Info about the wheel in the mining rescue in Chile

[MineralMan]

The wheel used in the rescue is a small example of a "winding wheel," a very old design used in shaft mines for centuries.

Mounted at the top of the head or pit frame over a vertical shaft, a winding wheel is used to convert horizontal pulling on a cable or rope into a vertical pull. Mounting an actual winch or windlass at the top of the frame would be difficult, so it is mounted at ground level. The cable is passed over the wheel at the top of the frame so that the cable descends vertically into the shaft as a tangent from the wheel.

The size of the wheel depends on many factors, but it's a common thing in mining. In some mining communities, old winding wheels have been converted into memorial sculptures, as in the photo below:



and



I just thought that some people would be interested in this bit of mining history...

[handmade34]

1. thanks

I was watching last night and it made me think of my old spinning wheel :D

[blondeatlast]

2. I've seen them here in Arizona. I'm fascinated by mining;

I've toured some inactive as well as active mines around here. Eerily fascinating knowing the danger, but still marvels of engineering and hard labor--as well as the safety procedures.

Amazing stuff. .

[MineralMan]

3. Yup. The winding wheel has always been symbolic of mining,

since its simple principle has been used almost since mining began. Almost every old vertical shaft mine used such a wheel. Some of them are huge.

[Scurrilous]

4. Thanks.

:thumbsup: