Inventions of The Industrial Revolution

Question 1

What is the Pig Iron and its impacts?

Answer 1

In 1709, Abraham Darby demonstrated that using coke
- coal heated to drive out impurities - in a blast furnace could produce a purer form of pig iron.
Although pig iron had many uses, it could be brittle because of the presence of small amounts of carbon. In 1783, Henry Cort developed a method of reducing the carbon content of pig iron through a process known as
‘puddling’: stirring molten metal with rods to bring the carbon near the surface and burn it off. A further process was rolling the iron into a part-molten state to drive off more impurities. This resulted in a product that was stronger and could be bent, rolled or cast into many different shapes. High-quality iron could now be used for making machinery, a huge variety of tools and implements, boilers for steam-driven engines, as well as bridges and the framework for buildings.

Question 2

What is the Spinning Jenny and its impacts?

Answer 2

The development of the Spinning Jenny by James
Hargreaves in the 1760s. In early models, one person turning a wheel could spin eight spindles of yarn simultaneously. Later models could hold over 100 spindles at one time. However, the cotton produced was still not strong enough to be used for a warp.

Question 3

What is the Steam Engine and its impacts?

Answer 3

First steam engine railroad built by Stevenson in 1825.
The invention of the steam engine revolutionised the world when its power was applied to transport.
Historians regard the steam locomotive and construction of railway lines as the most influential inventions since the Roman road.

Question 4

Most important inventions of the Industrial Revolution:

Answer 4

• The Sunshine Harvester: The development of the Sunshine Harvester in Victoria in 1883 brought major change to Australian agriculture. Seventeen-year-old Hugh McKay built a machine that could winnow the wheat as it was being harvested on his father’s farm.
• The cotton gin: Before its introduction into the textile industry, cotton seeds needed to be removed from fibers by hand; this process was laborious and time-consuming. With the seeds and fibers separated more efficiently, it became much cheaper for farmers to grow cotton for goods like linen. They could also simultaneously separate seeds for crop growth or cottonseed oil production.
• The Bessemer process was the world’s first inexpensive process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron. It is noted for removing impurities from the iron via oxidation as air is blown through the molten metal. Oxidation also helps raise the temperature of the iron mass to keep it molten for longer. The ability to mass-produce high-quality steel and iron allowed a literal boom in using them in many other aspects of the revolution. Iron and steel suddenly became essential materials used to make almost everything from appliances to tools, machines, ships, buildings, and infrastructure. It was in Sweden.
• Modern Battery: Although there is evidence of early batteries from as far back as the Parthian Empire around 2,000 years ago, the first true electric battery was invented in 1800. This world-first was the brainchild of one Alessandro Volta with the development of his voltaic pile. In 1802, William Cruickshank designed the first electric battery capable of being mass-produced. The first rechargeable battery marketed for commercial use was invented in 1859 by the French physician Gaston Plante. Volta’s initial invention sparked a significant amount of scientific excitement worldwide, leading to the eventual development of the field of electrochemistry. In Italy.
• Factory: John Lombe opened one of, if not the, first documented factory in Derby around 1721. Lombe’s factory used water power to help the factory mass produce silk products. Once completed, the mill, at its height, employed around 300 people. On its completion, it was the first successful silk-throwing mill in England and, it is believed by many to be the first fully mechanized factory in the world.

Question 5

Inventions made in the Industrial Revolution related to farming and manufacturing:

Answer 5

• Cotton Gin: (1/1/1794) Eli Whitney, an American inventor made the cotton gin. The gin separated the sticky seeds from the fibers in short-staple cotton, which was easy to grow in the deep South but difficult to process. The gin improved the separation of the seeds and fibers but the cotton still needed to be picked by hand.
• Steam Engine: The purpose of an engine is to provide power, a steam engine provides mechanical power by using the energy of steam. Steam engines were the first successful engines invented and were the driving force behind the industrial revolution. They have been used to power the first trains, ships, factories, and even cars.
• Spinning Jenny: The ‘Spinning Jenny’ was an engine for spinning wool or cotton invented in 1764 by James
  Hargreaves, who had it patented in 1770.