During the industrial revolution, what key mechanical engineering principles were key to the era?
The ability to observe how “things” were being done, and realise that were alternative (cheaper/”better”) ways of getting “things” done. Being able to convince people that their “method” was better was key too. Watt sold the steam engine as being cheaper/less hassle than horse power To back this up consider why Heron’s steam turbine from WAY back in the 1 Century AD, DIDN’T take off. Ignore the historians, who claim that “as it wasn’t used for useful work, it can’t produce useful work”, and instead do a proper engineering analysis(hmm no ability to do work- then it shouldn’t turn at all!) . You’ll realise that’s it’s a fairly efficient/robust design, which compares very well to the engines of James Watt. The output can be made comparable to that of a wind/water wheel, and so could have been put to use by the Greeks using simple”stick” gears. So why didn’t it take off:- relative cost of feeding the engine fuel compared to feeding “slaves”/animals, and also because it was a “newfangled i
