page_title: Flatrod system
section_title: Flatrods
hierarchical_section_title: Flatrod system / Flatrods
caption_attribution_description: Wooden rods transmission and water wheel house at Pershyttan, Nora, Sweden
context_page_description: The flatrod system was an invention of the mining industry that enabled the mechanical movement generated by a water wheel to be transferred over short distances. It was invented in the 16th century and by the 18th century was being used to transmit power up to four kilometres. Flatrod systems were widely used in the Harz and Ore Mountains of Germany as well as in Cornwall, England and Bergslagen in Sweden.
  A replica of a flatrod system may be seen in Bad Kösen in Germany on the River Saale and there is a replica water wheel, used to drive flatrods, in Clausthal-Zellerfeld in the Upper Harz, formerly the biggest mining region in Europe.
context_section_description: The purpose of the flatrods was to transfer the power of the motive engine over greater distances to the pump rods in the shaft. This was necessary if the motive engine could not be mounted above or immediately next to the mine shaft. A flatrod system had the disadvantage that there were additional efficiency losses due to the greater masses that had to be moved. The reciprocal motion in the joints (Schlösser) of the interconnected flatrods lead to lifting losses of from 25 to 50 percent. In addition the construction of flatrods required additional timber. This was very maintenance-intensive due to the effects of weathering and it needed additional staff to inspect and maintain the flatrods.
  The flatrods consisted of several wooden rods, fitted with iron hinges. At the ends of the rods, on either side, were so-called Kunstschlösser. These were cut to fit in such a way that one rod could be mortised into another. This was necessary so that the flatrods could not slide apart as a result of to-and-fro or up-and-down motion.
  There were two types of flatrod: flatrods with rollers and flatrods with oscillating cranks (Schwingen). The former were laid on rollers. The rollers consisted of round timbers about eight to ten inches thick, that were firmly set into the ground on their underside and fixed in place with braces. In order to minimise friction, the rod was fitted with a drag rail (Schleppschiene) in the area of the individual rollers that was made of beechwood and long enough to for the entire stroke length.
caption: Horizontal flatrod system in Pershyttan near Nora (Sweden)
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