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Application and Influence of Flap Valve Mechanism on Ancient Bellows

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Explorations in the History and Heritage of Machines and Mechanisms

Part of the book series: History of Mechanism and Machine Science ((HMMS,volume 37))

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Abstract

The flap valve is an important component of the bellows. By using the force of airflow or its own gravity, it can open or close the airflow channel and automatically control the airflow’s direction. Early blowpipes and the primitive blowers made of skin without flap valve produced low pressure and could only be used in copper and bloomery iron smelting. The bellows equipped with flap valves has various types like bellows made of skin, piston bellows made of wood all over the world and double-acting piston bellows in China. Most of them were better airtight, could generate high pressure, and could use water and animal force to blast air. This has met the demand of cast iron smelting and has greatly promoted the development of the ancient metallurgical industry.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the major breakthrough project “Creation and Dissemination of the Scientific & Technological Knowledge” (Phase II) (No. Y621011), which was provided by the Institute for the History of Natural Science, Chinese Academy of Science.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for the History of Natural Sciences (IHNS), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    X. Huang

  2. Zhangjiakou Iron Steel Industry Development Company Limited, Xuanhua, People’s Republic of China

    L. F. Li

Authors
  1. X. Huang
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  2. L. F. Li
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to X. Huang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Baichun Zhang

  2. LARM: Laboratory of Robotics and Mechatronics, University of Cassino and South Latium, Cassino, Italy

    Marco Ceccarelli

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Huang, X., Li, L.F. (2019). Application and Influence of Flap Valve Mechanism on Ancient Bellows. In: Zhang, B., Ceccarelli, M. (eds) Explorations in the History and Heritage of Machines and Mechanisms. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol 37. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03538-9_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03538-9_17

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-03537-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-03538-9

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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