Archimedes' screw
Sign in to savemachine used for transferring water from a low-lying body of water into irrigation ditches
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Archimedes' screw is a machine that lifts water from a lower level, like a river or pond, up into irrigation channels for watering crops. It works by using a spiral screw mechanism inside a tube that rotates to push water upward, making it useful for agricultural irrigation without requiring the water source to be at a higher elevation naturally.
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An Archimedes' screw is a hydraulic machine composing of an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder with helical blades. It can be operated both as a pump and a power generator, though it has been used for other purposes, such as drainage and sewage management.
The origins of the water screw are unknown; Archimedes of Syracuse is traditionally credited with inventing the water screw, but other academics argue Archimedes found the Egyptians already using the screw. The earliest mention of the screw is from between 250 and 220 BC, and archaeological remains of water screws in Europe and Asia suggested that it was diffused across the territories of the Roman Empire, though the screw largely fell out of use in Europe in the third century AD. However, it resurfaced during Renaissance, with the screw introduced to other regions such as China and Japan. In 1991, a patent for the Archimedes screw turbine was filed, and the testing was done between 1993 and 1995.