History of blowers

In 5000-6000 years ago, metallurgy appeared in China. After entering the iron age in the 5th century B.C., iron became an important factor in promoting historical progress and once became a symbol of the level of productivity development. Iron smelting is a combination of various technologies, and blast technology is an indispensable part of it. The blast technology of metallurgical machinery in ancient China has experienced the development from intermittent blast to continuous blast, and the blast equipment has developed from Ligularia to wood fan and piston type wooden bellows, and horse exhaust and water drainage also appeared. The development of blast equipment is not only an important part of iron smelting technology progress, but also affected by the overall level of mechanical technology as a kind of mechanical technology. China''s iron smelting machinery in social politics, economy, technical level and other factors under the joint action of a unique development context.
The blast technology is to blow a certain pressure of air into the furnace, so that the fuel can be fully burned, the furnace temperature can be raised and the smelting efficiency can be improved. Blast equipment is the material basis for the implementation of blowing technology. Natural wind may be used in early metallurgy, and then forced blast was developed with the demand for high temperature. The earliest instruments used for forced blowing were fans and blowpipes (Ligularia). The remains of copper crucible furnace found in Niuheliang, Lingyuan County, Liaoning Province are typical archeological evidence of blowpipe and blast. A pottery beast head blast pipe was also found at the Dajing ancient copper mine site (Xiajiadian upper culture, about 2700-2900 years ago) in Linxi County, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia. These findings indicate that more primitive blast equipment has appeared in the early Bronze Age. According to the archaeological materials, one of the four smelting furnaces in China has been used for smelting as early as possible. In addition, from a large number of bronzes unearthed in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties and their technological level, it is speculated that there should be a relatively primitive blowing device at that time, but whether this kind of blowing equipment belongs to mechanical device needs further research. The real blast mechanism of iron smelting should be developed with the progress of iron smelting. The concept of machinery appeared in the spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period. "Zhuangzi · waipian · heaven and earth" records Zi Gong''s saying: "there is a weapon (which is a kind of water drawing tool). In this way, one day to soak a hundred beds, the force is very little, but the effect is more. " "Han Feizi · Nan Er" said: "judging by the terrain, the benefits of zhouche and machinery, less effort, greater contribution, more.". That is to say, the ancients thought that the machine was a kind of instrument which "exerted less force but caused more work". Now it is generally believed that machinery should include three parts: power unit, transmission device and working machine. If this measure of blower machinery, the earliest is Ligularia, and then there are water drainage, wooden fan, piston type wooden bellows and so on. It is not difficult to see that from the original Ligularia to the later horse platoon, water drainage, and then to wood fans and wind boxes, its mechanical structure and mechanical motive power present from simple to complex, and then to miniaturization and simplification. The reason for this is the social background at that time, especially the national system and economic development.

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