were invented in the ancient Near East . The wheel , along with the wheel and axle mechanism, was invented in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) during the 5th millennium BC. The lever mechanism first appeared around 5,000 years ago in the Near East , where it
6724-491: Was used in a simple balance scale , and to move large objects in ancient Egyptian technology . The lever was also used in the shadoof water-lifting device, the first crane machine, which appeared in Mesopotamia c. 3000 BC , and then in ancient Egyptian technology c. 2000 BC . The earliest evidence of pulleys date back to Mesopotamia in the early 2nd millennium BC, and ancient Egypt during
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