Crane
A crane combines lifting machinery with a frame, boom or tower to move heavy loads. Hoists, ropes, pulleys and counterweights allow material to b...
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Construction & Infrastructure · 25 entries
A crane combines lifting machinery with a frame, boom or tower to move heavy loads. Hoists, ropes, pulleys and counterweights allow material to b...
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A treadwheel crane lifts loads using power from people walking inside a large wheel. Gearing and rope drums convert that motion into the controll...
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A lewis fits into a specially cut socket in a stone block so the block can be lifted. Different wedge and pin arrangements grip the stone as tens...
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A block and tackle runs a rope through multiple pulleys to reduce the effort needed to lift a load. The supporting rope sections share the load,...
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A pile driver repeatedly applies force to drive a pile into the ground. Falling weights and later steam, diesel and hydraulic mechanisms helped c...
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A steam shovel uses powered winches and a boom-mounted bucket to dig and load earth. It mechanized major excavation work before diesel and hydrau...
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An excavator positions a digging attachment from a rotating upper structure. Modern hydraulic versions coordinate boom, stick and bucket movement...
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A dragline pulls a suspended bucket toward the machine across the ground. Hoist and drag ropes allow excavation at a considerable reach, making t...
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A bucket-wheel excavator cuts material with a continuously rotating wheel fitted with buckets. Conveyors carry the excavated material away, suppo...
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A bulldozer pushes and spreads earth with a broad blade mounted on a powerful tractor. Tracked running gear distributes its weight and provides t...
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A backhoe loader combines a front loading bucket with a rear digging arm. The two attachments give one mobile machine the ability to dig trenches...
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A skid-steer loader turns by driving its left and right wheels at different speeds. Its compact frame and interchangeable attachments suit loadin...
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A road roller compacts surfaces with heavy drums or wheels. Animal-drawn, steam and internal-combustion versions helped consolidate road foundati...
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A steamroller applies the weight of a steam-powered vehicle through broad rollers. It combined self-propulsion with compaction for road building...
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A grader levels ground using a long, adjustable blade between its axles. Changes in blade angle and height allow it to shape road surfaces, shoul...
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A wheel tractor-scraper cuts soil into an onboard bowl as it moves forward. The same machine can haul the material and spread it elsewhere, combi...
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A tunnel boring machine excavates a passage with a powered cutting head. Modern systems also remove spoil and can support or line the tunnel as t...
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The Greathead shield protected workers at the tunnel face while allowing a circular lining to be installed behind it. Its development helped make...
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A tunnelling shield supports the ground around an excavation face while the tunnel lining is assembled. Brunel's Thames Tunnel shield was an earl...
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A concrete mixer combines cement, aggregate and water using a rotating drum or mixing paddles. Mechanized mixing improved consistency and supplie...
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A concrete pump pushes workable concrete through pipes or hoses to the placing point. Coordinated pumping and distribution systems allow material...
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An elevator moves a guided car between levels of a building. Hoisting systems, controls and safety devices developed together to make vertical tr...
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An escalator carries passengers on a continuous loop of moving steps. Tracks keep the step surfaces level through the inclined section and guide...
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A paternoster moves a continuous chain of open passenger compartments through a building. Its slow, uninterrupted circulation offered frequent ac...
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A hydraulic elevator raises its car through pressure acting on a piston. Direct-acting and roped arrangements translated fluid power into guided...
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