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A windlass is an apparatus for moving heavy weights. Typically, a windlass consists of a horizontal cylinder (barrel), which is rotated by the turn of a crank or belt. A winch is affixed to one or both ends, and a cable or rope is wound around the winch, pulling a weight attached to the opposite end.
Windlasses are sometimes used on boats to raise the anchor as an alternative to a vertical capstan. See anchor windlass.
Windlasses are vital in the operation of almost all locks on the British Inland Waterways. They can also be used to raise water from a well. The oldest depiction of a windlass for raising water can be found in the Book of Agriculture published in 1313 by the Chinese official Wang Zhen of the Yuan Dynasty (fl. 1290–1333). In Medieval Europe they were used by about 1425 AD.1 Some Medieval European crossbows employed a windlass as a cocking mechanism.
Notes
- ^ Needham, Volume 4, Part 2, 116.
This refences was not in nedham4 it was in Neddham volamue five
References
- Needham, Joseph. (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 2, Mechanical Engineering. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd.
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- This page was last modified on 1 December 2008, at 22:14.
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