Construction

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1979 Caterpillar D8K Crawler Tractor - S-Dozer, Canopy, 8B RipperAll early
shovels were initially built for railway mounting and bore features similar to the
Otis shovel. They were made from either a wooden or steel fame, used to support
the machine’s boiler and boom. Otis’ invention stayed pretty much the same for
about 100 years, when manufacturers slowly started to adapt the machine for other
uses and begin designing it in different configurations.
Excavation was now the main process of construction. With steam power, it
removed the time, cost, and manpower associated with it. Large projects were
carried out and the excavator completed the projects in record time. One of the
largest projects of the late 19th century was the Manchester Ship Canal in England.
In 1887, fifty-eight Ruston steam shovels and 18 clamshell excavators, as well as
other types of excavators, were employed to remove 54 million cubic yards (41
million m3) of earth during the course of six years.
The successful use of steam in excavators led to other types of steam-powered
machines. Wheeled tractors, which replaced horses and mules, were able to pull
scrapers and graders. Just after the 20th century, a crawler tractor powered by
steam was invented and became a hit with the industry’s contractors. The crawler
tractor first made an appearance in 1713 by Frenchman M. D’Hermand who
created a crawler tread trailer that was propelled forward by the use of animals.
The device became steam-driven in 1770 by Richard Edgeworth, who also patented
the tracking tread system. The crawler tractor became a machine of its own after
inventor Benjamin Holt developed a machine with more wheels, and, eventually,
with crawler tracks that would allow it to easily advance over soft soil surfaces.[6]
Holt’s tracked crawler tractor was further improved by R. Hornsby & Sons, a
manufacturing company based in Grantham England. Instead of steam, the crawler
tractors used oil to fuel its power. Steam soon became a fuel of the past as more and
more manufacturers begin developing machines to be powered by oil and gas
engines. Eventually, diesel engines would become the norm.
[edit] Mobility in the 1900s
The 20th century became an era where innovation and technology dominated the
industry. Now that machines were being developed to take over the many tasks of
construction projects and they were powered efficiently, manufacturers began to focus on
how they could be improved. One such way was transportation.
Initially, these machines were mounted on railways, when applicable, or consisted of
steel or iron wheels. By the 1930s, machines were made with increased mobility,
allowing contractors to move them around the site with ease. As machines became more
advanced, they also increased in weight, making it more difficult to ship them from site
to site. Large-capacity steel trailers were used for these purposes but the crawler tractor
had to be adapted to be able to move around the site with little maneuverability.
Earthmoving equipment became increasingly mounted on wheels, giving them higher
speeds, more mobility, and hassle-free transportation.

[edit] Hydraulics and Pneumatics

After World War II, the construction industry experienced another change. A law created
by Blaise Pascal in the 17th century indicated that when pressure is placed on a fluid, it is
pushed equally throughout its surrounding area. Teaming this law with a set of pistons in
a cylinder, oil could be used to push the pistons up and down, creating a force that could
be applied to machinery. Even though the use of hydraulics appears as early as the 1600s,
it did not take form in construction equipment until after World War II.
Building equipment operated by hydraulics had and continues to have many benefits: the
maneuverability of machines has increased exponentially. The arm of an excavator can
move with precision and accuracy. The movement that hydraulics provides is a much
smoother and cleaner operation than that of previous mechanisms. One of the first
hydraulic machines was the hydraulic excavator, produced by Carlo and Mario Bruneri in
1948 when they mounted a hydraulic excavator on wheels. Soon after, other prototypes
would follow and hydraulics began to become a feature in many machines, including
cranes and scrapers.
Pnuematics, which follows a similar mechanism to hydraulics, uses compressed air
instead of oil. Not only were excavators, dump trucks, cranes, and more utilizing
pneumatics, but it could even be found in tires.

[edit] Construction and the Future

Although construction has changed in its methods and machinery, its purpose remains the
same. From the beginning of time, mankind has been inherently growing towards a
civilization made up of structures and roadways. Whether construction is used to provide
shelter and habitation, or for transportation means, flood prevention or irrigation, roads,
railways, or for any other purpose, construction still means the same to civilization today
as it did centuries and centuries before.