By ZONG Shihan

The water-powered trip hammer is a grain processing tool that uses the power of running water to grind grains, which was invented in the Western Han Dynasty(202 BC-8 AD).

It consists of a winding pinion, axles, plectrum plates, poles, heads, mortars and other components. The running water impacts the winding pinion to rotate, and plectrum plates on axles stir the end of poles, which enables heads to rise and fall to crush cereals in the mortar.

The water-powered trip hammer is a cleverly designed tool that harnesses the principle of leverage and uses water as its driving force. It operates continuously, day and night, with no need to worry about power shortages or time constraints.

Originally, the water-powered trip hammer had only one head. Du Yu (222-284) invented the water-powered trip hammer with multiple heads to work simultaneously, greatly improving production efficiency.

After the Tang Dynasty(618-907), the use of the water-powered trip hammer gradually expanded to process other materials such as medicine, spices, and minerals.