Archimedes' screw

Uncommon card · No. 133970

An Archimedes' screw is a hydraulic machine composed of an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder with helical blades. It can be operated both as a pump and a power generator, though it has been used for other purposes, such as drainage and sewage management. The origins of the water screw are unknown. Archimedes of Syracuse is traditionally credited with inventing the water screw, but other academics argue Archimedes found the Egyptians already using the screw. The earliest mention of the screw is from between 250 and 220 BC, and archaeological remains of water screws in Europe and Asia suggested that it was diffused across the territories of the Roman Empire, though the screw largely fell out of use in Europe in the third century AD. However, it resurfaced during Renaissance, with the screw introduced to other regions such as China and Japan. In 1991, a patent for the Archimedes screw turbine was filed, and the testing was done between 1993 and 1995. As a machine used for lifting water...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Silberwolf (size changed by: Jahobr), CC BY-SA 2.5