RediscoveringRediscovering thethe WaterwheelWaterwheel ““NoriaNoria AlAl--MuhammadiyyaMuhammadiyya”” ASMEASME InternationalInternational HistoricHistoric LandmarkLandmark by Mahmod Samman, Ph.D., P.E. ASME Northwest Houston Subsection meeting August 2005 ASMEASME LandmarksLandmarks ¾¾ ASMEASME HistoryHistory andand HeritageHeritage ¾¾ ProgramProgram beganbegan inin 19711971 ¾¾ Landmarks,Landmarks, sites,sites, andand collectionscollections ¾¾ 238+238+ landmarkslandmarks designateddesignated ¾¾ VastVast majoritymajority inin thethe USUS InternationalInternational ASMEASME LandmarksLandmarks ¾¾ 1111 CountriesCountries ¾¾ Austria,Austria, Australia,Australia, Canada,Canada, China,China, France,France, Germany,Germany, TheThe Netherlands,Netherlands, Japan,Japan, Sweden,Sweden, Switzerland,Switzerland, UnitedUnited KingdomKingdom ¾¾ AndAnd nownow…….(after.(after 55 years)years)…… #12#12 SyriaSyria WaterwheelsWaterwheels WebsterWebster’’s:s: z 1:1: aa wheelwheel mademade toto rotaterotate byby directdirect actionaction ofof waterwater z 2:2: aa wheelwheel forfor raisingraising waterwater WaterwheelsWaterwheels ¾¾ HumanHuman--drivendriven ¾¾ AnimalAnimal--drivendriven ¾¾ WaterWater--drivendriven WaterWater--drivendriven waterwheelswaterwheels ¾¾ HorizontalHorizontal (Norse(Norse wheels)wheels) ¾¾ VerticalVertical (undershot,(undershot, overshot)overshot) (drawing from Scientific American) (drawing from Scientific American) HistoryHistory ¾ Originated in the east of the Mediterranean where the fast-running River Orontes flows. (circa 400 BCE) ¾ The horizontal wheel dates to about 200 BCE. ¾ The Romans took this invention to Europe in the first century BCE. (Vitruvius, 27 BCE) ¾ In 1085 CE, 5,624 wheels were in use in England south of the River Trent. (Domesday Book) ¾ London pumped its water supply from the river using water wheels until as recently as 1822. ¾ In the U.S. as late as 1870, water wheels and water turbines provided more power to factories than did steam engines. GristmillGristmill ChineseChinese BellowsBellows ¾ Metallurgical bellows, powered by a horizontal waterwheel, from the Chinese work of 1313 AD MetalMetal workingworking ¾ Transformation of rotary motion into linear motion can be achieved by having a cam on the axle of the wheel. (drawing from Scientific American) RockRock crushingcrushing ¾ TheThe camcam principleprinciple appliedapplied inin aa rockrock-- crushingcrushing millmill Georgius Agricola's De Re Metallica (1556). ShipShip millmill ¾ IndependenceIndependence fromfrom waterwater heightheight Georgius Agricola's De Re Metallica (1556). Mining:Mining: OreOre // ManMan--LiftingLifting GRUBE SAMSON SILVER MINE REVERSIBLE WATERWHEEL AND MAN-ENGINE (1521-1910) (International Historic ASME Landmark, Germany, 1987) Reversible: Full container raised while empty one is descended WaterwheelWaterwheel--poweredpowered waterwater--liftinglifting ¾ The river is directed to a waterwheel => right angle gear => fifteen- meter vertical shaft transmits the power to the top. ¾ Pot garland wheel: From the pots, the water is conducted along an aqueduct to a mosque. Damascus, Syria (Schiöler- Experimentarium) WaterWater liftinglifting ¾¾ HydraulicHydraulic waterwheelwaterwheel ¾¾ WaterWater pumppump ¾¾ NoriaNoria NoriaNoria vs.vs. waterwheelwaterwheel ¾¾ AllAll noriasnorias areare waterwheelswaterwheels butbut notnot allall waterwater wheelswheels areare norias.norias. ¾¾ AA waterwheelwaterwheel typicallytypically drivesdrives somethingsomething elseelse (e.g.(e.g. aa grindstone,grindstone, machinerymachinery etc.)etc.) AA norianoria isis aa standstand--alonealone pumppump thatthat raisesraises waterwater fromfrom aa riverriver andand dischargesdischarges itit atat aa higherhigher elevation.elevation. NoriaNoria ¾ AnAn EnglishEnglish wordword thatthat findsfinds itsits originorigin inin thethe ArabicArabic wordword ““naurahnaurah”” -- usedused inin SyriaSyria forfor bucketbucket--typetype waterwheels.waterwheels. ¾ LiterallyLiterally meansmeans ““thethe wailerwailer..”” TheThe namename refersrefers toto thethe wailingwailing soundsound mademade duringduring operationoperation thatthat isis createdcreated byby itsits woodenwooden bearings.bearings. ¾ TheThe soundsound isis aa mixturemixture ofof noisenoise andand truetrue musicalmusical notesnotes thatthat isis oftenoften comparedcompared toto organorgan music.music. TheThe deepestdeepest notesnotes areare inin thethe rangerange ofof 120120 -- 170170 Hz,Hz, oror nearlynearly twotwo octavesoctaves belowbelow concertconcert pitch.pitch. ¾ UsedUsed byby somesome SpanishSpanish--speakers.speakers. TheThe wailerwailer EgyptEgypt MorroccoMorrocco ThailandThailand DenmarkDenmark SpainSpain (Cordoba)(Cordoba) RomaniaRomania IraqIraq SyriaSyria ¾ LikelyLikely birthplacebirthplace ofof NoriasNorias ¾ FertileFertile CrescentCrescent ¾ RiverRiver OrontesOrontes HamaHama –– TheThe CityCity ofof NoriasNorias ¾ OfOf thethe tenstens ofof thousandsthousands ofof waterwheelswaterwheels thatthat werewere builtbuilt aroundaround thethe world,world, veryvery fewfew havehave survived.survived. ¾ InIn thethe citycity ofof Hama,Hama, seventeenseventeen largelarge norianoria setssets continuecontinue toto operateoperate onon thethe RiverRiver OrontesOrontes asas theythey havehave forfor manymany centuries.centuries. ¾ OftenOften citedcited asas majormajor worksworks ofof artart andand treasuredtreasured remainsremains ofof anan ancientancient civilizationcivilization ¾ TheseThese noriasnorias irrigateirrigate farmlandfarmland asas wellwell asas supplysupply drinkingdrinking waterwater toto communitiescommunities lyinglying nextnext toto thethe river.river. ¾ Now,Now, mostlymostly aa touristtourist attraction.attraction. VerticalVertical UndershotUndershot BucketBucket--typestypes TheThe NoriaNoria AlAl--MuhammadiyyahMuhammadiyyah ¾ OneOne ofof thethe largestlargest everever constructedconstructed (65(65 feetfeet inin diameter)diameter) ¾ OneOne ofof thethe oldestoldest survivingsurviving withwith aa confirmedconfirmed datedate ofof constructionconstruction (1361(1361 AD)AD) ¾ SchiSchiöölerler-- ExperimentariumExperimentarium (typical):(typical): z Power: 1,000 Watts (1.34 hydraulic HP) z Efficiency: 0.3 z Water flow: 0.004 m3/second (63 gallons/min) ““ThisThis largelarge blessedblessed norianoria waswas builtbuilt inin orderorder toto taketake waterwater toto thethe alal--AA’’lala mosquemosque duringduring thethe lifelife ofof ourour HonoredHonored andand RespectedRespected Lord,Lord, guarantorguarantor ofof thethe HamathHamath KingdomKingdom inin thethe yearyear 763.763.”” (1361(1361 AD)AD) ¾ An inscription on the eastern face of the column of the thirteenth arcade of the Noria Al-Muhammadiyya. ¾ The founder was twice governor and representative of the Ottoman Empire in Hama until his death (1368-1371 AD). ¾ In addition to supplying the Grand Mosque, this noria provided water to a public bath, to the gardens around the mosque, and to the houses and the fountains of the same neighborhood. DrawingDrawing TheThe oldestoldest availableavailable toto--scalescale drawingdrawing ofof thisthis waterwater wheelwheel byby thethe DanishDanish architectarchitect EinarEinar FugmannFugmann inin 19351935 (Schioler, 1973) DraftDraft PlaquePlaque WordingWording HISTORIC MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LANDMARK NORIA AL-MUHAMMADIYYA 763 AH (1361 CE) FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS PRIOR TO THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, THE WATER WHEEL WAS MANKIND’S ONLY MEANS OF HARVESTING AND UTILIZING LARGE QUANTITIES OF ENERGY. IMPORTANT IN THEIR OWN RIGHT, THESE ANCIENT DEVICES ALSO PAVED THE WAY FOR WATER MILLS, WINDMILLS, AND MODERN TURBINES. THE GIANT WATER WHEELS THAT CONTINUE TO OPERATE ON THE RIVER ORONTES IN HAMA, SYRIA ARE UNIQUE IN BOTH SIZE AND AGE. THE NORIA AL-MUHAMMADIYYA DATES TO 763 AH (1361 CE). WITH A DIAMETER OF 21 METERS (69 FEET), IT IS AMONG THE LARGEST WATER WHEELS EVER CONSTRUCTED. ITS VERY EXISTENCE TODAY SERVES AS A LASTING TESTIMONY TO ENGINEERING INGENUITY IN THE ANCIENT MUSLIM WORLD AND TO THE CENTRAL ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN CREATING AND SUSTAINING SUCH SOPHISTICATED CIVILIZATIONS. THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS - 2006 .