First, there were wooden wheels invented in Mesopotamia for transportation, and then bicycle wheels and wagon (car) wheels. But here, we bring you the evolution of automobile wheels. If you’ve ever wondered how automotive wheels got to be the way they are today, this brief history is for you. The first pneumatic tyres (those that use rubber and air) appeared on an automobile during a car race in 1895; however, it wasn’t until the late 1940s that they were widely used. Aluminum alloy wheels were introduced in the 1920s, but it took nearly 50 years before they were widely used wheels. [1]
Evolution of automobiles wheel,
For more details, please see another interesting sorted history for wheels era “click here”.
Wheels first appeared in ancient Mesopotamia, modern-day
Iraq, more than 5,000 years ago. They were originally used by potters to help
Shape clay. Later, wheels were fitted to carts, which made moving objects
around much easier. Some early wheels were solid disks of wood cut from tree
trunks. Others were made from short planks of wood some straight and others
rounded. Around 2,000 BCE, someone came up with the bright idea of cutting out
pieces of wood to make the wheel lighter and faster. Another clever idea came
with the invention of the axle, a rod that passed through a hole in the center
of the wheel. Turning the axle turned the entire wheel, saving both time and
energy. [2]
In its primitive form, a wheel is a circular
block of a hard and durable material at whose center has been bored a circular
hole through which is placed an axle bearing about which the
wheel rotates when a moment is applied by gravity or torque to
the wheel about its axis, thereby making together one of the six simple machines [3] i.e. (wheels and axles is one of them).
The funny thing about wheels is that we are used to
seeing them in use all around us but they are a man-made thing. There aren’t
any wheels in nature and the only ones in the animal world that create and use
them are human beings. [4]
Before the invention of the wheel people had to pull or push things along the ground. People didn’t actually create and use wheels until around 3500 B.C., which is the early Bronze Age. Before that, they used inclined planes and levers to move anything around. [4]
Who invented the wheel? [4]
No one really knows who actually invented the wheel.
It is thought the possibly the original wheels were
actually round branches from trees and that humans later perfected the concept
of the wheel and then the wheel and axle.
The earliest civilization that is known to use the
wheel was found as evidence in an area known then as Samaria in 4,000 B.C., but
is known as Iraq today.
They had a very sophisticated culture and
archeological evidence shows that they were just beginning to relocate and live
in cities.
Some of the first wheels [4]
The earliest wheels that are believed to exist were
actually pottery wheels.
Around 3,700 B.C., wagon wheels were used in Central
Asia.
The original wheels were circular (solid) only, with
the development of the addition of spokes later.
 |
The earliest wheels were made of a solid piece of wood |
Wheels make life easier by allowing you to accomplish
something for a longer period of time.
When you turn a wheel that has an axle, the axle will
also turn.
The larger wheel the easier it will turn due to the
shorter distance of the axle turn.
The advantages of wheels [4]
Wheels bring a mechanical advantage by allowing you to
turn something heavy through the use of an axle that is attached to the heavy
item.
An example of this might be a pencil sharpener.
The opposite of that idea is how car wheels work. They
require a lot of force to turn the axle so that the wheels move very fast.
Wheels are used in tiny ways, as in the mechanisms of
an intricate watch all the way to larger functions such as wagons and cars.
There are many ways that wheels work with other
mechanisms such as pulleys.
The invention of the wheel is thought to be one of the
major reasons that civilizations made such great advancements.
In farming, there were many uses such as wheelbarrows
and in cloth making, the spinning wheel allowed the conversion of raw materials
to yarn and string.
Once the wheel was invented the use of carts became
popular but the carts still had to be pulled or pushed.
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| Bullock cart design |
Humans attached domesticated animals such as horses and oxen to pull the carts along.
Wheel facts: [4]
A wheel is a disc- or circle-shaped device
A wheel allow things to roll
No wheels exist in nature
The first wheels were originally used by potters to help shape clay
The ancient Greeks invented the wheelbarrow
Wheels are used on Cars, Bikes, Buses, Ferris Wheel, Aeroplane wheels and baby strollers
The back wheel of a bicycle is propelled by cog wheels
Millstones wheels for grinding grain
Waterwheels and windmills were also used to drive millstones
Wheel Invention era step-by-step : See below images
Bullock cart wheel construction: the hub, rim, spoke and steel ring over wooden wheel ash. It is the basic structure for modern wheel. Refer to "modern wheel" [6]
[2] Wheel: https://www.dkfindout.com/us/science/amazing-inventions/wheel/
[3] Wheel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel
[4] Wheel Facts: https://www.scienceforkidsclub.com/wheel.html
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