Question

What were the interesting features of the 'inventions' of this period?

Answer 1

The transformation of England from an agricultural country to its establishment as the workshop of the world was possible due to several inventions and technological developments. It is estimated that around 26000 inventions were made in the 18th century. Some important features of the inventions of this period are as follows:

1) Furnaces in the industries were usually dependent on the use of charcoal, the availability of which was scarce. The invention of blast furnaces, which used coke, helped to reduce this dependency. In comparison to charcoal, coke produced much higher temperatures for the extraction of iron. This iron also permitted finer and larger castings than before.

2) With the invention of different machines, new products could be produced. These products soon flooded the English market. For instance, puddling furnaces and rolling mill made the production of broader range of iron products such as iron pipes and chairs, possible.

3) New inventions successfully reduced the gap between two units in a mill. This was a common problem in the cotton textile mill, where the weaver could start working only when the yarn had arrived from the spinners. With the invention of machines like the spinning jenny and flying shuttle loom, both the weaver and the spinner could work simultaneously.

4) New technology enabled increased production of goods in industries as compared to what was done earlier in smaller units. It is estimated that the British iron industry quadrupled its output between 1800 and 1830.

5) The Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of the factory system. In factories, workers were required to do one specific task rather than conducting several activities or the entire production job. This job specialization of the labourers along with strict quality control by managers of the factories facilitated the production of high quality goods.

6) Before Industrial Revolution, hydraulic power was the most important source of energy. However, the use of hydraulic power remained limited due to factors like climate and speed of water. The invention of steam power provided an alternative source of energy that was effective, cheap and reliable. The high pressure created by steam at high temperature could be used to run heavy.machines

7) The invention of steam power facilitated the establishment of railway engines. Railways reduced the time taken to travel from one place to another and helped in transportation of heavy goods throughout the year.