Waterwheel (redirected from waterwheels)

waterwheel

Machine for tapping the energy of running or falling water (hence a prime mover) by means of a set of paddles or buckets mounted around a wheel. The force of the moving water against the paddles, or the weight of water poured into the buckets, rotates the wheel. The resulting power is transmitted to machinery via the shaft of the wheel. The waterwheel was perhaps the earliest source of mechanical energy to replace that of humans and animals, and it was first used for such tasks as raising water and grinding grain. See also waterpower.

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waterwheel [′wȯd·ər‚wēl]

(mechanical engineering)

A vertical wheel on a horizontal shaft that is made to revolve by the action or weight of water on or in containers attached to the rim.

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Waterwheel 

the simplest hydraulic engine, driven by the power of flowing water. The waterwheel has been used since the most ancient times in the irrigation systems of Egypt, India, China, and other countries, and later for driving water mills, machinery, and devices used in small-scale production. Its major shortcomings are low power, low frequency of rotation, inefficiency, and bulkiness.