4 ms·

Another interesting method for power transmission in the early days of industrialization was the line shaft (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_shaft https://en

Another interesting method for power transmission in the early days of industrialization was the line shaft (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_shaft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_shaft). These were used only for a single factory, not for a whole city, though. You can see these if you go visit old textile plants in New England, for example.

dredmorbius 7y ago
Also hydraulic accumulators: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Hydraulic_Power_Company https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Hydraulic_Power_Company https://99percentinvisible.org/article/running-on-water-the-hydraulic-system-that-tapped-the-thames-to-power-london/ https://99percentinvisible.org/article/running-on-water-the-...
- camtarn 7y ago
  Amusingly, modern hydraulic accumulators of a different sort may still have a role in power generation. I'm working on a couple of wave generator projects where the waves pump hydraulic rams, storing pulses of pressure in hydraulic accumulators, where it's then used to drive a generator at a more constant speed.
  - dredmorbius 7y ago
    Intresting, though wave power is a minusculy small overall altrnative energy source with massive capital feqirements. There are better options to pursue. Pumped hydro is ... after a fashion ... a vastly more appropriate hydraulic accumulator, as is CAES.
walshemj 7y ago
Back when I did a mechanical engineering BTECH (higher vocational UK quali) in the 80's - we still learnt how to design a belt drive.
- TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
  Would belt drive systems still be covered in mechanical engineering? The 4kW laser cutter I operate for work has (toothed) belts in it, so presumably the drive systems are covered under mechanical engineering?
  - jbay808 7y ago
    Belt drive systems are still an essential mechanical design component, both for power transmission and motion control, and certainly still covered in university classes these days.
  - dsfyu404ed 7y ago
    Yes. You'll study the shit out of old school flat belts because V-belts, serpentine and cogged belts require more math that nobody wants to grade. Maybe you'll do one problem calculating how tensioner placement affects the force needed to make a cogged belt skip teeth.
vanderZwan 7y ago
There's also "Stangenkunst" for long-distance mechanical power transmission: https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2013/01/mechanical-transmission-of-power-stangenkunst.html https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2013/01/mechanical-transmiss...

dredmorbius 7y ago

Also hydraulic accumulators: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Hydraulic_Power_Company https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Hydraulic_Power_Company https://99percentinvisible.org/article/running-on-water-the-hydraulic-system-that-tapped-the-thames-to-power-london/ https://99percentinvisible.org/article/running-on-water-the-...

camtarn 7y ago
Amusingly, modern hydraulic accumulators of a different sort may still have a role in power generation. I'm working on a couple of wave generator projects where the waves pump hydraulic rams, storing pulses of pressure in hydraulic accumulators, where it's then used to drive a generator at a more constant speed.
- dredmorbius 7y ago
  Intresting, though wave power is a minusculy small overall altrnative energy source with massive capital feqirements. There are better options to pursue. Pumped hydro is ... after a fashion ... a vastly more appropriate hydraulic accumulator, as is CAES.

walshemj 7y ago

Back when I did a mechanical engineering BTECH (higher vocational UK quali) in the 80's - we still learnt how to design a belt drive.

TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
Would belt drive systems still be covered in mechanical engineering? The 4kW laser cutter I operate for work has (toothed) belts in it, so presumably the drive systems are covered under mechanical engineering?
- jbay808 7y ago
  Belt drive systems are still an essential mechanical design component, both for power transmission and motion control, and certainly still covered in university classes these days.
- dsfyu404ed 7y ago
  Yes. You'll study the shit out of old school flat belts because V-belts, serpentine and cogged belts require more math that nobody wants to grade. Maybe you'll do one problem calculating how tensioner placement affects the force needed to make a cogged belt skip teeth.

vanderZwan 7y ago

There's also "Stangenkunst" for long-distance mechanical power transmission: https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2013/01/mechanical-transmission-of-power-stangenkunst.html https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2013/01/mechanical-transmiss...