Steam mill

A steam mill is a mill, by means of steam power (usually by a steam engine, more rarely, a steam turbine ) is driven.

History

First steam mills arose in England, the mother country of industrialization, the end of the 18th century. The most famous was the Albion Mill in London from 1786 To 1820, the first steam mill in Germany were built. 1816 in Waldenburg / Silesia, 1818 in Magdeburg, 1822 in Berlin, ...

During the 19th century, steam power then undid the two classical types of drives for mills, water and wind power, from the dominant form. Compared with the wind energy provides the steam power has the advantage that it is independent of the weather and thus can be reliably retrieved as and when required. Compared to the water power, which was not subject to quite as strong natural variations such as wind power, was added as an advantage that no water rights had to be acquired. These benefits outweighed the disadvantage that the drive energy unlike wind and water was not free of charge; the fuel for the boiler (usually coal) had to be purchased.

The supply-demand balance and the elimination of power restriction formed the basis for a change in the mill being away from small, craft moderately organized mills through to large industrial factories. The steam power was thus indirectly responsible for the much-lamented (First ) mill dying late 19th and early 20th century.

For example analyzed Karl Marx: " In acquiring new productive forces men change their mode of production, and to win with the change in the mode of production, the way their living, they change all their social relations The hand-mill gives you society with the feudal lord, the steam mill. society with the industrial capitalist. "

In the 20th century, the steam drive in most mills in turn was eventually replaced by internal combustion engines and electric drive, but so did not have a profound impact on the structure of the mill being, since the industrial mills could be converted readily to the new drives.

Technology

In contrast to wind and water mills, in which the vertical shaft normally gears drive directly to or millstones, there was a steam mill from a central boiler and a central steam engine, from the driving force via belt drives on the different machines, especially the grinders, in the mill was distributed. About the strap could be switched on and off individual machines as needed. Not infrequently drove a steam engine at more than 10 grinders and auxiliary machinery.

The mill buildings were large, multi-storey building in the style of a factory.

Steam engine in the Bamford Mill in England. In the foreground of the output for the drive belts

Millstone propelled by a belt drive